1. I'm supposed to go on a diet/get a raise。
我應該節(jié)食/漲工資。
2.He is bouncy。
要表達"他精力充沛",美國人通常說"He is bouncy." 而不說"He is energetic"。牢記一些日常對話中的句式是你生活中一把必備的鑰匙,如:久仰,"I get mind of you."比"I heard a lot about you."輕松得多。
3.Did you get lost?
有人開會遲到了,你若對他說"You are late.",聽起來像是廢話。若說"Did you get lost?"則更能讓他感到歉疚,可千萬別說成"Get lost!",那可是讓人滾蛋的意思。
4. I got it。
遇到你不懂的問題時可別不懂裝懂,"I know"可能是被中國人用得最多,而最不被美國人接受的一句話。當一個美國教師向你解釋某個問題時,你如果連說兩遍"I know",我敢保證他不會再跟你說什么了。用"I got it."就順耳得多,要是不懂就說"I'm not clear about it."。不過如果你會說"It's past my understanding."或"It's beyond me.",你的教師一定會驚訝不已的。
5.I would rather not say。
別人問你不愿公開的問題,切勿用"It's my secret, don't ask such a personal question."回答,一來顯得你沒有個性,二來也讓對方覺得你氣短。你可以說"I would rather not say."(還是別說了吧)。
6.It's on the tip of my tongue。
有時候,你想說什么,可是想不起來,你可以說"Well…"、"Let me see."、"Just a moment."或"It's on the tip of my tongue."等。相比之下,最后一個句型是最地道的。
7. While I remember…
交談時,你可能會轉(zhuǎn)換話題,不要只說"By the way",實際上,"To change the subject"、"Before I forget"、"While I remember"、"Mind you"都是既地道又受歡迎的表達。
8. Do you have the time?
別人征求你的意見,問能否開窗戶等,你要是說"You can do that."就有點土了,用一句"Do you have the time?"就好多了。實際上,問他人的姓名、地址都可以這么用,"May I have your name?"要比"What's your name?"禮貌得多,不過警察例外。
下面我們再來看幾句在辦公室經(jīng)常會用到的句子:
9. The meeting was scheduled for two hours, but it is not over yet。
會議原定兩個小時,不過現(xiàn)在還沒有結(jié)束。
10. Would you care to see it/sit down for a while?
你要不要看/坐一會呢?
11. You're in the pink!
要想說人氣色好,"You look fine!"當然不錯,可如果你說"You're in the pink!"就妙得多了。實際上,在英語口語中,巧妙使用一些表示顏色的詞能使得句子非常形象生動。
12. I'm afraid that it's not going to work out。
我恐怕這事不會成的。
13. Do you mind if I take tomorrow off?
你介意我明天請假嗎?
14. It really depends on who is in charge。
那純粹要看誰負責了。