如果你希望自己的口语更地道一些,那你就要对自己的表达更严格一点,希望下面这些口语用法对你有所帮助。 1 我的计算机连不上WiFi。 (×) My computer can't connect with WiFi. (○)My computer has a weak/bad/poor WiFi connection. 连上线,英文用connect to,而不用connect with。这句话也可以说成My computer has some problems connecting to WiFi。 2 我不怕冷 (×)I am not afraid of cold. 其实应该是 (○)The cold doesn't bother me. 中文说不“怕”冷,直觉会想用afraid,但afraid应该接令人害怕的事物,形容天气的感觉用bother即可。 3 今天上映什么? (×)What's playing today? (○)What's on today? play多是“人”扮演、出演,英文中电影、节目上演多用on。 4 I don't buy that. (×)我不要买。 (○)我才不信。 buy在这里是“相信、接受”的意思。 They are trying to buy time. (×)他们想买时间。 (○)他们想拖延时间。 buy time是指“拖延时间”。 5 我送你到门口。 (×)I'll send you to the door. (○)I'll see/walk you to the door. 6 我在报纸上看到这则新闻。 (×)I saw it on the newspaper. (○)I read it in the newspaper. 7 她晚婚。 (×)She married old. (○)She married late in life. 8 别把办公室弄得乱七八糟。 (×)Don't make the office out of order. (○)Don't leave the office in a mess. out of order是指东西坏了,不能用于搞得乱七八糟这样的状况,要用leave…in a mess才正确。 9 我打了很多电话。 (×)I call a lot of phones. (○)I make a lot of phone calls. 打电话要用make phone calls,但有些人会直接用I call the phone,直译就是打电话给电话,这样语意不通。 10 日本的首都在哪儿? (×)Where is the capital of Japan? (○)What is the capital of Japan? 这个问句应该用what,而非where。因为这句话要问的是“哪一个城市”(名词),而不是“城市的位置”(副词)。 11 车上还有位子吗? (×)Is there any place for me in the car? (○)Is there any room for me in the car? room和place都有空间的意思。room有两层含义:一是“房间”,很具体;二是“空间”或“余地”,比较抽象。可构成make room for,意思是“给……让出地方”。place是指“场所”或“位置”,是可数名词,常用的词组有take one's place(就座、入席);in place是指在适当的位置。 12 一起玩吧! (×)Let's play together. (○)Why don't you come over? 中文常会说“一起玩吧”,但英文却不是这样的表达方式,play多半用在小孩身上;外国人惯用Why don't you come over,邀请别人一道来。至于和朋友玩在一块儿,我们则应用hang out 13 我没听清楚。 (×)I didn't listen. (○)I didn't catch that. I didn't listen.这句话会造成很大的误解,因为它指的就是“我没在听”,但听懂要用catch这个词,意思是“抓到”别人想表达的东西,也就是“听清楚”别人所说的话。 14 别管这件事。 (×)Don't mind this. (○)Stay out of this. mind虽然有照看的意思,但Don't mind this是“别在意”的意思;要求别人不要介入,应该用Stay out of this。 15 要在这里住多久? (×)How long will you live? 这种短暂的“住”不是live,而是stay。 这句话可以说成: (○)How long are you staying? (○)How long will you be staying? 16 我想拜访约翰逊先生。 (在柜台前和服务人员的对话) (×)I would like to visit Mr.Johnson. (○)I am here to see Mr.Johnson. visit和see都有“探望、拜访”的意思,如果是计划拜访某人,你可以说:I plan to visit some potential clients next week.但已经到门口,事先已经预约好的,用see比较自然。 17 我从没来过这。 (×)I havent been here before. (○)I had never been here. 既然用here,表示我们人一定在那儿,明明人已经在那儿又说没有到过,有点儿矛盾。这时候只要用过去完成时,表示以前没来过就合理了。 18 谢谢,欢迎再度光临。 (×)Thank you.Welcome again. (○)Thank you.Please come again. 19 我们一行4个人,我想订一桌4个人的座位。 (×)We have four people.I'd like to reserve four seats. (○)We are a group/party of four.I'd like to reserve a table for four. 一行有几人用group或party,所以,问对方一共有多少人就说How many(are there)in your party?此外,中文订位都说订n个座位,但英文都说一桌n个人。 20 你们开店到多晚? (×)When is your restaurant closed? (○)How late are you open? 店家的“开”“关”,在中文和英文里都有两种意思:开门、关门,或营业、歇业。第一句close当动词,用被动式,反倒像是问店家何时歇业、关门大吉。适当的用法是问对方开到几点,open在此为形容词。 21 我点的菜还没上。 (×)My meal hasn't shown up yet. (○)My order hasn't come yet. 中文的问法直接,英文则偏含蓄,不管是点饮料或主菜,直接用order即可。order是名词,表示“点的东西”。上菜不用show,因为这不是展示,用come即可。 22 我想到外企工作。 (×)I'd like to work for a foreign company. (○)I'd like to work for a global company. 外企虽是外国人的公司,但不必直白到说成foreign company。既然大部分都是跨国公司,用international/ multinational都可以;如果想到国外工作,可以用work overseas;外派则是用relocate。 23 我身体不舒服。 (×)I'm not comfortable. (○)I'm not feeling well. 打电话请病假,千万别说成I'm not comfortable,因为这句话是指我觉得心理上不自在、感觉很糟,而非生理上的不舒服。not feeling well也可直接用sick、ill表达。 24 这价格太贵了! (×)This price is too expensive! (○)This price is too high! 指产品本身太贵,可用expensive,例:This computer is too expensive.(这部计算机太贵)。