Is it possible to say “send me a message and we’ll get talking”? In the sense that “send me a message and we might start a conversation”?
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That's entirely possible even in real English, let alone TXT-speak. Beyond that, '… we’ll get talking' is only very loosely equivalent to '…we might start a conversation”? Can you Post several better examples?– Robbie GoodwinCommented Aug 10 at 20:14
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My answer is based on this example, which seems to be setting up a future discussion, which is not how this expression is used.– TimRCommented Sep 8 at 11:06
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2 Answers
It would be understood but it's not idiomatic. There's "get to talking" which means "to start chatting, especially with someone you've just met by chance, a total stranger".
The conversation is unplanned, whereas in your example you are making arrangements for a future discussion.
I met a woman at the poetry reading and we got to talking, and she said she was the poet's nextdoor neighbor when they were teenagers, and that he was a juvenile delinquent who spent some time in juvie for stealing cars.
You could say
Send me a message and we'll talk.
to mean "... and we will begin discussing what you wanted to talk about". For example, someone has mentioned that they have an idea for a business venture and you are willing to hear more about it, but not right at the moment.
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2In the UK, we could also say 'we got talking' - e.g. I met a lady in the supermarket who was buying the same yogurt as me, and we got talking, and it turned out she is the sister of my daughter's violin teacher. (made up, my daughter is not learning the violin). Commented Aug 8 at 20:01
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1We got talking at the door. We'll get talking when you call me. It is idiomatic in AmE. You don't even acknowledge it. -1– LambieCommented Aug 8 at 21:34
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@Lambie OP's specific usage "send me a message and we'll get talking" is NOT idiomatic. "To get talking" is to find oneself in an unplanned conversation, whatever the reason, such as when you start to chat with a stranger next to you on a plane or at a bus stop, or encounter an acquaintance and the exchange of hellos turns into a longer "catch up on things" conversation. As for "got talking", I do indeed acknowledge that many speakers would use it in the comment directly above your own, but not to make arrangements to discuss something.– TimRCommented Sep 8 at 10:58
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to get [doing something] is colloquial AmE.
Let's get rolling. [going] Let's get dancing. Let's get going. Let's get cooking. Let's get talking.
Simple past can work for this idiom, too: we got talking.
So: Send me a message and we’ll get talking” is just like that usage. It means: we will start talking.
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True, but I would argue most of these usages have a very immediate connotation: "get off your butt and get dancing!" It might make sense if the speaker means "let's dive into the activity of talking right now," but not necessarily "let's initiate a protracted exchange of emails." Also, your examples used "let's"; a "we'll get [verb]ing" usage is certainly imaginable, but less common. Commented Aug 8 at 21:13
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My downvote. Your answer pays no heed to the OP's desired meaning: “send me a message and we might start a conversation” [my emphasis]– TimRCommented Aug 8 at 21:21
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I said that we'll get talking is just like let's get talking. Just a different verb tense.– LambieCommented Aug 8 at 21:30
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@Lambie But nobody says "We'll get talking" or "Let's get talking". It's not idiomatic. No more idiomatic than "Let's find ourselves in hot water." I dispute that it's used in future contexts and it doesn't fit the meaning that the OP has presented.– TimRCommented Aug 9 at 11:12
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They might very well say it here. Of course, it is idiomatic. ""Give me a call and [then] we'll get talking". Let's you and me get talking, then we'll see.– LambieCommented Aug 9 at 17:57