Would you, ...? We'll see about that

English as a Second Language Listening, speaking, pronunciation and accent
1

At a restaurant

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Manager: Yes, of course you’re a customer, sir. And I’m the owner, and I’m here to serve you because I’m also the headwaiter.

Man: You’re the headwaiter? I want to be a waiter.

Manager: What? You’re looking for a job as a waiter?

Man: Well, I think I would make a very good waiter.

Manager: Would you, now? We’ll see about that. Very well, I’ll try you out.

Man: You’ll try me out?

Manager: Yes, I’ll give you a tryout, a test, to see if you’d make a good waiter.

Man: How do you do this tryout, this test?

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Manager: Would you, now? ← Original text

Which is correct:

  • Would you, now?
  • Would you now?
  • Would you, know?
  • Would you know?

Thank you

Video link: (21 seconds)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10NnjWDRoSvyu0RGZtydtnm5zjfgnesGh/view?usp=sharing

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2

“Would you now?”
This sarcastic phrase is expressing skepticism with respect to the previous statement “I think I would make a very good waiter.”
I wouldn’t bother with a comma in this little phrase, but others may have the “correct” answer.

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3

Thank you so much, Arinker :rose:

Very nice.

But I still don’t understand the meaning of ‘would you now?’.

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4

You have to look at the context and not just a single sentence. The manager is sarcastic and doesn’t believe the man when he claims he is a very good waiter. So “Would you, now” is short for “Would you really make a good waiter”, which, when said in a condescending way, can be translated as “I don’t think you’ll make a good waiter”.

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5

Thank you so much, Torsten :rose:

Very nice explanation.

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