[fface]

Hi,

What's the difference between the following sentences?

1. Let's go swimming.
2. Let's go to swim.
3. Let's go and swim.
4. Let's go for a swim.

Can I say 'let's go swim'?

Thank you very much.

[susan53]

First of all, as your title implies, "Let's" is irrelevant here. The question is about what constructions can follow the verb GO. The answer would be the same whether the sentences started Let's go.. / I want to go... / Do you feel like going... / It's ages since we last went... - or any other possible opening.

So, as a brief answer - after "go" any of these constructions are possible. The interesting thing is their relative frequency and the contexts in which they would be used.

1. Let's go V+ ing : Here the -ing form is a gerund and the name of a leisure activity, so really a noun. There are lots like this - swimming, riding, walking , skiing, shopping, fishing etc etc etc and all are used with the verb GO - so eg I usually go shopping on Saturdays; I want to go skiing this winter; It's ages since we last went swimming; Shall we go skating this weekend? Here GO is a strange blend of a lexical verb with the literal meaning of go somewhere and a delexicalised verb which just means "perform the action indicated by the noun (compare do the shopping, have a meeting)When might this be said? Probably not immediately before doing the activity but earlier and in another place - eg at home. Notice too that the construction is limited to sports and leisure activities which are named using the - ing form. It wouldn't be possible to say eg * Let's go seeing Ann this weekend.

2. Let's go to... : This would be normal with most verbs where GO has a literal meaning - Let's go to see Ann; It's ages since we went to help Mum with her garden; Shall we go to get some petrol? It would be much less likely with the Ving activities I've discussed in point 1 above, and the only possible example I can think of would be something like I'm fed up with the swimming pool. Let's go to swim in the lake this weekend.

3a. Let's go and swim ... : This is an alternative to Let's go to.. So it could be used in any of the examples I've given above: Let's go and see Ann; It's ages since we went and helped Mum with her garden; Shall we go and get some petrol?. But here I could more easily imagine it being used with the Ving activities. For example, if you were on the beach and bored, you might say. It's too hot just to sit here - let's go and swim. Notice the difference in context from point 1 though - you're not planning in advance but are "on the spot" and want to do it immediately. In this context I could also imagine someone saying...

3b. It's too hot just to sit here - let's go swim and similarly Shall we go get some petrol? This would be a fairly informal use though, and obviously can't be used in a past context : *It's ages since we went swim.

Even in an "on the spot" context though, though I think it would be rare and you'd be much more likely to say...

4. Let's go for a swim Quite a lot of leisure activities activities have this option: It's ages since we went for a bike ride; Do you feel like going for a run? Shall we go for a walk? Do you feel like going for a game of tennis? and it can also be used with some other nouns, especially some connected with food and drink: Let's go for a pizza; It's ages since we went for a Chinese meal; Do you feel like going for an ice-cream?. Other examples might be in a therapeutic context : I'm going for a blood test; I'm going for a massage.
It can't be used though if the only way of expressing the activity is a Ving noun - so not, *Let's go for shopping.

So - all the constructions are possible, but they would be used with different verbs and nouns and in different contexts.
Hope that helps.

[fface]

Quote susan53

I'm fed up with the swimming pool. Let's go to swim in the lake this weekend.[/i]

Hi susan,

Do you mean usually we don't say I want to go to shop/go to fish/go to swim this weekend?

Could you please explain why 'go to swim' is OK in your example above? And can I use 'go swimming' instead here?

Thank you very much for your great help.

[susan53]

Yes - I want to go to shop would almost certainly not occur. I want to go shopping or I want to do the shopping instead.
Let's go to swim in the lake would probably mean the person was actually thinking - Let's go to the lake in order to swim there - so to swim becomes an infinitive of purpose. But as I said, it's very unlikely and Let's go swimming in/at the lake sounds much more probable

[fface]

Hi susan,

I want to go swimming tomorrow.
I want to go and swim tomorrow.
I want to go for a swim tomorrow.
I want to go swim tomorrow.

Do the sentences above mean exactly the same or is there any subtle difference depending on the context?

Thank you for your kind help.

[susan53]

More or less the same - but with the caveats I made about context and relative frequency in my last posts. Whether the sentence starts Let's.. or I want to... or with any other introduction makes no difference. And as i said, I want to go swimsounds odd to me as a British English speaker (any speakers of US English or other varieties want to comment??).

[fface]

Quote susan53

But here I could more easily imagine it being used with the Ving activities. For example, if you were on the beach and bored, you might say. It's too hot just to sit here - let's go and swim. Notice the difference in context from point 1 though - you're not planning in advance but are "on the spot" and want to do it immediately. In this context I could also imagine someone saying...

[b]3b. It's too hot just to sit here - let's go swim

Even in an "on the spot" context though, though I think it would be rare and you'd be much more likely to say...

[b]4. Let's go for a swim

Hi susan,

In the context about 'on the spot' you gave above, we can say these below and they mean the same thing, right?

It's too hot just to sit here - let's go and swim.
It's too hot just to sit here - let's go swim.
It's too hot just to sit here -Let's go for a swim.

Is it also OK to say 'go swimming' here?

Thank you very much.

[susan53]

As I said - less likely if the water is in front of you.

[fface]

Quote susan53

As I said - less likely if the water is in front of you.

Hi susan,

Do you mean 'go swimming' is less likely to use here if the water in front of you and as you said, if you are not planning in advance but are "on the spot" and want to do it immediately?

Thank you very much.

[susan53]

Yes, exactly.