PETS-2語法講解 (341)

字號:

I'm single.
    男大當婚,女大當嫁,不過現(xiàn)在愈來愈多適婚年齡的男女仍是未婚,可能他們很享受單身的生活吧。告訴別人我未婚,可以這樣說:I'm single.(我是單身)或是說成I'm unmarried.(我未婚),未婚男子叫做bachelor。 如果是已婚,可以說:I'm married,至于離了婚則是:I'm separated/I'm divorced。
    對 話來源:www.examda.com
    (In the party/在派對上)
    Judy: Well, nice to meet you. What a shame that you're taken.
    Gordon: What do you mean? I'm not taken, I'm single.
    Judy: I mean it's a shame that you're taken with me.
    Gordon: Well in that case I can tell you the truth, I'm seeing Sally, Rita, Helen, Sue and you are…
    朱迪: 很高興認識你,真可惜你已有女友。
    戈登: 你是什么意思?我沒有女友,我是單身的。
    朱迪: 我意思是你喜歡我真不幸。www.Examda.CoM
    戈登: 嗯,那么我要告訴你真相,我喜歡莎莉、莉達、海倫、蘇兒,你是…
    戈登告訴朱迪:I'm single(我未婚)。朱迪說:It's a shame you are taken with me.(你喜歡我,真不幸)。Be taken with/by是‘喜歡’的意思,I was taken with/by his humility即‘他為人謙遜,很得我好感’。
    說‘獨身’或‘未婚’,除了single、unmarried、unwed等字,英文還有一些常見用語:eligible(宜入選的)、celibate(未婚的)、on the loose(無拘無束)、in/on the market(在市場上待售)。Eligible一字,常用于獨身男性,例如:Tom is eligible, and would make her a good husband(湯姆未婚,條件不錯,可以做她的理想丈夫)。Celibate一般是指有意不婚;作名詞,是指‘沒有結(jié)婚的人’,例如:He chose to remain celibate(形容詞)/a celibate(名詞)(他決定不結(jié)婚)。On the loose和on the market則是通俗說法,例如:My brother is still on the loose, and your sister is on the market. I'll see if I can persuade them to go on a date.(我弟弟仍打光棍,你妹妹也還沒有對象。待我看看能不能說動他們一起外出)。
    未婚的男人叫bachelor,常見于a confirmed bachelor(抱獨身主義的男人)、a most eligible bachelor(條件非常優(yōu)越的獨身漢)等成語;未婚女人今天多叫a single girl或a single woman,但也可稱為spinster,原意是‘紡織(spin)的人’,有時帶貶義,指‘老處女’,例如:(1) The crown prince is a most eligible bachelor.(王儲是個很理想的結(jié)婚對象)。(2) My aunt has no children. She's a spinster.(我姑母沒有兒女。她并沒有結(jié)婚)。