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:
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.