free to chat
- idiom
- Texting
:
disponible para chatear
- I asked when she was free to chat, and I hired her after one phone conversation!
Examples
-
Feel free to chat with me about anything mentioned in this bio or
Blog text (31) -
Feel free to chat with me anytime; I'm always happy to listen.
-
We had people that wanted to join, of course, but we told them that we had already filled our meeting space—some unspecified loft on Canal Street—and that it would be a while before we were taking members, but they were free to chat.
Fiction book (2002) -
When you are free to chat, just send me a message.
-
If you feel free to chat, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the project.
Synonyms
427
2.3
Not busy and able to meet or take a call
Antonyms
How Available
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'free' = available and 'to chat' = for having a conversation, so the combined sense 'available and willing to have a conversation' follows transparently from the parts. This adjective + to-infinitive/purpose pattern is productive in English (and has parallels in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Free to chat comes from the simple idea of being free (not busy) and able to chat (talk casually). So when someone says free to chat, they mean they are 'available' and ready 'to have a conversation'.