What do you call it in English?

In Japan, when a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is treated as a holiday. Many workers and students will have three days off from Saturday through Monday.

Now. When a weekend is extended to include Monday like this, what do you call it in English? The answer is a “long weekend“. You can also call it a “three-day weekend”.

Now. Let’s look at this question: What do you call it in English? This question is used when you want to know how to say something in English. For example, what do you call it in English when you take a picture of yourself with a smartphone? What do you call the red thing on a rooster’s head? What do you call a person who studies weather?

It’s certainly a useful question, especially if you’re learning English.

NOTE: The original story was first published in January 2017.

英語で何と言う？

日本では祝日が日曜日に重なると、翌日の月曜日が振替休日となります。働く人や学生さんの多くは土曜日から月曜日まで三日間お休みできます。

さて。土日に月曜日をくっつけて三連休になるとき、英語ではこれを何と言うでしょう。答えは long weekend。three-day weekend と言うこともあります。

ところで、今日はこの疑問文に注目したいと思います。What do you call it in English? 「英語で何て言うの?」と訊くときに使う疑問文です。たとえば、「スマホで自分の写真を撮ることを英語で何て言うんだっけ?」と訊きたいときは、What do you call it in English when you take a picture of yourself with a smartphone? です。「雄鶏の頭の上に載っかってるあの赤いヤツ、（英語で）何て言うの?」と訊くなら、What do you call the red thing on a rooster’s head (in English)? です。お天気について研究している人のこと何と言うか知ってますか。分からないときはこう訊ねます。What do you call a person who studies weather (in English)?

ちなみに質問の答えはこちら。

What do you call it in English when you take a picture of yourself with a smartphone? – Selfie

What do you call the red thing on a rooster’s head? – comb

What do you call a person who studies weather? – meteorologist