# お酒は召し上がらないんでしたっけ



## Pavel Bond

女：あら、お酒は召し上がらないんでしたっけ？
男：飲むことは飲むんだけど、今日はちょっと。。。

召し上がらないんでした=召し上がらないの　でした (from です）or 召し上がらないので　した　(from する）?
Woman：You didn't drink. or You threw drinking?


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## Schokolade

It's 召し上がらないの+でした (the でした is the past form of です).
"Oh, you drink (alcohol), (if I recall correctly), don't you?" or "Oh, I thought you drink (alcohol)..."

The た in でした is 確認の「た」 (not the past tense た).
eg 「お名前は何でし*た*っけ。」 "What did you say your name is? / What is your name?"
「明日は会議があるんだっ*た*な。」 "(I remember) we'll have a meeting tomorrow."


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## Pavel Bond

"Oh, you drink (alcohol), (if I recall correctly), don't you?" or "Oh, I thought you drink (alcohol)..."
And how the woman should say to ask "Oh, you *don't* drink (alcohol), (if I recall correctly), do you?" or "Oh, I thought you *don't* drink (alcohol)..."
My guess - she should say the same phrase, and only from the answer of the man we can understand what she mean)). No?


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## SoLaTiDoberman

Pavel Bond said:


> 女：あら、お酒は召し上がらないんでしたっけ？


＝*I thought you were a drinker!*

This sentence adopts 修辞法の「反語法」, emphasizing or showing her surprise or doubt.

Native Japanese speakers who have ordinary understanding can easily recognize the meaning of that sentence correctly without no more context.
(Maybe kids under 10-years-old may be confused. (But anyway, kids should not drink.))

For example in English,
"_Why not?_" means "Of course, you can/may do it" or "Please go ahead."
Nobody would explain the reason literally to the question "why don't you do it?"

"_Why not?_" is not a simple question, but a permission, rhetorically.

Do you understand this kind of grammar?

When we translate such a rhetorical sentence, it might be very confusing to translate it literally, from a rhetorical question in a certain language to a rhetorical question in another language.
Therefore, I'd like to translate it as: *I thought you were a drinker!*


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## Pavel Bond

Yes, after the explanations of native speakers I can easily understand what the OP means, but to understand better how to use and understand such rhetorical patterns it's still very interesting how the woman should say "*I thought you were not a drinker!*"


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## SoLaTiDoberman

Pavel Bond said:


> "*I thought you were not a drinker!*"


＝あら、お酒を召し上がるのでしたっけ？

Simple & easy, isn't it?


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## Pavel Bond

Yes, in a way)).
If I know beforehand that the phrase is rhetorical it's easy for me to understand it)). The problem is I don't quite understand how to decide if the phrase is rhetorical or not. Could you please give me also the non-rhetorical versions of these two phrases so that I could feel the difference:
*
I thought you were a drinker!
I thought you were not a drinker!*


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## SoLaTiDoberman

Pavel Bond said:


> *I thought you were a drinker!*


私は、あなたはお酒を召し上がると思っていました！

あら、お酒は召し上がらないんでしたっけ？



Pavel Bond said:


> *I thought you were *_*not*_* a drinker!*


私は、あなたがお酒は召し上がらないと思っていました！

あら、お酒を召し上がるんでしたっけ？

Compare them for a while, and you will see!


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## Pavel Bond

Thank you! Very expressive patterns to use!))


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