# Personal ad-ese to English, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614 "2005-02-11T17:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/1 "2005-02-11T17:35:56Z")
In “women seeking men” ads on [match.com](http://match.com), I encounter a couple of phrases over and over and over again. 1. “I love life.” 2. “I know what I want”, and a popular variant, “I want a man who knows what he wants.” What the hell do these mean? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/2 "2005-02-11T19:35:12Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > 1. “I love life.” Despite what it’s done to me. > [@elmwood](#): > > 1. “I know what I want” Buy it for me. > [@elmwood](#): > > “I want a man who knows what he wants.” Commit now. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/3 "2005-02-11T20:35:05Z")
“I like to have fun” = “I’m not good at describing my interests. Oh, and I’m really bad at writing resumes, too.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/4 "2005-02-11T20:55:53Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > “I want a man who knows what he wants.” I want a man who has a spine. I want a man who will express a freakin’ opinion when asked where he’d like to go for dinner. Any man who says “Whatever you’d like is fine with me” more than three times will be exiled to another dating pool without ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/5 "2005-02-11T21:49:20Z")
I second that. I had one that always said “You pick!” or “I’ll let you decide…”, only to try and blame me later if he didn’t have a good time, etc. Ugh. Have an opinion! Even if you are afraid I won’t like it, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/6 "2005-02-11T21:56:06Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > In “women seeking men” ads on [match.com](http://match.com), I encounter a couple of phrases over and over and over again. > > 1. “I love life.” > 2. “I know what I want”, and a popular variant, “I want a man who knows what he wants.” > > What the hell do these mean? I’m not entirely sure, but I think they mean 1. I have a happy disposition 2. I have goals I want to achieve in life But I’m not sure why someone wouldn’t actually use the words in my example, which I think are clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/7 "2005-02-12T01:02:13Z")
1. not depressed 2. I’m looking for a relationship. Not “adult fun”, “new friends”, or penpals. I want a boyfriend that will turn into a husband. You be, too. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/8 "2005-02-12T01:10:21Z")
1. Means absolutely nothing. It’s just blather. 2. “I know what I want” means either “I want lots of money” or “I want a committed relationship,” or both. In other words, I want direction and structure in my life. “I want a man who knows what he wants” really means “I want a man who wants what _I_ want.” In other words, “I want a man who will give me material things and commitment.” Structure. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/9 "2005-02-12T01:12:36Z")
1 - I’m happy no matter what anyone else says. 2 - I know what I want, but I’m not going to tell you so when we break up I can claim you’re not what i want. um, yea, the g/f is moving to the other side of the world and i think we’re breaking up very soon… ☹ I like the ones that say…“Can You keep Up With Me?” Yea, let me just jump right on that treadmill and pursue someone who has no time for me. …or “I like to laugh”, \*\*Who doesn’t??? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/10 "2005-02-12T01:38:53Z")
> [@The Big Cheese](#): > > or “I like to laugh”, \*\*Who doesn’t!!!?? \*\* People who’ve just had abdominal surgery? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/11 "2005-02-12T02:35:39Z")
Oh, do I have strong feelings on #2. It means, “if you want a mindless fling, or if you’re not sure what you want, don’t waste my time by stringing me along and telling me that you like me in a relatively deep and significant way, and letting me believe we have an actual future, if you know damn well that’s not the case. Or even if you strongly suspect it.” But I could just be projecting. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/12 "2005-02-12T03:30:34Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > 1. “I love life.” Chicken Lady. Avoid at all costs. > [@](#): > > 1. “I know what I want”, and a popular variant, “I want a man who knows what he wants.” Enjoys restaurants, chooses entrees decisively, embarrassed by dates who change their order three times while talking to the waitress. Hey, I figured you’d gotten enough semi-serious reponses by now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/13 "2005-02-12T03:42:05Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > In “women seeking men” ads on [match.com](http://match.com), I encounter a couple of phrases over and over and over again. > > 1. “I love life.” > 2. “I know what I want”, and a popular variant, “I want a man who knows what he wants.” > > What the hell do these mean? 1. I have a blank stare and a big grin on my face no matter what is going on around me. 2a) You better figure out what that is really quckly and serve it up with a bulldozer. 2b) Assuming that won’t interfere with bulldozer operation in 2a ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personal-ad-ese-to-english-anyone/289614/14 "2005-02-12T12:15:24Z")
I thought “Can you keep up with me?” was a sexual reference. 😃