Verb tense when asking about current feelings of past events

Mark Moore

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I recently wrote a scene where my two main characters kissed for the first time. Afterwards, one of them asked "You like it? It was my first." Should it be like or liked? She's refering to a past event but asking for the girl's feelings on it (which, logically, should include her current feeling as well as the feeling that she'd had during the kiss).
 

Cella

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...I don't know for sure, but if she still likes it, then I think that would apply.

:)
 

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I think that ""You like it?" is actually a shortened version of: Did you like it? If that's what you meant, then it is fine as it is.
 

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Could be "Did" could be "Do" you like it.

I think I'd go with past tense. Do you still like a kiss after it's over? I guess you like the memory of the kiss, but the kiss itself is gone...

"I kissed a girl and I liked it."
 

kimberlycreates

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"Did you like it?" or "You liked it?" sound more natural to my ear, but "You like it?" might not be that big of a stretch. Remember, you have a little more leeway with grammar in dialog. Especially if the speaker is younger or less educated. Young children, even high schoolers will speak differently than adults. An adult who never went to college may speak differently than one who did, and an adult who went on to academia will speak differently than either of them.
 

Bufty

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If that's how he says it, that's how he says it.

You are the only one who knows your character.

What and how somebody says something in dialogue is entirely up to you, the writer.
 
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Susan Coffin

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Even though it sounds odd, I believe you are correct. The character is asking now about a past event. However, I think what might be confusing is that you do not write it as, "Did you like it? It was my first." That sounds more clear.
 

pandaponies

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"You like it?" sounds like shortened "Did you like it?" and would be totally normal in everday speech to me. ...Maybe not about a kiss, hah, but I hear the same construction all the time in other contexts. "You eat already?" "You like the movie?" "You see Nicole today?"