I see your point… / I see your point, but…
即「我了解你的意思……」、「我了解你的意思,但是……」,前者表「理解并认同对方」,后者表「理解但不认同对方」,用 I see your point 当开头是不错的选择,不管认不认同,在阐明想法前先肯定对方的说法是比较保险的用句。
A: I think the boss should give us a raise. We’ve been working here for more than five years!
A: 我觉得老板要给我们加薪啦!我们都在这里工作超过五年了。
B: I see your point, but our company is suffering from the financial crisis. It’s just not the best time to bring this up.
B: 我了解你的意思,可是目前公司正遭受金融危机的波及,现在不是提这个的好时机。
I see what you’re getting at…
即「我了解你想表达的意思……」,如果问对方 What are you getting at? 就是叫对方解释自己的想法,不过这样问是比较不礼貌的用法,不像 I see what you’re getting at 仅仅表达了解对方的意思而已。 get at 是片语,表「暗示、意指」之意。
A: You’re not seeing anyone, right? I know this girl who’s super nice and pretty, and she just broke up with her boyfriend.
A: 你没有对象吧?我认识一个人超好又漂亮的女生,她刚好最近跟男友分手了。
B: I see what you’re getting at. You’re trying to set us up!
B: 我知道你要表达什么了,你要撮合我和那个女生!
I have to side with sb. on this one…
即「我同意、支持你这个想法……」,side with 比较属于正式的说法,可当「站在同一阵线」的意思,口语或书面都适用这个片语,新闻常见的「支持」,像是支持某一政党或其他对象都可以用 side with。另外补充,「(在争论中) 支持某人」是 take one’s side。
A: I don’t want to go to the family reunion. It’s not that I hate my family; I just don’t like it when certain relatives keep asking me questions about my relationships or my career.
A: 我不想回家团聚,并不是说我讨厌家人,只是讨厌某些亲戚一直问关于感情和事业的问题。
B: I have to side with you on this one. They’re so annoying and they love to compare!
B: 我同意你的说法,他们很烦又爱比较!
That’s one way of looking at it. However…
即「也可以这么说 (想),但是……」,表示自己和对方的观点不同。 However 后面可以加 I prefer to look at it another way (我倾向以其他角度看待这件事)。
A: Studying for a master’s degree is a must-do for me because I can acquire more knowledge and skills that I will need for my future job.
A: 读硕士对我来说是一定要的,因为我可以学到未来工作所需的知识与技巧。
B: That’s one way of looking at it. However, I prefer to go straight to work after college, since I can learn what I need on the job.
B: 也可以这么说,但我倾向于毕业后先工作,因为我可以透过工作学习我想学的。
补充:片语 see one’s way to doing sth. 是表示「某人同意、允许做某事」的意思。
I wouldn’t quite put it that way myself…
即「我个人不会这么说……」,这句是委婉地表达自己的不认同,后面可加上 I would say… ,表达自己的想法。另外,如果说 Let me put it this way,… 就是「那我这样说好了,……」,也就是口语版的 In other words…(换句话说,……)。
A: Would you say being a brown-noser is shameful?
A: 你认为拍马屁的人可耻吗?
B: I wouldn’t quite put it that way myself…I would say that person knows how to deal with his or her boss.
B: 我个人不会这么说,我会说那个人知晓和老板应对的方式。
That’s one way we could go, but what about…
即「这个想法可行,不过我们也可以……」,这句话已经非常有礼貌了!先肯定对方的说法没问题,再委婉提出自己的想法,适用于职场上各种场合。
A: What do you think about our proposal? Do you have any suggestion?
A: 你觉得我们的提案如何?有任何建议吗?
B: Well, that’s one way we could go, but what about modifying it a bit? It’ll be more feasible.
B: 嗯……是没问题,但要不要稍微修改一下?这样会更可行。
大家有没有发现如果先肯定对方,会让语气比较和缓呢?没错!如此一来再提自己的想法会比较好喔!以上这些用句让你不管在职场与上司或同事沟通,还是过年面对亲戚连珠炮般的问候时,都能委婉地应对!