Learn English – Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you

grammaticalityindefinite-articlesomissibility

Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you?

Is the above sentence grammatically correct and natural? I'd like answers both from BrE and AmE speakers.

Sorry for my short, abrupt question. I do have my own opinion about this issue, but I'm remaining silent on purpose in order not to mislead you into saying things in favor of my potentially preconceived ideas.

By the way, I've asked the same question elsewhere as well. It's not that I don't trust the answerers there. It's just that the English learners around me may not trust me as a reliable source of information about the English language. I've been giving them my answer but they probably need confirmation from multiple sources.

Please note I'm not asking you to proofread the text. I wanted to ask you if the usage of the second "Sunday" is grammatically correct, idiomatic and natural. I was thinking that the usage of the second "Sunday" was wrong. It sounds unnatural. It is because, to me, it seems that if the speaker wants to ask whether there is any Sunday the other person is available, then (if he has to use this structure at all) he has to say "if a Sunday is OK with you" (with an indefinite article in it).

Thank you very much for your time.

Best Answer

You are right to suppose that "a Sunday" is the most proper construction here. However, the most formal version of the sentence would then be

which Sunday would you prefer, if a Sunday is all right with you?

The use of "OK with you" already makes the sentence somewhat informal, so the lack of 'a' before Sunday is permissible and does not at all change the meaning:

Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you?

Also, Sunday is rather being used as a generic name for a certain type of week day here (there are 7 'types' of which one is Sunday) as in

Which pizza do you prefer, if pizza is OK with you?

You don't need to say 'a pizza' here or 'a Sunday' because the 'a' is implied in the sentence. Some people would say "if Sundays are OK with you."

Regarding your concern about the meaning of the sentence "Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you?", it would be typically interpreted as your asking someone whether Sunday is OK with them and if so, which Sunday would they prefer? If that is the meaning you intended then the sentence is very clear. If Sunday is not OK with the other person, they will let you know.