<p>It is a bit awkward isn't it? ‘You are the how many'th President? </p>

<p>I suggest a rewording to something like (my Chinese is not good): 有多少总统您前？ That can easily be translated as 'How many Presidents have there been before you?'</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:10:28.347Z
I have thought of this,  but isn't it a bit weird? :/
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:12:07.160Z
Though the Chinese translation should be 您前面有多少位总统？
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:14:03.010Z
Hey Danny, I said my Chinese is not good! You are the Chinese, tell me what is correct, acceptable Chinese!
Peter Pan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:16:35.690Z
But how would you ask? Like if you don't know Obama's position. How manyth?
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:20:49.180Z
I'd put it as in my answer, "How many have there been before you?" You may hear people say "the how manyth", but it is not very good English, I would rephrase the question.
Peter Pan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:22:51.190Z
So would they answer "9" or "He is the 10th president"?
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:25:57.333Z
You said you were asking the President himself, not a third party. The answer might be: I am the 54th President of the People's Republic of America, there were 53 before me.
Peter Pan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T08:52:53.500Z
2015-08-11T08:52:53.500Z
Peter Pan
<p>I just looked up English StackExchange. Turned out someone has asked this already: <a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/77222/how-do-you-convert-the-sentence-george-washington-was-the-first-president-to">https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/77222/how-do-you-convert-the-sentence-george-washington-was-the-first-president-to</a></p>

<p>Here is a list of possible questions:</p>

<ul>
<li>What number president are you?</li>
<li>What is your position in the order of presidents?</li>
<li>What is the ordinality of you in the sequence of presidents?</li>
</ul>

<p>They should answer an ordinal number as answer.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T15:44:04.787Z
2015-08-11T15:44:04.787Z
2017-04-13T12:38:11.437Z
Daniel Cheung
<pre><code>你是第幾任總統/校長？
</code></pre>

<p>I'm a Chinese. Like the title suggests, I struggle to translate this into English. I struggled to find a translation for "任". Please help. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T04:35:04.223Z
For translation questions, you need to try to find your own answer first; otherwise your question will probably be put on hold. Try sites such as iciba.com, google translate, and general web searches. If you can't find a good solution, come back here and edit your question to show us what you have tried.
wpt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T09:09:24.360Z
@wpt If I could find that on iciba or Google Translate, would I even be asking here?!
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T16:06:54.543Z
iciba 1. What number President is Lincoln?
    林肯是第几任总统?
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T16:32:52.153Z
@user6065 I swear I didn't get that sentence when I used it lobg ago
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T17:57:40.617Z
it seems to be just colloquial English
user6065
<translation>
你是第幾任總統/校長？How to translate this into English properly?
# 你是第幾任總統/校長？How to translate this into English properly?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-11)

你是第幾任總統/校長？

I'm a Chinese. Like the title suggests, I struggle to translate this into English. I struggled to find a translation for "任". Please help.

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: For translation questions, you need to try to find your own answer first; otherwise your question will probably be put on hold. Try sites such as iciba.com, google translate, and general web searches. If you can't find a good solution, come back here and edit your question to show us what you have tried.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 If I could find that on iciba or Google Translate, would I even be asking here?!  
> **username_2**: iciba 1. What number President is Lincoln?     林肯是第几任总统?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I swear I didn't get that sentence when I used it lobg ago  
> **username_2**: it seems to be just colloquial English  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-08-11. Score: 1

It is a bit awkward isn't it? ‘You are the how many'th President?

I suggest a rewording to something like (my Chinese is not good): 有多少总统您前？ That can easily be translated as 'How many Presidents have there been before you?'

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I have thought of this,  but isn't it a bit weird? :/  
> **username_0**: Though the Chinese translation should be 您前面有多少位总统？  
> **username_3**: Hey Danny, I said my Chinese is not good! You are the Chinese, tell me what is correct, acceptable Chinese!  
> **username_0**: But how would you ask? Like if you don't know Obama's position. How manyth?  
> **username_3**: I'd put it as in my answer, "How many have there been before you?" You may hear people say "the how manyth", but it is not very good English, I would rephrase the question.  
> **username_0**: So would they answer "9" or "He is the 10th president"?  
> **username_3**: You said you were asking the President himself, not a third party. The answer might be: I am the 54th President of the People's Republic of America, there were 53 before me.  

---

### Answer by username_0 on 2015-08-11. Score: 0

I just looked up English StackExchange. Turned out someone has asked this already: <https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/77222/how-do-you-convert-the-sentence-george-washington-was-the-first-president-to>

Here is a list of possible questions:

* What number president are you?
* What is your position in the order of presidents?
* What is the ordinality of you in the sequence of presidents?

They should answer an ordinal number as answer.


---

