Grammar Question Go/Come

[User12356]

A question for the grammar experts, this one always confuses me.
When replying to a party invitation for my child should I say:

Lucy would love to come
Lucy would love to go

Or the curveball

Lucy would love to join

Lucy would love to come

I'd go with "come", with the justification that the location will be at the same place as at least one of the participants in the conversation will be. If it was some other place where neither of you would be, I'd say "go".

I use 'love to attend'.

Come or join you, probably not just join on its own but definitely not go unless you're speaking to the person and they ate referring to the remote place that the party will be held at

And remember she be taking a gift not bringing one 😂

'Come', because from the POV of the recipient of the reply she's coming to their party.

If the party is at the child's home I think you'd naturally use 'come'.

"Come" as it is an invitation. Lucy is being invited to join an event hosted by the person you're replying to, so from that person's perspective, Lucy is coming, not going.

"Go" is what you might say to the parent of another invitee - "Lucy would love to go to Sally's party, but we're on holiday that week."

I think it's about where the 2 people are relative to each other and the place:

• if I am/or will somewhere and I want you to join me there - it's "come"

E.G.

• I am at a party at my house - I want you to come and join me
• I am ready to leave the house - I want you to come to the front door too
• I, Lucy's teacher, am at school with her. I need you (her mum) to come to school and pick her up because she has a fever.

• If we are looking from where you start (but I'm still talking) it's go

E.G.

• You will go from your house to mine, to join the party
• Once you've changed, you will go from your bedroom to the front door
• You will go from work early to go to school, get Lucy, and then go to your home to put her to bed.

Thank you for the replies. I do know when to use come/go in most situations but this one is tricky for me.
So the general consensus is that I should definitely use 'come' if the party is at the child's home.
The party in this instance is at a soft play.

I have seen both 'come' and 'go' used frequently. Lately I have also seen:

"Lucy will be there."

I know I could use "Lucy will attend" but this sounds a bit formal to me for this type of occasion.

English is ridiculous - don't feel bad about it!!!

I think 'come' still makes more sense but 'go' would be ok - but tbh the parent is unlikely to analyze your grammar and will just be glad you've rsvp'd in a timely manner!

Yeah I'd go with "Lucy would love to come" for soft play, too, because the other parent is (presumably) hosting.

If, however, the parent had messaged you saying something like, "Hi User12356, there's a free place going spare on the sports holiday club that Olivia's booked in on, and I wondered if Lucy might like it?" then I think the answer "Lucy would love to go" would work better.

The person you're talking to isn't running or hosting the club, and neither you nor she will be there while it's going on. You will both be dropping Lucy and Olivia off at another place, and leaving them there with other people, so Lucy will be not be "coming" there from the perspective of either of the two people involved in the conversation. (If it was Olivia's parent who ran the sports holiday club, though, I'd choose "come".)

“Go” is for places that the listener isn’t or won’t be.
“come” is for when you (first person), or a third person, will be joining the listener (2nd person).

Actually yes, this is a great simple explanation.

TENSsion · Today 09:28

“Go” is for places that the listener isn’t or won’t be.
“come” is for when you (first person), or a third person, will be joining the listener (2nd person).

I rationalise it as: Come here / go there.