# מה אתה שותה?‏



## Just in time

Hi, everyone. I know "מה אתה שותה?" means _What are you drinking?_ Can it also be used to mean _What would you like to drink?_
I was surprised to hear someone reply to מה אתה שותה? with תה, תודה.

תודה!


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## slus

Yes. It can mean "what do you (want to ) drink".


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## Just in time

Thanks!


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## LXNDR

I believe in English present tense can also be used this way, can't it?


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## Egmont

LXNDR said:


> I believe in English present tense can also be used this way, can't it?


Yes, it can be. "What are you drinking?" is a perfectly natural way for me to ask a dinner companion what he/she wants before I go to get drinks for both of us (in that kind of place).


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## LXNDR

Thank you for confirmation Egmont


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## shalom00

Re "in that kind of place" - the question does not necessarily refer even to alcoholic drinks. It is perfectly legitimate even in a restaurant or a fast-food place. The answer could be a soft drink or a milk shake or even plain water.


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## GeriReshef

If you want to avoid misunderstanding you can ask ?מה תשתה. As well as in any other language, the exact meaning depends on the context.
If you were talking about alcoholic drinks, the context wouldn't be the same as in in the case when a guests came home.


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## Egmont

shalom00 said:


> Re "in that kind of place" - the question does not necessarily refer even to alcoholic drinks. It is perfectly legitimate even in a restaurant or a fast-food place. The answer could be a soft drink or a milk shake or even plain water.



I meant the kind of place where one leaves one's table to go somewhere for drinks, such as (but not only) an English pub, as opposed to the kind of place where one sits at a table and tells a server what to bring. I did not mean to suggest that the drinks are necessarily alcoholic. That is a completely separate issue.


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## shalom00

Thanks. But even at a "place where one sits at a table and tells a server what to bring", it could be a parent asking a child or a person asking his/her date.


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