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Root for

Hello everyone,

I'd like to know if "root for" sounds idiomatic/natural in the contexts below. If not, what verbs/expressions do you suggest?Please take a look.

1. John, we know your life isn't easy. We really root for you.
2. Anna is a hardworking woman. I root for her because I know she had many problems and has three children to support.

Root for: to want someone to succeed in a difficult situation, wish that someone overcomes a difficult situation.


Thank you very much in advance!
It's not used at all in BrE. I understand 'root for' to be the AmE for "support (a football team etc.)", so I don't know if AmE speakers would use it outside that context. If I had to come up with one expression to use in both your sentences, I think I'd use 'I wish her well' or 'I'm (right) behind her'.
Hello everyone,

I'd like to know if "root for" sounds idiomatic/natural in the contexts below. If not, what verbs/expressions do you suggest?Please take a look.

1. John, we know your life isn't easy. We really root for you.
2. Anna is a hardworking woman. I root for her because I know she had many problems and has three children to support.

Root for: to want someone to succeed in a difficult situation, wish that someone overcomes a difficult situation.


Thank you very much in advance!

Root for sounds fine in the first sentence, but I'd say, "John, we know your life isn't easy, but (know that) we're rooting for you."

I wouldn't use "root for" in the second sentence. It would be more natural to use sympathize or empathize, depending on the speaker's personal experience with what the subject of the sentence is going through.
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Ribran,

Would it be incorrect to say: "I root for you" ? As a part of a routine, I mean, something that you do(root for) always and not something that you are only doing at the moment?

Ex.: I root for Obama. He's a good president and I want him to always succeed.


Thank you in advance!
Last edited:
Ribran,

Would it be incorrect to say: "I root for you" ? As a part of a routine, I mean, something that you do(root for) always and not something that you are only doing at the moment?

Ex.: I root for Obama. He's a good president and I want him to always succeed.


Thank you in advance!

Xavier,

I see what you're saying, but the sentence sounds slightly unidiomatic with the simple present tense.

In your new example, I would use support instead of root for.
👁 Smile :)
In a controversy between persons A and B, we might say, "I'm rooting for A". (I hope A wins the argument, or I hope A's view is the one that prevails.)

"Rooting for" can range from being in favor of, to offering emotional support to someone (in a difficult situation), to vocally cheering on a team or player.
Root for sounds fine in the first sentence, but I'd say, "John, we know your life isn't easy, but (know that) we're rooting for you."
I agree, the continuous verb form sounds better.
Entangledbank, I'm afraid that you might be wrong. There seems to be some evidence that it is used in BE., but my example is from the Guardian. 👁 Eek! :eek:

Yes, it's there in the British National Corpus (21 occurrences), for example:

  • we (England) are all you to beat Holland in the last game: -)[email]
  • had now become very conscious of his audience and of how they were all silently him. [fictional prose]
I agree that the -ing form here is more common.
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