Hoje o podcast Inglês Online fala sobre a maneira indireta de se “fazer uma pergunta” em inglês.
Transcrição
Hi, everyone. How have you been? Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has left reviews for this podcast on iTunes. I really appreciate it and it’s a great thing that listeners are writing reviews and rating the podcast, since I guess iTunes takes reviews and ratings into consideration, as well as the number of downloads, of course… So they take all that into consideration when deciding which podcasts are the most popular.. And recently I’ve seen Inglesonline on the popular list at the Brazilian iTunes store, so that’s really cool.
OK, today I’m gonna talk about something that I guess most schools consider, maybe, basic or pre-intermediate material. I personally think, though, that this is a topic we could hear more of. I’m talking about asking questions directly versus getting information in an indirect way. Example: How old are you? That’s a direct question. It ends with a question mark, right? Let’s say this is a police interrogation and, for some reason, these are the questions you are being asked:
How tall are you? Where do you live?
Where were you last night around 8 o’clock? How did you get there?
What were you wearing? Who was with you?
So these were all direct questions, right? They all ended with a question mark. Now let’s say the police officer, for some reason, doesn’t want to be so direct. He says to you “I wanna know how tall you are”. Not “I wanna know how tall are you“. We would say “I wanna know how tall you are”. So, that’s not even a question! It’s just a statement communicating what the officer wants to know. But, wait! The question is “How tall are you?” So why do we have to say “I want to know, or I would like to know how tall you are”? Why can’t I say “I would like to know how tall are you“?
Well, think about some things that you know: your mother’s name, the way to the office, your phone number. Again: these are examples of things you know. You know your mother’s name, you know the way to the office – let’s assume you work in an office – and you know your phone number. So, these little phrases… are they questions? No, they are three different pieces of information that you know. Your mother’s name is a piece of information; the way to the office is another one and your phone number is another piece of information.
So let’s say there’s someone chatting with you… Let’s say it’s a woman and her name is Sally. Sally isn’t a direct person, so she’s not asking you stuff directly… Every time she wants to know something, she begins with “I’d like to know… blah blah blah”. I’d like to know this, I’d like to know that. So she says to you:
I’d like to know [your age]. What would she like to know? Your age.
Then, she says: I’d like to know [your mother’s name]. What does she want to know now? Your mother’s name.
Now she’s saying: I’d like to know [the way to your office].
So [your age], [your mother’s name] and [the way to your office] are the pieces of information that she wants to acquire. They are the description of what she wants to know. Then, Sally says:
I’d like to know [how tall you are]. Can you see that “how tall you are” isn’t a question? Rather, it is the description of what she wants to know now. What does she want to know now? She wants to know… how tall you are. “How tall you are” isn’t a question, it is just a phrase that describes what she wants to know. That’s why we don’t say “She wants to know how tall are you“.
So take a look at the questions at the beginning of this podcast. Let’s say these are all Sally’s questions. But since she’s not a direct person, she will not ask any questions. She will just state what she would like to know:
I’d like to know [where you live].
I’d like to know [where you were last night around 8 o’clock].
I’d like to know [how you got there].
I’d like to know [what you were wearing].
So give us a few examples of people who have indirectly asked you something. They wanted to know something about you or about someone else, and they said “I’d like to know…” or “Please tell me…”
And to wrap up this episode, I just wanted to plug the Inglês Online Facebook page once again – since Sunday, over 600 people have liked the page. So, please, if you’re on Facebook, click “Curtir” right here on the sidebar of Inglês Online or go to the Facebook page, it’s facebook.com/inglesonlinebr, and become a fan. I really appreciate your help spreading the word, and, what’s more, by becoming a fan you’re going to have access to promotions – the first one is happening soon, before the end of the year, with some very cool prizes… so, there you have it. Thanks, and talk to you next time.
Ana criou um blog de dicas de inglês em 2006, e depois de muito pesquisar o que faz alguém ganhar fluência numa segunda língua, criou seu primeiro curso de inglês em 2009.
Hello!
Ana, sou novata e ao ouvir o primeiro podcast surgiu uma dificuldade: eu entendi o contexto geral do assunto. O que é melhor, pegar o dicionário e traduzir palavra por palavra, ou não, tento me familiarizar com o assunto e só uso a tradução se realmente não entender nada. (?!).
Excellent content in this podcast.
I always tried to ask in this way but I had some doubts, but now you gave the solution.
So, here are some indirect questions:
Some day a cute guy said me “I’d like to know if I can give your number…”
Actually he wanted to ask me: “I wanna know if you have a boyfriend”.
So, he was so cute indeed and I answered “I wanna know if you really intend to call me”.
kkkk did I write right?
Oh Ana, I have a doubt. What is the difference between ‘whether’ and ‘if’?
Thanks again… your podcasts are the best!
`Hi Ana Luiza.
Good to know that Ingles onlina is becoming popular. Every time I send you a message I try to write without the known “google-help”. But I know that my writing has mistakes.
Your podcast has been so helpful. I study in a college named Durham College District, it is in Oshawa, a town near Toronto/Canada. I am a adult English student. I have been here for eleven months. I live in Canada now.
Despite my teachers are canadians sometimes I feel that I have learned a lot with you.
Thank you very much.
