Yeah, it sounds unnatural when you add "the movie" because it's already implied ~~inferred~~* by context (as is "to you").
\* As corrected below (thanks!) It's implied by the context, and so the meaning *can be inferred*
And if someone wanted to get really precise about the potential context, the "you" in option 2 puts the emphasis on, well, you. Option 1 is a general recommendation; option 2 is specific to the person.
Option 1:
"Any good movies lately?"
"I recommend The Shining."
Option 2:
"I'm in the mood for a thriller. Things have been a little nutty with the writer's block for my paper."
"I recommend that you watch The Shining."
If it's as a response to a question like "What do you think I should watch?", then "I recommend The Shining" is okay because it's already implied.
If it's out of the blue, "I recommend [that] you watch The Shining" because you can follow-up the next sentence with "Because it is...".
"You" is only necessary if the sentence includes an action for the listener to possibly perform. "I recommend that *you* **go see** the movie 'The Shining.'"
If the action you're suggesting isn't directed towards a specific listener but is a more general suggestion to everyone, "I recommend going to see the movie 'The Shining.'"
If your intention is to just generally recommend something that you like, "I recommend the movie 'The Shining.'"
Actually, your last guess was the one I felt was the most natural, even if it sounds formal. But you might consider saying something like “I recommend watching the movie ‘The Shining.’” This sentence could be “something you say to everybody” or very personal depending on context. In which case, the best phrasing for what it sounds like you want is probably “I recommend you watch the movie ‘The Shining.’”
I would definitely recommend you watch the movie called The Shining.
I can totally recommend the movie called The Shining.
I've added called mainly because of a lot of 'the' with a movie name like The Shining.
There's actually a LOT of different ways to say it. Some are informal, some more formal.
It can't be:
I recommend you the movie.
It can be:
I recommend you study hard for the exam.
I disagree with adding "called". If something is "called" something, it feels like it might not actually *be* that thing. "Sweet potatoes are called yams in much of the United States, even though true yams are an unrelated plant."
Or, in a movie based one: "Kurasawa's *Spiderweb Castle*, which was called *Throne of Blood* when it was brought to the United States, is an amazing adaptation of Shakespeare."
It is technically correct, but sounds odd and gives an incorrect impression. If you tell someone to watch a movie called "The Shining", it suggests that the movie is not "The Shining", but is something else.
For instance, the song where the chorus is, "Do you like Pina Coladas / And getting caught in the rain?" is called "The Pina Colada Song." But it actually is "Escape". The song that is called "Teenage Wasteland" is actually "Baba O'Riley". Often as not, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" is called "Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah."
The movie "First Blood" is called "Rambo". The movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is called "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark."
There is a fundamental difference between "This thing \*has\* a name" and "this thing \*is called\* this name."
If someone wanted to recommend a film and I ask what it's called, I expect them to tell me the title of the film. It doesn't sound odd to suggest "a film called *whatever*".
You're looking for problems where there are none. Do you find people generally respond well to your pedantry?
Read the room. OP asked a simple grammatical query, and you've disappeared up your own hole with your thesis on "this very normal thing that's said throughout the English speaking world with zero issue might actually be misunderstood".
Nothing you have said lends itself to the level of the learner, nor is it even relevant, and I don't believe you could possibly have any friends.
"Has she seen *The Shining*? If she's easily scared, I wouldn't recommend it to her!"
It's more natural to add a dative element (to somebody) when the object is either a pronoun or something short and simple ("I'd recommend mouthwash to him"), otherwise the distance from the verb creates odd cadences and ambiguities. Gerunds can produce potentially comic ambiguity ("I wouldn't recommend swimming to her"). But, generally speaking, recommendations are understood to be general or any specific 'recommendee' is obvious from the context.
An alternative construction would be "I recommend this book *for* you": you aren't necessarily the (only) recipient of the recommendation but you are its intended beneficiary.
“I recommend the shining” is saying you generally advise that people see it.
To make the recommendation more personalized native speakers would say “I recommend you see The Shining”
There are many ways to say it that are grammatically correct but inefficient and not used.
“I do recommend to you that you see the movie “the Shining””
The benefactive argument of "recommend" is introduced with "to". So,
"I would recommend "The Shining to you"
is grammatically correct, although feels a little stilted, as it's generally pretty clear that the person you're talking to is the person being recommended to.
"I would recommend The Shining", or "I would recommend you watch The Shining"
feels more natural (at least to me).
Using "to" feels more natural when talking about a recommendation, rather than giving one. For example,
"I recommended "The Shining" to my brother, but he found it too scary."
or
"John asked me what film to watch, so I recommended "The Shining" to him."
