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What exactly does it mean: I'm to be your new partner? Does it mean the same as I will be your new partner?

Andrei
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2 Answers2

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Yes, they do have the same meaning. However, "I am to be" is a more formal and official statement, as if what is to happen is somehow expected, required, or even ordained by some unnamed authority.

The movie The Princess Diaries relies on a standard "fish out of water" comedic device, where an ordinary American girl finds out she is to be the next monarch of some fictional European county, but she has no idea how to act like a princess is expected to act.

This structure isn't limited to the "to be" verb. You can use it with almost any verb.

I told my ex-wife, "Look, if we are to go to our daughter's graduation dinner together then, for her sake, we're going to have to find a way to be nice to each other for at least one night."

I just found out that I am to speak at the next convention, but I have no idea what I should talk about.

Andrew
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  • "be to + infinitive" (and "be to be" included) is not passive voice. Only "be expected/required/supposed (to infinitive)" is. – Gustavson Sep 09 '17 at 15:04
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    @Gustavson you are correct and it's not really "passive voice" even though it is something like it. Since I don't know what to call this, I'll just edit out that part. – Andrew Sep 09 '17 at 15:20
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The form "is to verb" has several uses in English:

It can express expectation or prediction. It has the sense of a future that is a direct consequence of the present or past events. It can also be used to give directions or instructions.

Consider

Employees are to wash hands.

This gives an instruction. It is more tactful than using "must".

The train is to arrive at 5pm

This expresses an expectation

I'm to be your new partner.

Probably implies that this is a direct and unavoidable consequence of past events. The speaker doesn't know you, and is speaking formally. She could have used "I'm going to be your new partner", but chose to use a higher register of English in this situation. It also suggests that there is nothing that can change this fact, but states this tactfully, without saying "I have to be your new partner" which sounds like she isn't happy about it, and so could be rude.

Some examples are taken from https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/134027/is-this-correct-i-am-to-be-dropped-at-the-train-station

James K
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