I am teaching english to italian students and today we were doing present simple and someone said Does she offer you a coffee? I said no you would say Did she offer you a coffee? which is in the past. Help me out with this one. You is right and why?
2007-11-08 09:01:27 · 9 answers · asked by scotland1 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Did she offer you a coffee ? is correct unless you say
Does she offer you a coffee when you go to her house?
2007-11-08 09:06:14 · answer #1 · answered by Bonnie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The more usual ways to say it are:
Did she offer you any coffee?
Did she offer you some coffee?
Did she offer you a cup of coffee?
Did she offer you coffee?
Did she offer you A COFFEE? seems to be a recent development and sounds more like Cockney e.g. "Go 'ave a coffee" = "Have some coffee." It might be frequently said that way in England but so far, has not caught on in the United States.
2007-11-08 09:12:31 · answer #2 · answered by Brennus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it would be an odd question in the present although I realise that's not altogether the point. How about 'Is she offering you a coffee?'
I don't teach English but it so happens that today I was trying to get a Swiss-German friend to pronounce the word 'width' - ha! Seems so easy to us but she was totally baffled.
2007-11-08 09:07:15 · answer #3 · answered by Sue C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does she offer you a coffee? is an incomplete sentence. You could alter it to Did she offer you a coffee?
2007-11-08 09:11:21 · answer #4 · answered by Pretty & Stupid bad combo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did she offer you a coffee is correct.
You could say `Does`if you are refering to what may happen in future tense.
2007-11-08 09:08:04 · answer #5 · answered by islandmonkey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The right term would be 'Did she offer you a coffee?'
This is because it is in past tense and has already happen
Hope this is what you was looking for?
2007-11-08 09:07:10 · answer #6 · answered by Im_Liverpool_Til_I_Die!! 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends on the context. If it was something like " you were cleaning up after her all day, you're still here looking after her kids and does she offer you a coffee? No, she doesn't."
2007-11-08 09:07:21 · answer #7 · answered by Paula R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would have thought it would be past tense as you would only say does she offer you a question while the event is happening which wouldn't make much sense in this case. hope this helps
2007-11-08 09:05:48 · answer #8 · answered by xxx 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
does means happens more than once did means thats what happened so you are right
2007-11-08 09:16:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