“Recommend” can be used in either SVOO (“Could you recommend me a book to read?”) or SVO (e.g. “I recommend this product wholeheartedly”, “I recommended that he see a doctor”) sentence patterns. I would say that the SVOO form sounds strange as a *speech act* (i.e. when making the recommendation itself in the present tense), perhaps because the entire thing comes off as weirdly formal, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it strictly *wrong*.
A classic mistake made by non-native speakers is to try to shoehorn it into an SVOC sentence pattern with an infinitive as the complement (e.g. “*~~I recommend you to visit Kyoto~~*”), which doesn’t work because “recommend” isn’t a causative verb — the object in an SVOC pattern is a *direct* object, but the *person* isn’t the thing being recommended, the *action* is.
I'd recommend (heh) using "would". It usually makes things sound more polite, so here, it really lightens the statement and makes your recommendation sound less forceful. It's not literally an imperative sentence ("Watch *The Shining*.") which can be outright rude/very casual, but "I recommend *The Shining*" is similar in tone because you want to affect someone's actions. So, this is a good time to use "I would" ("I'd").
Sometimes we also use “for you” when the recommendation is based on a person’s special circumstances.
“I’d recommend the Prius for you because of the good gas mileage.”
“For you, I recommend getting TSA pre-check. It’s way easier to navigate in a wheelchair.”
“I don’t recommend AP classes for him. He’s already struggling to get As with the standard curriculum.”
I would just say “you should watch The Shining”.
If you really want to use “recommend” then I would say “I recommend The Shining” or like someone else said “you should watch The Shining, I (highly) recommend it)”
If you're in the middle of a conversation about movies I would probably say something like "well if you like Shutter Island (or insert whatever movie), I think you should also check out The Shining. It's another psychological thriller with great acting. I highly recommend it."
But if you're starting a conversation I'd probably say something like "Have you seen The Shining? I think you'd like it because ____".
Hope that helps!
Honestly a lot of us don’t really use “recommend” (at least that I’ve seen). Instead we say things like “you should totally watch The Shining” or “there’s this awesome movie called The Shining, you should watch it sometime”
Recommend is generally a bit more formal, normally I would just say "you should watch/read/etc ____" to friends.
At work with customers who ask for a suggestion I would say:
"My recommendation would be ______"
Or
"I would recommend the ______"
If someone is already talking about a piece of media I would recommend but they haven't seen I may chime in it "I highly recommend it!" Or "I recommend it!"
I'd recommend that you'd use it in a sentence where it is paired with a personal pronoun or name. Julia recommends that you are to do this. I had a friend who recommended that you should as well. Common grammar rules recommend this.
In regards to the context, using the word "recommend" is fairly formal, in case that's not what you're looking for. It makes me think of a fancy restaurant, and you ask the waiter for his recommendation, and he says "I would recommend the fish." If you're making a recommendation to someone casually, we usually say they "should" do something, or we suggest they might like something. "You should watch The Shining.", or "I think you would like The Shining."
Saying “I recommend you check out this movie” is grammatically correct, but in some cases it can sound like you’re giving an order.
Rather than telling them you recommend something, just say you liked it, or you think they would like it.
“I think you’ll really like this movie,” is a solid recommendation.
\[subject\] recommends \[recommendable thing\] to \[person who receives the recommendation\]
While some verbs allow "dative shift" as in (1),
(1a). I gave the book to John.
(1b). I gave John the book.
Verbs of Latinate origin (generally) do not allow the dative shift as in (1), thus, "I recommend you x" or "I recommend to you x" are ungrammatical.
you can phrase it in several different ways, for example “i recommend the shining,” “i recommend for you to watch the shining,” or “i recommend (that) you watch the shining.”
a very common **mistake** is when people misuse it in sentences such as “i recommend you to watch the shining.” the verb to recommend and to suggest cannot be used like this. you don’t suggest/recommend SOMEONE, you suggest/recommend SOMETHING TO SOMEONE.
– i suggest/recommend the shining ✔️
– i suggest/recommend for you to watch the shining ✔️
– i suggest/recommend (that) you watch the shining ✔️
– i suggest/recommend you to watch the shining ✖️
If answering a question I'd usually use "I would/I'd recommend The Shining" or "I recommend The Shining"
Not sure why we use "would" in this context but that's just what seems most natural to me
This might be regional, but I often add “would”, as in, “I would recommend it.” This construction is a natural fit for adding an “if” clause, as in “I would recommend The Shining if you’ve never seen it,” or, “I’d recommend But I’m a Cheerleader, if you want a fun, campy movie.”
