Forum: ell.stackexchange.com
Tags: <meaning-in-context>
Title: Does this have two meanings: 'how do you like your coffee'?
Question: How do you like your coffee?   Can I use the above sentence either on an offering situation that I ask if they like it black or with sugar, or during having situation that I ask if the coffee tastes good?  When the latter is possible, can next both answers be possible?     I like it a lot.    It's good.

Answers:
sents: text: You may use this in both situations, and indeed in others; the context will make it clear which meaning is intended: If you ask before you start preparing the coffee, you are asking how your hearer prefers their coffee to be prepared—Do you like it strong or weak (or possibly boiled to a black sludge)?
text: If you ask before or as you serve the coffee, you are asking how your hearer 'takes' their coffee—Do you want cream or sugar with your coffee?
text: If you ask after your hearer has started drinking the coffee, you are asking about the taste of the coffee—Is the coffee OK?
text: As for your answers, both are possible, as are many more:
text: It's terrific!
text: It's horrible!
text: It's coffee!
text: It's Blue Mountain, apparently from St Thomas Parish; rather underroasted, to my mind, and a coarser grind should be used with that press.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/32/StoneyB on hiatus
score: 35
sents: text: This phrase does have two meanings in US English, as agreed by other posters.
text: For the sake of completeness, I feel compelled to add that in British English, this is a phrase that would only be used when offering coffee.
text: Using it as a question to affirm how much someone was enjoying their coffee would probably be understood, but would sound extremely odd.
text: Instead, British people might say: "Are you enjoying your coffee?"
text: "Is that coffee OK for you?" Or something similar.
text: Divided by a common language and all that.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/6637/Bob Tway
score: 8
sents: text: Beyond the answers given by other contributors, I would also add another parse:
text: If asked at a bar at night, when the other party is clearly not drinking coffee, the individual who asked may be implying that they will be making coffee for the other party the following morning; that is, it could also serve as an implicit pick-up line.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/12109/Andrew Coonce
score: 6
sents: text: Context depends greatly on whether I ask: before I give it to you , where it's equivalent to "
text: Would you like milk/sugar/etc.?
text: " after I give it to you , where I'm asking "
text: Do you like it?"/"Is that coffee ok?"
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/5551/smci
score: 5
sents: text: As the other answers suggest, "How do you like your coffee?
text: "
text: can indeed have either meaning, depending on context.
text: If you're looking for unambiguous versions, you could instead ask: How do you take your coffee?
text: Meaning: Milk?
text: Sugar?
text: Or How is your coffee?
text: Meaning:
text: Do you like the coffee you're drinking?
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/8611/etheranger
score: 3
sents: text: Be careful of emphasis There are 2 ways of emphasizing the question: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee ?
text: The first is equivalent to 'how do you take your coffee?', so I would expect it in that context after someone has agreed to or requested some coffee.
text: The second is equivalent to 'how are you enjoying your coffee?', so I would expect it in the context of someone having tasted some coffee they have received.
text: To this, any answer about the quality or my enjoyment of the coffee is fine, but it is not a
text: yes/no question ('how' requires a full answer).
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/717/Phil H
score: 3
sents: text: Good question -- in addition to the answers concerned with the various contexts in which this is asked:
text: The ambiguity is as much a question of contrastive focus: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee?
text: How do you like your coffee ?
text: Even context-free, emphasis on the words in bold (or any combination of words in this sentence) affects the meaning.
text: See Wikipedia:
text: Focus (linguistics) for a more technical description of contrastive focus.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/12172/Gerald
score: 3
sents: text: The sentence looks ambiguous and hence, it can be used for both the situations.
text: And thus...
text: *
text: If I want to ask about the 'quality' of coffee, I'd use...
text: How was your coffee?
text: ~ Ah, it was good!
text: OR Did you like the coffee?
text: ~
text: Yeah, I liked it!
text: If I am asking for a choice , I'd say it this way - Which coffee would you like to have?
text: Black or with sugar?
text: Note that I'd prefer using
text: would and not do !
text: I'm offering the guest and coffee
text: hasn't come yet!
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/3187/Maulik V
score: 1
sents: text: It's easier to see the meaning if you expand the two sentences to avoid the ambiguity: How do you like your coffee [to be]?
text: And the second definition:
text: How do you like your coffee [in front of you]?
text: The latter is usually instead said without the "how" (in fact, I have a feeling including the "how" is grammatically incorrect), just as: Do you like your coffee?
text: Or even more clear:
text: How is your coffee?
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/3790/IQAndreas
score: 1
sents: text: One other possible interpretation is if it's being said by someone who doesn't like coffee, in an incredulous manner: How do you like your coffee??
text: I hate it!
text: (This is me. :))
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/12186/Scimonster
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
This phrase does have two meanings in US English and can be used in both situations. The context will make it clear which meaning is intended.   For example, if you ask before you start preparing the coffee, you are asking how someone likes their coffee to be prepared.
There is amibiguity and the emphasis can be placed differently.