This is Everyday Grammar. I'm Kaveh.
欢迎收看《每日语法》栏目。我是卡维。
And I'm Lucija. You know, Kaveh, I went to a cafe this morning and I heard a strange question.
我是露西佳。卡维，今天早上我去一家咖啡馆，听到了一个奇怪的问题。
What was it? Did someone ask about your age?
是什么?有人问你的年龄吗？
No. The server asked me, 'Did you want cream for your coffee?'
没有，服务员问我“你的咖啡要加奶油吗？”
Oh! They used the Simple Past Tense, even though they were talking about the present!
噢，他们用了一般过去时，即使他们说得是现在的事！
The Simple Past Tense is used for actions or situations that happened in the past.
一般过去时用于表示过去发生的动作或情况。
These actions or situations are finished.
这些动作或情况都已完成。

Right. So why did the server then say, 'Did you want cream for your coffee?'
是这样，那么为什么服务员会说“Did you want cream for your coffee?”
Why did they say 'Do you want cream for your coffee?' instead.
而不是说“Do you want cream for your coffee?”呢？
Sometimes Americans use the Simple Past Tense of the verbs Want and Need even though they are talking about the present.
美国人有时会在谈论现在时使用动词Want和Need的一般过去时。
Some speakers do this even though it goes against traditional grammar rules.
即使这样违反语法规则，有些说者还是这样做。
Ok, I still don't get it, and others might not either.
我还是不明白，或许其他人也没明白。
This is where culture comes in.
这涉及到文化来源。
In American culture, it is often considered polite to speak indirectly.
在美国文化中，人们通常认为说话含蓄礼貌。
One way people speak in directly is by using a past tense verb when asking about a present desire.
人们说话含蓄的一种方法，就是使用动词的过去时态讨论现在的渴望。
Oh, I see. So Americans speak indirectly by using the construction Did+want and Did+need?
哦，我明白了。所以美国人在含蓄说话时，用Did+want和Did+need的结构？
Right! Americans don't really do it with other verbs.
对极了！美国人不用其他动词。
It's a strange pattern in speaking.
这是一种奇怪的说话方式。
And that's Everyday Grammar.
以上就是今天的全部内容。