I know that Enjoy is always used as a transitive verb and only as an intransitive in imperative sentences in some specific context. However, as native speakers, do you think enjoy is correctly used in this sentence: '' Enjoy upon your personal preference'' (it's written on a noodle package), or should it be '' Enjoy it upon your personal preference''?
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No; that sentence makes little sense. Something seems to have got lost in the translation. Incidentally, "enjoy" can be used intransitively with a clausal complement, e.g. "I enjoy going to the theatre" / "I enjoyed working with you".– BillJCommented Mar 5, 2021 at 7:30
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Though some would say clausal complements are objects, making enjoy transitive in that case.– John LawlerCommented Mar 30, 2021 at 19:27
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2 Answers
Although I agree with BillJ in his sentiment.
I would answer your question.
*or should it be Enjoy it upon your personal preference
if you use it in your sentence, then what is it?
you have no object therefore presuming you mean the noodles the sentence would have to be written Enjoy the noddle's upon your personal preference
Regardless of the original sentence not being correct You cannot just add it
"Enjoy upon your personal preference"(it's written on a noodle package), or should it be "Enjoy it upon your personal preference"?
The sentences are both what is known as "Chinglish" - See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinglish
Chinglish is slang for spoken or written English language that is influenced by a Chinese language.... This term is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts]
Examples of Chinglish can be found on the internet. The site LTL Mandarin School has a selection with the explanation of how the mistranslation has arisen and why the Chinglish is wrong.
Chinglish is seen as a problem in China and the Shanghai Commission for the Management of Language Use has had a drive to eradicate it since 2008.
"Upon personal preference" is not idiomatic, and, as used, seems to be a very poor and/or literal translation of a Chinese phrase.
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Thanks for your clarification :) Could you please suggest a proper phrase that has the same meaning?– LalaCommented Mar 5, 2021 at 13:19
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"Enjoy, according to personal preference" is the correct translation if you use Baidu translate and reverse the process then re translate, this is what you get. Which makes perfect non "Chinlish" sense to me. The origin of upon no doubt occurs from a mistranslation which would have read Enjoy "deciding upon" (phrasal verb) your personal preference.– BradCommented Mar 5, 2021 at 13:53
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"Enjoy, according to personal preference" sounds odd to my (British English) ears. "Enjoy, according to your personal preference" would be better. "Enjoy this according to your personal preference" better still, but the last two are certainly grammatical. Commented Mar 5, 2021 at 21:38