익명 21:22

Natural English equivalent of the Ukrainian phrase "one thing doesn't interfere ...

Natural English equivalent of the Ukrainian phrase "one thing doesn't interfere with the other"

In Ukraine, we often say "одне іншому не заважає - literally translation:"one thing doesn't interfere with the other", when we mean that two activities, preferences, or choices can coexist and that you don't have to choose between them.

For example:

My husband had been encouraging me to ride a bicycle for a long time. I kept saying I wasn't interested because I preferred driving and was more of a "car girl."

Recently I tried cycling and enjoyed it. I said:

"Back then I didn't want to ride a bike. I was more of a car girl. But now I've tried it and I like it."

He replied:

"Then ride a bike and drive a car. One thing doesn't interfere with the other."

What would be the most natural way for a native speaker to express this idea in conversational English?

Possible options that came to mind are:

  • You don't have to choose one or the other.
  • They aren't mutually exclusive.
  • One doesn't rule out the other.
  • Why not both?

Which of these sounds most natural in this context? Are there other expressions a native speaker would be more likely to use here?



Top Answer/Comment:

All of your suggestions sound natural. It sounds to me like there's essentially only one idiomatic way of expressing this in Ukrainian, but in English you have lots of reasonable choices.

Another common way of expressing this is "having the best of both worlds," so you could say

Then ride a bike and drive a car. You can have the best of both worlds, that way.

I don't think that you could use that phrase for all situations where you'd use the Ukrainian phrase, though.

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