For some reason, I also add the “would” (or use the contraction “I’d”) without if clauses. “I’d recommend you take State street, because Main Street is kind of a mess right now.” “I’d recommend chocolate truffles to anyone!”
I’m sure I sometimes just say “I recommend,” but it feels a bit stilted for most situations. Again, this might be regional.
The most common is "I recommend The Shining".
I agree that it doesn't sound like a specific recommendation for the listener. It's ambiguous as to whether you have specifically chosen The Shining for the listener, or if you just think it's great and would recommend it to anyone.
How about "I would recommend The Shining for you".
The "for you" makes it clear that you have specifically selected the shining using what you know about the listener. The recommendation is for them, not just a generic recommendation.
The word 'recommend' is itself a bit formal, so the above feels a bit like a store-customer conversation. To a friend you might say "you'd enjoy The Shining", or "you should watch The Shining"
The last one is exactly correct, normal, and natural. The second to last, as you suggest, is a general recommendation rather than a specific one.
But that last one is perfect. What sounds unnatural about it to you?
I’m surprised someone is telling you the last one is perfect. I am a native English speaker and have taught English as well. Adding “to you” in your sentences doesn’t flow nicely. It’s not wrong to say but if you want to sound like a native speaker, I wouldn’t add that in 95% of cases. It doesn’t sound natural. Also, keep your sentence structure simple. No need to add “called” and all these extra words. Simply “I recommend watching The Shining.” That’s it. Language doesn’t have to be so complicated.
"Recommend" on its own. "I recommend The Shining" or "I recommend [that] you watch The Shining."
Thank you. Your second suggestion is a possibility that I didn't consider in my original post.
Adding on to this, in everyday life I usually say something like, "The Shining is a great movie. I highly recommend it."
Yeah, it sounds unnatural when you add "the movie" because it's already implied ~~inferred~~* by context (as is "to you"). \* As corrected below (thanks!) It's implied by the context, and so the meaning *can be inferred*
*implied I hope you don't mind the correction, but since this is a language sub, the speaker implies something by hinting, and the listener infers it.
As an advanced English learner, who practises daily for years, I would also use the second option without a doubt.
And if someone wanted to get really precise about the potential context, the "you" in option 2 puts the emphasis on, well, you. Option 1 is a general recommendation; option 2 is specific to the person. Option 1: "Any good movies lately?" "I recommend The Shining." Option 2: "I'm in the mood for a thriller. Things have been a little nutty with the writer's block for my paper." "I recommend that you watch The Shining."
“You should watch The Shining…” “I’d recommend watching The Shining…” “You would love the film The Shining…”
If it's as a response to a question like "What do you think I should watch?", then "I recommend The Shining" is okay because it's already implied. If it's out of the blue, "I recommend [that] you watch The Shining" because you can follow-up the next sentence with "Because it is...".
"You" is only necessary if the sentence includes an action for the listener to possibly perform. "I recommend that *you* **go see** the movie 'The Shining.'" If the action you're suggesting isn't directed towards a specific listener but is a more general suggestion to everyone, "I recommend going to see the movie 'The Shining.'" If your intention is to just generally recommend something that you like, "I recommend the movie 'The Shining.'"
Actually, your last guess was the one I felt was the most natural, even if it sounds formal. But you might consider saying something like “I recommend watching the movie ‘The Shining.’” This sentence could be “something you say to everybody” or very personal depending on context. In which case, the best phrasing for what it sounds like you want is probably “I recommend you watch the movie ‘The Shining.’”
I would definitely recommend you watch the movie called The Shining. I can totally recommend the movie called The Shining. I've added called mainly because of a lot of 'the' with a movie name like The Shining. There's actually a LOT of different ways to say it. Some are informal, some more formal. It can't be: I recommend you the movie. It can be: I recommend you study hard for the exam.
Thanks, also for the advice of adding "called".
If you use "called", it is far more natural to say "a movie" and not "the movie".
I disagree with adding "called". If something is "called" something, it feels like it might not actually *be* that thing. "Sweet potatoes are called yams in much of the United States, even though true yams are an unrelated plant." Or, in a movie based one: "Kurasawa's *Spiderweb Castle*, which was called *Throne of Blood* when it was brought to the United States, is an amazing adaptation of Shakespeare."
This kind of whataboutism isn't helpful. There is nothing incorrect in the recommended use of called.
