to offer a seat
1
2.3
- phrasal verb
- /ˈɔfər ə sit/
:
ofrecer un asiento
- Would you offer a seat?
Examples
-
When the bus became full, I offered a seat to a mother holding her baby.
-
During the crowded train ride, I kindly offered a seat to the elderly woman standing next to me.
-
At the bus stop, I offered a seat to the elderly man when he looked tired.
-
She always offers a seat to guests as soon as they arrive at her house.
-
When the train was crowded, he offered a seat to the woman carrying a child.
-
Please offer a seat.
-
At the café, she offered a seat to her friend, gesturing towards the empty chair across the table.
Synonyms
209
1.0
Please sit down
165
1.8
To show people where to sit
79
3.5
To guide people to their seats at events like a theater
How Considerate
1
2.3
165
1.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to provide someone with a place to sit' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'offer' (to provide or present) with 'seat' (a place to sit); the determiner 'a' does not alter the compositional meaning. This is a common, literal transitive construction found across languages and should be obvious to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Offer a seat comes from the simple act of giving someone your place to sit: you offer your seat by standing up or pointing to a chair so they can 'sit' and 'rest'. That's why it means 'to politely provide someone with a place to sit'.