Might those two be synonyms? I watched a movie where sentence "it's too convenient" was directly translated as "it's too easy" (to do something) to my language. Is it correct?
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What was the context? Was it a detective/crime drama by any chance?– Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 23:01
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That translation could be valid, in the right context. However, in the context of, say, a detective movie, there could be subtle inferences on both terms.– Hot LicksCommented Jun 13, 2016 at 23:03
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They are different words with different meanings. Impossible to tell whether in your particular (undisclosed) context they might signify something similar or the same.– DrewCommented Jun 14, 2016 at 0:03
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2 Answers
Convient has one meaning of fitting in well with plans. And here's where the missing context is important. Things that mesh with your plans make your life easier, and while it may be odd to consider a life that's too easy, consider this dialogue from Singapore Fling by A Adams:
"The flat is convenient when I work late"
"If it's so convenient, why don't you stay there all the time?"
"Because it's too convenient. I lived there for the first year I was in Singapore. Then one week I realized that I hadn't been out of the building in five days."
But in the context of solving a puzzle or a mystery, too convenient means that the suggested conclusion leads to a neat solution designed to fool the investigator. An experienced sleuth will realize that messy problems aren't so easy to solve. Consider this piece of dialog from Dead and Buried by S Booth:
"It's a bit too convenient,...."
"What is?"
"The fact that he's dying. It's too convenient that Maurice Wharton will soon be dead and buried himself. It seems to me that that's what everyone has wanted all along -– to be able to sweep the whole thing under the carpet and forget about it."
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1Exactly "a little too convenient" is often really saying to the person, "I don't believe you it was a happen chance sort of thing. I really believe something behind the scenes was planned but you aren't telling me the full truth. It is a little too good to be true."– DaleCommented Jun 14, 2016 at 1:11
According to Merriam-Webster, the first two meanings of convenient are
: allowing you to do something easily or without trouble
: located in a place that is nearby and easy to get to
Upon reading the full definition, it becomes clear the convenient is used mostly to mean "close," "accessible," and "comfortably or easily performed." This last since of the word is where the overlap of the two comes from.
As for easy, its primary definition is
: not hard to do : not difficult
: free from pain, trouble, or worry
: not hurried
which pretty well encompasses all of the word's usages.
In conclusion, convenient can mean "easily done," but easy has many more meanings. For a definitive answer, I would recommend looking up the word in the dictionary of its native language, identifying its exact meaning, and then consulting an English dictionary to see if the usages of the three words align.
Good luck!
answered Jun 13, 2016 at 22:58
