no, I didn't as an answer to present tense?

[ademoglu]

Hi

A man has been murdered and his car has been stolen. A guy who may or may not be the man drives the car. On his way, he is pulled over by a policeman.

The officer: Do you know that you are driving a dead guy's car?
The suspect: "No, I don't." or "No, I didn't."

Which answer sounds better? To me, now that he has been informed by the officer that the car is a stolen one, the guy says, "no, I didn't" to imply that "I did not know until you told me."

I feel a little bit puzzled. After a second thought, both are OK. Can you help me out?

 

[Tarheel]

Cop: Did you know that you are driving a dead guy's car?
Suspect: No, I didn't. ( It's short for "No, I didn't know that.")

He didn't know that, but the officer's words told him that, so he knows now. (That's assuming he's not the car thief, but he probably is.)

 

[Tdol]

If the cop uses the present tense, then answering in the present tense makes sense as the past tense could imply guilt.

 

[Tarheel]

I just realized that I changed "Do" to "Did" in my dialogue. However, I wouldn't change the suspect's answer (for the same I reason I gave the first time). Also, if he says, "Yes, I know I'm driving a dead guy's car" he would incriminate himself, so there's that.

 

[SoothingDave]

In this situation, the tense chosen is the least of your problems.