Learn English – Is “Both I and you fight for ourselves” correct

word-usage

Suppose two persons from different countries are talking with each other.

How can I combine the following two sentences

"I fight for myself. You fight for yourself."

… and make a single sentence without changing the meaning?

  • (?) Both I and you fight for ourselves.
  • (?) Both I and you fight for themselves.
  • (?) Both I and you fight for oneself.

Logically the first sentence seems to work, but on second thought I feel it looks like "you" are betraying his/her country and fighting for "my" country… Is this the case?

Modifying a little bit using "each", "respectively" or something like that will help?

If I give up using this structure, what is the best way to simply describe this idea?

Best Answer

Both I and you fight for ourselves is correct, yes, but in sentences like these, you usually start with the other person, just out of respect. So it would be:

Both you and I fight for ourselves.

It doesn't necessarily mean that you are fighting for the same nation/cause. It simply means you are surviving your own battles. Even two enemies on a different side in war could make such a statement.

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