但若句子中有price/cost/fee等表达价格之意的词,就应该用high或low来形容高或低。 25 我送她一本书。 (×)I sent her a book. (○)I gave her a book. 馈赠对方礼物,多半用give(送、给)做动词,send比较像是以邮寄或快递方式送货。 26 她今天排休。 (×)She is having a holiday today. (○)She is taking leave today. 解析:holiday是指“法定假期”,如果指的是“个人特休”,应该用leave。例:Bill takes sick leave today.May I take a message for you?(比尔今天请病假了,要我帮您留言吗?) 27 这对我来说不算高薪。 (×)This is not a high salary to me. (○)This is not a good/big salary to me. 解析:中文说“高”薪,但英文要用good salary或big salary。 例:A good salary is very important to job satisfaction.(高薪对工作满意度至关重要。) 28 我是一位店老板,这是我的名片。 (×)I am a boss. Here's my name card. (○)I am a storekeeper. Here's my business card. 解析:boss是一种“职位”称呼,要向人介绍自己的“职业”是店老板,应该说store keeper。另外,名片的正确用词是business card 29 吃药 (×)eat medicine (○)take medicine 英文的eat,指的是“吃”食物,但药不是食物,所以“吃药”不说eat medicine,必须说take medicine(服药)。吃了药后,感觉好多了,可以说I felt much better after taking the medicine。 30 喝汤 (×)drink soup (○)eat soup 还有一个也容易错,喝汤要用eat soup或have soup。“喝汤”让人联想成drink soup,其实是错的,稀稀水水的东西才用喝的,而外国人喝的汤多半比较浓稠,像玉米浓汤、蛤蜊浓汤,基本上是用“吃”的。 31 吃饱了没? (×)Did you eat? (○)How are you doing? 这句话倒不是语法错,而是外国人不会这么问候对方。“吃了没”是中文的问候语,所以常有外国朋友会问,为什么中国人常问“吃了没”,刚到中国还以为有人要请吃饭,结果造成误会。倒是有一个词组,外国人看人愁眉苦脸的时候会问What's eating you?意思是:“你怎么啦?”“何事让你心烦?” 32 eat one's words (×)食言 (○)收回刚刚讲的话 纠正很多人很自然地会把eat your words,认为就是指“食言”,其实,这个词组的意思是承认自己说错话,赶紧纠正。 33 我们公司和X饭店有签约,所以有特别优惠。 (×)My company has signed a contract with X Hotel, so we can get special prices. (○)We are in contract with X Hotel and are entitled to a special discount. 解析:“有签约”表示一种既定状态,不是在强调动作,因此不用sign contract,而用in contract with。 34 我对合约条款只有一个问题。 (×)I have only one question about the condition. (○)I have only one question about the terms. 解析:合约的条款或条件,像付款期、违约罚则等,不叫condition,也不叫policy或rule,而是统称term。像付款条件叫terms of payment或简化成payment terms。 35 我们的合约上周到期。 (×)Our contract finished last week. (○)Our contract expired last week. 解析:合约到期有很多种说法,除了expire外还有bedue(到期)或是很正式的terminate(终止),但就是不用finished(完成)。口语中甚至可以用up,有“到顶”的意思。 36 今天领薪水。 (×)My boss paid me today. (○)It's payday. 薪水是老板发的,但讲话不用如此直白,用payday(发薪日)就可完整说出“今天领薪水”的意思。口语中,也可说I am getting paid today,用pay(动词)的被动用法来表达get paid(领薪水)。 37 我这个月奖金比较多。 (×)I got more bonus this month. (○)I got a bigger bonus this month. 这句话乍一看没问题,但要注意bonus(红利、绩效、奖金)是一笔一笔算的,而且是用bigger不是more。像外国人说到更多预算时,会用a bigger budget,是整笔的概念,也不用more。既然是一整笔,就要记得加冠词a。 38 他的工作表现获得老板赏识。 (×)His hard work made the boss recognize him. (○)His hard work has gained the recognition of the boss. 这个词recognition(认可、赏识),在英文注重时态的逻辑里,需要用到完成时has gained,来清楚表达“老板目前已认可此人的表现”。 39 计算机画面停住了。 (模糊)The computer stops. (精确)The computer screen freezes. 如果用stop这个词,别人会搞不清楚到底怎么了,听起来像是话没说完,是stop working还是stop responding? 如果是画面不会动,你可以更精确点用freeze,意思是“冻结”,也可以用词组freeze up,表示机器故障,无法继续使用。 40 已经10点了,却只有我开始认真工作。 (×)It was nearly 10:00 am,but only I had started to work seriously. (○)It was nearly 10:00am,but only I had got down to work. get down to work的意思是“以严正的态度开始认真工作”,这是相当口语的用法。原来的说法暗示着,我之前不认真,10点才开始认真,并不恰当。 41 乔迪因为工作不力被解雇了。 (×)Jody received the sack for not taking enough care with her work. (○)Jody got the sack for not taking enough care with her work. get the sack是口语的用法,意指雇主不满意你的工作表现或态度,而要你卷铺盖走人,正式的说法是be dismissed。 42 你觉得我表现如何? (×)How do you feel about me? (○)How do you think of my performance? feel会让人误解,以为是男女之间喜不喜欢对方的那种感觉,如果你要问一个人对某事情的“感觉”,应该用think of。 43 他真是有趣。 (×)He's so funny. (○)He's so fun. funny也不见得不好,但意思是很搞笑、滑稽。fun和funny都可以当形容词。 fun意为“有趣的、愉快的、好玩的”,而funny意为“有趣的、滑稽的、好笑的”;fun是令人愉快的事物或喜欢与之相处的人,funny是令人发笑或逗趣的人或事物。 如果觉得有用的话,可以分享给身边的小伙伴喔 |
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