Vadim
'I was wondering...'. Why past continious is used? A: Good morning, ABC Club, how can I help you? B: Good afternoon. I was wondering if you could give me some information about membership.
Feb 14, 2016 8:02 PM
Answers · 4
1
The alternative here is "I wonder if ...", and that is fine and clear to use here. But if you use "I was wondering if ...", that's a little bit more tentative and thus more polite. It suggests less of a demand in the present, because technically the past continuous leaves open whether the wondering is active at the present time or not.
February 14, 2016
1
From the Internet> Sometimes we use a past verb form when we refer to present time, in order to be more polite or less direct. We often do this with verbs such as hope, think, want and wonder. The verb may be in the past simple, or, for extra politeness, in the past continuous: I was hoping you had it. (less direct than I hope you have it.)
February 14, 2016
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!