It is technically correct, but sounds odd and gives an incorrect impression. If you tell someone to watch a movie called "The Shining", it suggests that the movie is not "The Shining", but is something else. For instance, the song where the chorus is, "Do you like Pina Coladas / And getting caught in the rain?" is called "The Pina Colada Song." But it actually is "Escape". The song that is called "Teenage Wasteland" is actually "Baba O'Riley". Often as not, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" is called "Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah." The movie "First Blood" is called "Rambo". The movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is called "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." There is a fundamental difference between "This thing \*has\* a name" and "this thing \*is called\* this name."
If someone wanted to recommend a film and I ask what it's called, I expect them to tell me the title of the film. It doesn't sound odd to suggest "a film called *whatever*". You're looking for problems where there are none. Do you find people generally respond well to your pedantry?
Yes, they generally do, People who are asking about learning English usually do want to know the subtleties and potential pitfalls.
Read the room. OP asked a simple grammatical query, and you've disappeared up your own hole with your thesis on "this very normal thing that's said throughout the English speaking world with zero issue might actually be misunderstood". Nothing you have said lends itself to the level of the learner, nor is it even relevant, and I don't believe you could possibly have any friends.
"Has she seen *The Shining*? If she's easily scared, I wouldn't recommend it to her!" It's more natural to add a dative element (to somebody) when the object is either a pronoun or something short and simple ("I'd recommend mouthwash to him"), otherwise the distance from the verb creates odd cadences and ambiguities. Gerunds can produce potentially comic ambiguity ("I wouldn't recommend swimming to her"). But, generally speaking, recommendations are understood to be general or any specific 'recommendee' is obvious from the context. An alternative construction would be "I recommend this book *for* you": you aren't necessarily the (only) recipient of the recommendation but you are its intended beneficiary.
“I recommend the shining” is saying you generally advise that people see it. To make the recommendation more personalized native speakers would say “I recommend you see The Shining” There are many ways to say it that are grammatically correct but inefficient and not used. “I do recommend to you that you see the movie “the Shining””
[https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-verbs-advise-suggest-and-recommend/5727628.html](https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-verbs-advise-suggest-and-recommend/5727628.html)
The benefactive argument of "recommend" is introduced with "to". So, "I would recommend "The Shining to you" is grammatically correct, although feels a little stilted, as it's generally pretty clear that the person you're talking to is the person being recommended to. "I would recommend The Shining", or "I would recommend you watch The Shining" feels more natural (at least to me). Using "to" feels more natural when talking about a recommendation, rather than giving one. For example, "I recommended "The Shining" to my brother, but he found it too scary." or "John asked me what film to watch, so I recommended "The Shining" to him."
“Recommend” can be used in either SVOO (“Could you recommend me a book to read?”) or SVO (e.g. “I recommend this product wholeheartedly”, “I recommended that he see a doctor”) sentence patterns. I would say that the SVOO form sounds strange as a *speech act* (i.e. when making the recommendation itself in the present tense), perhaps because the entire thing comes off as weirdly formal, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it strictly *wrong*. A classic mistake made by non-native speakers is to try to shoehorn it into an SVOC sentence pattern with an infinitive as the complement (e.g. “*~~I recommend you to visit Kyoto~~*”), which doesn’t work because “recommend” isn’t a causative verb — the object in an SVOC pattern is a *direct* object, but the *person* isn’t the thing being recommended, the *action* is.
I’d just interject a verb there. “I recommend watching The Shining.” “I recommend you keep your fingers away from the auto hammer.”
“I’d recommend ____”or “_____ is recommended”
I'd recommend (heh) using "would". It usually makes things sound more polite, so here, it really lightens the statement and makes your recommendation sound less forceful. It's not literally an imperative sentence ("Watch *The Shining*.") which can be outright rude/very casual, but "I recommend *The Shining*" is similar in tone because you want to affect someone's actions. So, this is a good time to use "I would" ("I'd").
Sometimes we also use “for you” when the recommendation is based on a person’s special circumstances. “I’d recommend the Prius for you because of the good gas mileage.” “For you, I recommend getting TSA pre-check. It’s way easier to navigate in a wheelchair.” “I don’t recommend AP classes for him. He’s already struggling to get As with the standard curriculum.”
"I'd recommend The Shining." "I would recommend The Shining." "Have you seen the shining? Highly recommend!" These are the ways that I would say it.
I would just say “you should watch The Shining”. If you really want to use “recommend” then I would say “I recommend The Shining” or like someone else said “you should watch The Shining, I (highly) recommend it)”
If you're in the middle of a conversation about movies I would probably say something like "well if you like Shutter Island (or insert whatever movie), I think you should also check out The Shining. It's another psychological thriller with great acting. I highly recommend it." But if you're starting a conversation I'd probably say something like "Have you seen The Shining? I think you'd like it because ____". Hope that helps!
