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I get invites which tell me I am expected at 7 for 7.30. What time should I arrive?

MikeP
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Robert Colledge
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    In context, it wouldn’t, but “seven for seven-thirty” (without the “at,” as in the question title) would mean (at least for me) a reservation for seven people at 7:30 pm (assuming dinner). – KRyan Jan 06 '17 at 21:13
  • Per my answer below, it is simply communicating the tolerance/margins. Therefore you should arrive at 7.00 with the knowledge that being late by 15 minutes in acceptable (albeit a potential nuisance). – kwah Jan 07 '17 at 01:03
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    @Kyran what wierd kind of invitation would be talking about the reservation? – GreenAsJade Jan 07 '17 at 05:54
  • @KRyan, that's wrong, please delete it. It'll only confuse learners. – smci Jan 09 '17 at 07:08
  • @smci I believe I could not possibly be more clear that it is not an answer to this question, but is an answer to the title question. The title indicates that the OP didn’t realize that the “at” completely changed the context and this the meaning of the phrase, and that is something worth knowing. – KRyan Jan 09 '17 at 13:13
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    Even out of context, for UK & Irish speakers of English, "seven for seven-thirty" refers to the time of a formal invite, not the group size. There is a difference with US English. – smci Jan 09 '17 at 20:10

5 Answers5

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'expected at X for Y' is a format sometimes used in official invitations - it's effectively a window of time where it's considered polite to arrive, without being late. In your example, 7 for 7.30, one would be expected to arrive between 7 and 7:30, with the main event (often a dinner party) taking place at 7:30 sharp.

An online example of such an invitation can be found here. Note the text in the bottom corner.

Black Tie

7.00 for 7.30pm

Carriages at Midnight

mike
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    Interesting; I'm a native speaker, but I'm completely unfamiliar with this usage. Do you have a reference for this? I've never seen it - but then, I don't get a lot of official invitations. – stangdon Jan 06 '17 at 17:19
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    It's surprisingly hard to find a definitive reference, but I can find many examples - it's seemingly a British thing. From the Etiquette section

    : Be clear with times. If you ask guests to arrive at 7.30 for 8, that means cocktails at half-past-seven and dinner at eight.

     – mike Jan 06 '17 at 17:34
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    @mike Ah, it's British. That would explain it. – Andrew Jan 06 '17 at 17:40
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    @mike - Thanks! One of our many little cross-pond differences, maybe. – stangdon Jan 06 '17 at 17:45
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    Just a second, you are going too fast. To arrive at 7:30 FOR 8, means: you invited them at 7:30 so that they *will arrive* at 8. The thinking is that people arrive one half hour later than the time they were invited for. This is neither British or American English. It's just English. In any event, when one is invited for dinner (as opposed to drinks), one is expected to arrive slightly before the time but never later than the time. – Lambie Jan 06 '17 at 19:06
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    I have never seen that written on any kind of formal invitation, British or American. Now, people may say this. But it is not given in writing. – Lambie Jan 06 '17 at 19:13
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    @Lambie - it is, I'm afraid - there's a formal invite to a dinner on my mantlepiece right now with 7 for 7.30 printed on it, along with 'black tie' and underneath, RSVP, but then I'm a Brit and living in UK – Bamboo Jan 06 '17 at 19:37
  • Ok, I believe you. But I still have my doubts as to its being that common or typically British. – Lambie Jan 06 '17 at 21:59
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    Upvoting this Q and several A because TIL that "7 for 7:30" is not a typo for "7 or 7:30". – shoover Jan 06 '17 at 23:06
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    @Lambie I would say it's very common in certain circles in UK, completely unknown in others. Based mainly on things like which school/university one attended, in my personal opinion. – Stuart J Cuthbertson Jan 06 '17 at 23:08
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    It's common enough in AusEng. – curiousdannii Jan 07 '17 at 01:48
  • @bamboo could you upload the invitation? I've never had a similar formal invitation, I'd love to see what one looks like. – Mari-Lou A Jan 07 '17 at 17:35
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    @Lambie: It certainly is written on formal invitations. #England – Lightness Races in Orbit Jan 07 '17 at 23:09
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    @Mari-LouA - oh dear, too late,the event was tonight and I needed the invite to get in, pity you didn't ask yesterday, sorry. One thing to note though, any invitation that formal usually means the event itself will be somewhat tedious, which, frankly, it was, which is how come I'm back before midnight! It's 23.50 here in the UK.The meal was good though... – Bamboo Jan 07 '17 at 23:46
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    @Bamboo That's a pity, you didn't enjoy the party and I didn't get see a posh invite! Oh well, we can't turn the clock back. – Mari-Lou A Jan 07 '17 at 23:50
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    @Mari-LouA - It was an official mayoral reception/dinner - those sort of occasions are about the only time you see a 7.30 for 8 type invitation nowadays, other than a business/conference dinner. – Bamboo Jan 07 '17 at 23:53
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    @Mari-LouA - I don't have a physical copy, but several examples can be found online, such as this one. – mike Jan 08 '17 at 02:56
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    @mike Thanks for sharing that. It does raise the question in this American's mind, what does "Carriages at midnight" mean? Are there actual carriage rides, or is that a polite euphemism for "get out by midnight"? – 1006a Jan 08 '17 at 03:26
  • @1006a - pretty much. It's a throwback to the days when your carriage would be brought around to the main entrance, for you to leave. So yes, in modern times it simply means that the event will be over at midnight. – mike Jan 08 '17 at 03:29
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    It is indeed British but only common in very elite circles. Basically, if the dinner will have grace in Latin to start it off then, then you really need to be there on time. – Simd Jan 08 '17 at 10:13
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    Thanks, @mike. Now if I'm ever invited to a posh British do, I won't be disappointed by the lack of moonlit buggy rides ;-). – 1006a Jan 08 '17 at 18:02
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    This is standard usage in the UK and Ireland. – smci Jan 09 '17 at 07:10
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This is a shortening of the phrase:

