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Thursday
Jul012010

“I'm sure it's fine.”

You cooked some meat for dinner, and your wife told you to make sure that it is completely cooked in the middle. You think it is, so you say:

I'm sure it's fine.

I'm sure (clause)

You actually say "I'm sure (something is true)" when you are not completely sure. You use it when you're guessing about something. The level of sureness is similar to "probably". But saying:

They probably won't mind.

sounds a little more careful, while:

I'm sure they won't mind.

sounds more confident.

When you use this phrase in writing, you should use "that":

I'm sure that it's perfectly safe.

(something) is fine

When you say that something "is fine", it means that there's not a problem with it. For example:

A: Is it OK if I open the window for a few minutes?

B: Yeah, that's fine.

"That's fine" or "I'm sure it's fine" is not very strongly positive. It only means that there's not a problem.

You should know that "(something) is fine" is different from "a fine (something)". A "fine ___" means something that is very high quality. You use this when talking about:

  • fine wine
  • fine dining
  • fine Art
  • fine linens (sheets on your bed)

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