Being an L2 English speaker, quite often I get into funny – and sometimes embarrassing – situations. It usually happens when I say something pragmatically inappropriate for a situation. For example, once I was on campus (in the US) taking care of some paperwork. So I was patiently waiting in line, being helped already. So a guy shows up and asks me if I am in line. And then – a terrible faux pas. I say, "I'm being served." You can imagine – those office clerks were almost rolling on the floor.
So here are my questions:
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Is "be served" used in British English now? What about "help", as in They are helping me? Any difference?
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In American English, when – if at all- is it appropriate to use "Are you being served?" or "I'm being served." At a restaurant maybe?
Best Answer
In a British shop, you might hear ‘Are you being served?’ as an inquiry as to whether or not a shop assistant is attending your interest in buying something. (It was once the title of a British TV comedy show about a department store.) The response might be ‘Yes, thank you, someone’s already helping me’, but it’s just as likely to be something like, ‘No, I’m fine thanks.’
‘Can I help you to . . .’ can be an offer to pass some dish or other at a dinner table.
There’s one thing to be careful of with serve. It can also describe what a male animal does to a female animal for the purpose of breeding.