Why do you say that? / Why did you say that?
Now and again I write something as part of some English teaching materials
about which I then question myself.
As above.
I wrote it without thinking about it, and it is both natural and correct
(at least in British English), but, when I came to write the explanatory notes
page, I had to stop and think about it.
I wrote it as part of the dialogue below:
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A: Would you believe it?
B: What?
A: My dog.
B: What about him?
A: He thinks he’s a person.
B: Why do you say that?
A: He sleeps in my bedroom, he watches TV with me, and he always eats when I do.
B: It’s not as though you treat him like a dog. You are too soft.
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There are similar things that are much easier to explain using only simple English.
For example: Do you know? / Did you know?
Do you know___? (at this present moment)
Ex: Do you know the queen’s husband is from a Greek family?
OR
Did you know___? (Did you know this in the past)
Ex: Did you know the queen’s husband was from a Greek family?
We can use either to ask the same question and, without thinking too deeply
about it, might use either one on separate occasions to do so.
What I cannot manage to express using only simple English (not translating
into Japanese) is [Why do you say that?] and [Why did you say that?]
If you can help a teacher suffering from brain-freeze, I know he will be grateful.
Thanks a lot.