Explain the sentence Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real?

Answer 1

Hmmm. It sounds a bit political. It literally means, that on this day the speaker wishes you to know that there are situations (using the word challenges to infer that the situation may be dire and may take some work to make better) that are not fantasy, imagined, or opinion.

This is a politically worded sentence because using the word 'challenges' rather than a specific or specifics, can mean whatever the listener imagines them to be. Usually, a sentence like this is preceded by naming general topics or issues that have been prominently discussed elsewhere, such as health care, education costs, or where a competing entity has gone wrong. Again, leaving it to the listeners' own imagination or opinion what the specific problem is. What the speaker says after uttering such a sentence is usually generalities to describe what the solutions are or the new direction to take, worded with powerful, definitive terminology that never actually specifies an exact course of action, leaving the listener to formulate in their own mind what the person is proposing to do.

Of course, this sentence could be heard in some other context, such as a sales manager at a sales meeting or a dean addressing faculty about the institution's financial or accreditation problems, etc.