看美剧学口语
时间:2020-08-14 08:18:24 来源:达达文档网 本文已影响 人
《绝望主妇》中美国人如何打招呼 看了这么多年美剧,开口用英语打招呼,你是不是还是只会“ How are you? ”, 那你的美剧 就白看了!
背景简介:神父 Sykes 来看 Bree 经营的流浪汉餐厅如何。
【 B=Bree S= Sykes 】 B: Reverend Sykes. What a nice surprise!
赛克斯神父,这真是个惊喜!
S: That's quite a crowd out front. I practically had to fight my way in. 门口人真多。我几乎是使劲挤进来的。
B: Well, ever since I took over the kitchen, we've been jam-packed. Thank you so much for suggesting I get involved. I have never felt more needed or important in my whole life. 自从我接手厨房,我们这里变得非常拥挤。谢谢你让我参与到这件事里来。我一生都没有 这么被需要过。
S: The intention of charity is not to make us feel important. 慈善的目的不是要让我们感到自己很重要。
B: Of course not. It's to help people. Feeling important is just a bonus. So what brings you by?
当然不是。慈善是为了帮助他人,感觉自己重要不过是个福利。什么风把您吹来了?
S: I was hoping you could tell me where a homeless person could get a hot meal. 我希望你能告诉我流浪汉们哪里能吃到一顿热饭。
B: Well, right here. Of course. 当然是这里了。
S: No, Bree. Ever since you've turned this soup kitchen into a bisque kitchen, the homeless don't feel comfortable here. 不,布里。自从你把清汤厨房变成浓汤厨房之后,流浪汉觉得待这里不舒服。
B: why? I was just trying to make this place special. 为什么?我只是想让这地方特别些。
S: It was already special. It was home for them, until you took that away. 这地方本来就很特别。这里本来是他们的家,直到被你夺走。
在这个片段中, Bree 是在什么情况下用到 “ What brings you by? ” 的呢?起初见到赛克 斯神父, 他说的是 “ What a nice surprise! ”见到您可真是个惊喜呀! 语气中带有奉承之意, 因为是神父介绍他到这个慈善活动中来的,所以他要表现出自己的热情和感激。但当神父 否定了他的“做慈善是为了让自己感到重要”的观点之后,他多少感到尴尬,心里对神父 的态度也开始发生转变,于是用“是什么风把您吹来的?”这样的话来为自己打圆场,同 时打探神父来此的真实目的。这样是不是更清楚地理解了这个短语的使用语境?
根据 2002 年由麦格劳希尔出版的《美国英语习语与动词短语词典》的表述:
What brings you here/by? 其实就是在问: What is your reason for being here? (A polite request for this information. More polite than "Why are you here?") 再来看两个例子:
Tom: Hello, Mary. What brings you here?
Mary: I was invited, just like you.
Doctor: Well, John, what brings you here?
John: I've had this cough for nearly a month, and I think it needs looking into.
除了“ what brings you here? ”这个表达,我们还可以从美剧中发掘更多的地道打招呼的方
式:
How was your day? 你今天过得怎么样?
How are you doing? 你最近好吗?
How's everything going? 一切还好吗?
It's a beautiful day! 今天天气真不错!
What's up? 还好吗?
Anything new? 有新消息吗?
Same as ever. 一如既往。
Everything seems to be all right. 一切看起来都挺好。