Arrive at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start.

This is often used when registration or seating etc. is required, where guests are invited to arrive at a given time, while communicating that the event or meeting is due to start later than the arrival time.

This avoids the confusion of advertising 7.00 and having people arrive at 6.30 for a 7.30 show, else advertising 7.30 assuming that people will arrive early and ready to start at 7.30 but then have guests arrive late under the presumption that 7.30 is the meeting time with a later event start.

Specific Example

A concrete example of this would be requesting to meet at the cinema at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start of the show. Asking to meet earlier is to allow time for purchasing tickets and locating seats while also clearly stating the acceptable range of arrival times/consequences of being late.

For instance, arriving after 7.00pm means ticket purchase etc is rushed with limited/no time for snacks, while arriving after 7.30pm means missing the show/event (or having to order your food after everybody is beginning to eat their starter, in the case of a meal).

It also shows that arriving at 6.30pm is not required since the half-hour "overhead" has already been factored in.

kwah
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  • Good example at the end there - it's a phrase that is perfectly acceptable for very casual events. – curiousdannii Jan 07 '17 at 01:49
  • @curiousdannii Yes it is suitable for the full range of formal and informal gatherings. As a native British person I also see it frequently used for formal events also. For example for assessments/interviews/meetings (be ready to start at time x) and for awards ceremonies/guest presentations/meals (networking and cocktails before being seated and ready to start at a specific time), in addition to more casual gatherings. – kwah Jan 07 '17 at 01:54
  • More likely to be used in British English for some kinds of event (party, meal, presentation/talk, quiz evening, car sharing) than others (plane/train departure time, job interview, medical consultation), tried to figure out the social distinction but cant. Its something to do with the social context. – Stilez Jan 07 '17 at 15:38
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Arrive at or very shortly after 7, but well before 7:30. "At 7" means exactly what it says: you are expected to be there at 7. "For 7:30" means that the main event will begin at 7:30; for a formal dinner, this would mean that the first course will be served at 7:30. The half hour in between ensures that all guests have a chance to check or put away their coats/jackets, find their places (if it's a large gathering with assigned seats), and mingle a bit.

verbose
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    The point is, if you get there at 7 you will get a glass of sherry. if you get there at 7:30 you'll find everyone sitting at table. Or worse, They are all standing around waiting for you, and the host says "Oh, now we're all here...". If you cause dinner to start late the soufflé will fall and the chef will never forget that it was your fault. – RedSonja Jan 09 '17 at 09:32
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It is most usually used in more formal invitations where there is an initial event (ie cocktails) that precedes the main event (dinner).

It is not an invitation to arrive at the later time as usually the first event is also catered for. However arriving somewhere between 7 and 7.30 would be acceptable (the closer to 7.30 the less acceptable) with arriving after 7.30 regarded as most impolite.

Steventh
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Another usage of this word combination ([time] for [time]) in British English is if you are describing when you're leaving for an event, and the time you intend to arrive there. For example:

"When are you going to the party?"
"I'll leave at half 6 for half seven, traffic is murder at this time of day"

SGR
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