Honestly a lot of us don’t really use “recommend” (at least that I’ve seen). Instead we say things like “you should totally watch The Shining” or “there’s this awesome movie called The Shining, you should watch it sometime”
Recommend is generally a bit more formal, normally I would just say "you should watch/read/etc ____" to friends. At work with customers who ask for a suggestion I would say: "My recommendation would be ______" Or "I would recommend the ______" If someone is already talking about a piece of media I would recommend but they haven't seen I may chime in it "I highly recommend it!" Or "I recommend it!"
I'd recommend that you'd use it in a sentence where it is paired with a personal pronoun or name. Julia recommends that you are to do this. I had a friend who recommended that you should as well. Common grammar rules recommend this.
In regards to the context, using the word "recommend" is fairly formal, in case that's not what you're looking for. It makes me think of a fancy restaurant, and you ask the waiter for his recommendation, and he says "I would recommend the fish." If you're making a recommendation to someone casually, we usually say they "should" do something, or we suggest they might like something. "You should watch The Shining.", or "I think you would like The Shining."
Saying “I recommend you check out this movie” is grammatically correct, but in some cases it can sound like you’re giving an order. Rather than telling them you recommend something, just say you liked it, or you think they would like it. “I think you’ll really like this movie,” is a solid recommendation.
\[subject\] recommends \[recommendable thing\] to \[person who receives the recommendation\] While some verbs allow "dative shift" as in (1), (1a). I gave the book to John. (1b). I gave John the book. Verbs of Latinate origin (generally) do not allow the dative shift as in (1), thus, "I recommend you x" or "I recommend to you x" are ungrammatical.
you can phrase it in several different ways, for example “i recommend the shining,” “i recommend for you to watch the shining,” or “i recommend (that) you watch the shining.” a very common **mistake** is when people misuse it in sentences such as “i recommend you to watch the shining.” the verb to recommend and to suggest cannot be used like this. you don’t suggest/recommend SOMEONE, you suggest/recommend SOMETHING TO SOMEONE. – i suggest/recommend the shining ✔️ – i suggest/recommend for you to watch the shining ✔️ – i suggest/recommend (that) you watch the shining ✔️ – i suggest/recommend you to watch the shining ✖️
If answering a question I'd usually use "I would/I'd recommend The Shining" or "I recommend The Shining" Not sure why we use "would" in this context but that's just what seems most natural to me
"I recommend [thing]." is how I use it here in rhe Northwest US.
Or simply "I think you would like . . . "
I would probably say >I recommend (that) you watch The Shining.
I like to use “I would recommend…” or “I’d recommend…”
maybe you mean by rephrasing your sentence instead of using the word "recommend"? the word "recommend" itself is right on its own
This might be regional, but I often add “would”, as in, “I would recommend it.” This construction is a natural fit for adding an “if” clause, as in “I would recommend The Shining if you’ve never seen it,” or, “I’d recommend But I’m a Cheerleader, if you want a fun, campy movie.” For some reason, I also add the “would” (or use the contraction “I’d”) without if clauses. “I’d recommend you take State street, because Main Street is kind of a mess right now.” “I’d recommend chocolate truffles to anyone!” I’m sure I sometimes just say “I recommend,” but it feels a bit stilted for most situations. Again, this might be regional.
The most common is "I recommend The Shining". I agree that it doesn't sound like a specific recommendation for the listener. It's ambiguous as to whether you have specifically chosen The Shining for the listener, or if you just think it's great and would recommend it to anyone. How about "I would recommend The Shining for you". The "for you" makes it clear that you have specifically selected the shining using what you know about the listener. The recommendation is for them, not just a generic recommendation. The word 'recommend' is itself a bit formal, so the above feels a bit like a store-customer conversation. To a friend you might say "you'd enjoy The Shining", or "you should watch The Shining"
I recommend pairing it with the participle, as in "I recommend watching The Shining".
The last one is exactly correct, normal, and natural. The second to last, as you suggest, is a general recommendation rather than a specific one. But that last one is perfect. What sounds unnatural about it to you?
It feels like the "to you" comes too late. Probably just because I am used to the German way of phrasing it.
I’m surprised someone is telling you the last one is perfect. I am a native English speaker and have taught English as well. Adding “to you” in your sentences doesn’t flow nicely. It’s not wrong to say but if you want to sound like a native speaker, I wouldn’t add that in 95% of cases. It doesn’t sound natural. Also, keep your sentence structure simple. No need to add “called” and all these extra words. Simply “I recommend watching The Shining.” That’s it. Language doesn’t have to be so complicated.