When calling someone say as a customer service representative, which sentence is the correct one to choose?
Did you have a moment to talk?
vs.
Do you have a moment to talk?
I have heard natives choose the first one but I don't understand as to why they use past tense. Afterall, the person is on the phone right now and should be asked if they are free to talk now, not a time in the past.
Any help is appreciated…
Best Answer
Although the first usage is uncommon, unlike other commenters, I do believe you may have heard some native speakers employ it, because I think that it is not actually past tense here but a remnant of the past subjunctive mood that still lingers in some dialects, and thus, it sounds very polite. The implication is along the lines of "I was wondering if you had a moment to talk." The speaker is wondering whether you can talk, now, but it's past subjunctive mood, which is indistinguishable from past tense in most English verb conjugation.