Name: Everyday Grammar: Polite Offers & Simple Past Tense
Uploaded: 2020-07-03T04:37:37.000Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

I went to a cafe this morning and I heard a strange question.

The server asked me Did you want cream for your coffee?

Oh, they use the simple past tense even though they were talking about the present.

The simple past tense is used for actions or situations that happened in the past.

These actions or situations are finished, right?

Why didn't they say, Do you want cream for your coffee instead?

Sometimes Americans use the simple past tense off the verbs want and need, even though they're talking about the present.

Some speakers do this even though it goes against traditional grammar rules.

In American culture, it is often considered polite to speak in directly.

One way people speak indirectly is by using a past tense burb when asking about a present desire.

So Americans speak indirectly by using the construction did plus wand and did plus nein, right.

Americans don't really do it with other verbs.

 It's a strange pattern and speaking, and that's everyday grammar. 