我不舒服 (我生病了) I am not feeling well.
(X) I feel uncomfortable.
要注意的是虽然 uncomfortable 的中文的确翻译成「不舒服的」,但是通常用在对话中指的是心中不愉快、不自在的感受,所以当你说 I feel uncomfortable. 的时候,其实对方理解的意思是「我心里觉得不太舒服」,因此不能用来表达身体不舒服的感觉。比较正确的说法是 I am not feeling well.,简单的英文就能表达出自己身体不舒服的状况,大家赶快手刀拿出笔记抄下来!
After spending a whole week in London on business, I am not feeling well now. I might have caught a cold there.
在去伦敦出差一个星期后,我现在身体不太舒服。我可能在那里染上感冒了。
Sean: You look terrible.
Sean: 你看起来很糟糕。
Dave: I feel worse.
Dave: 我感觉更糟。
Sean: What happened?
Sean: 怎么了?
Dave: I think it was those mussels I had for dinner last night. I am really not feeling well.
Dave: 我觉得是我昨晚吃的淡菜。我现在很不舒服。
Sean: I told you to avoid shellfish.
Sean: 我就说要避开贝壳类海鲜的。
Dave: But it’s so delicious …
Dave: 但很好吃啊…
补充一下,I am sick. 虽然可以用来表达「我生病了」,但因为 sick 也有「想吐」的意思,因此使用时要特别注意前后语境与语气的表达以免造成对方理解错误喔!
你生病了? How are you feeling? / Are you not feeling well? / Do you feel ill? / Are you feeling ill?
(X) Are you sick?
这句话的问法跟表示「我生病了;我不舒服」是一样的道理,必须要注意 sick 这个字的用法,当你问别人 Are you sick? ,除了可能是在问「你生病了吗?」之外,更有可能被解读成「你疯了吗?」,这是种谴责别人行为举止不合理或心理不正常的负面表达。如果真的要关心对方的身体状况,可以用 Are you not feeling well? 来询问「你不舒服吗?」或比较委婉的 How are you feeling? 来表示「你现在感觉如何?」。另外,在英国也常用 Do you feel ill? 或 Are you feeling ill? 来表示相同意思。
Hey, dear, you look so pale today. Are you not feeling well?
嘿,亲爱的,你今天脸色看起来好苍白,你生病了吗?
Sean: How are you feeling?
Sean: 你觉得如何?
Dave: Not good.
Dave: 不太好。
Sean: What’s the matter? Are you not feeling well?
Sean: 怎么了?你不舒服吗?
Dave: I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Dave: 我觉得我感冒了。
Sean: Do you feel ill? You don’t look great. Maybe you should take the afternoon off.
Sean: 你生病了吗?你看起来不太好。或许下午应该请个假。
药效退了 The drug wore off.
(X) The drug effect disappeared.
虽然因为 disappear 有「消失」的意思,所以我们可能会把「药效退了」直接联想成「药效消失了」进而使用 disappear 这个字,但是实际上英文母语者并不会将 disappear 这个动词搭配 drug effect 一起使用。在讲到某个事物的「效果」或带来的「感觉」逐渐消退的时候,会用片语 wear off。
The effect of the anesthesia would wear off after three hours.
麻醉药的药效会在三小时后退掉。
Jenny: How are you recovering from the accident?
Jenny: 意外发生后你复原地如何?
Sally: Quite well, but I am having a bit of trouble sleeping.
Sally: 挺不错的,但我睡不太着。
Jenny: How come?
Jenny: 怎么会?
Sally: The painkillers the doctor gave me wear off after about four hours.
Sally: 医生给我的止痛药四小时候药效就会消退。
Jenny: So the pain wakes you up in the middle of the night?
Jenny: 所以你半夜被痛醒?
Sally: Exactly. I’m going to see if I can get a slow-release form of the drug.
Sally: 没错,我想我要找找看有没有缓释型的止痛药。
好痛! That hurts! / It hurts!
(X) It’s so hurt!
这句话是非英语母语者超级常见的错误!大家要特别注意 hurt 的用法可没有像中文那么直觉。这是因为 hurt 的动词三态同形 (hurt-hurt-hurt),而且除了当动词之外还可以当形容词。当 hurt 作为形容词使用,指身体或心理感到「受伤的」,通常都是以人为主词,例如:She got hurt. (她受伤了);但 hurt 作为动词使用时,则通常以受伤或疼痛的部位为主词,例如:My head hurts. (我头很痛)。而没有指明部位、单纯要说好痛的时候,就可以说 It hurts. 或 That hurts.。
After the anesthesia wore off, it hurt a lot!
麻醉药效退后真的好痛!
Doctor: You were quite lucky. Your collarbone took most of the impact.
医生: 你挺幸运的。你的锁骨吸收了撞击。
Jay: I think I may have dislocated my finger as well.
Jay: 我想我的手指有可能脱臼了。
Doctor: Let me check your finger for a fracture … how does it feel when I move it like this?
医生: 我检查一下你的手指看有没有骨折… 我这样动它的话感觉如何?
Jay: Ow! That hurts!
Jay: 噢!好痛!
Doctor: Okay … and what about now?
医生: 好… 那这样呢?
Jay: Ah! It still hurts!
Jay: 啊!还是很痛!
吃药 take medicine/pills
(X) eat medicine
这句话一样常因为中式英文的逻辑而被误用,就跟吃午餐时要用 have lunch 而非 eat lunch 一样,外国人在表达吃药、服用药物时,使用的动词是 take,大家一定要牢牢记住喔!
小小补充:medicine 指的是「用来治疗、预防各式疾病的药物」,是药物的统称,而 pill 则是指「药丸、药片」,为 medicine 的一种。
I have an important meeting tomorrow. To sleep faster, I’ll take the sleeping pills before bed.
我明天有个重要会议,为了更快入睡,我会在睡前吃安眠药。
Nurse: The infection should clear up within a week with this medicine.
护理师:用这个药物治疗感染应该会在一个星期内消失。
Patient: Okay, thanks. Should I take the medicine at a specific time?
病人:好,谢谢。这药需要在特定时间服用吗?
Nurse: You can either take two pills in the morning, or one in the morning and then one in the afternoon.
护理师:你可以早上吃两颗,或是早上一颗下午一颗。
Patient: Are there any side effects I should be aware of?
病人:有我需要知道的副作用吗?
Nurse: Just make sure you don’t take the medicine on an empty stomach and you should be fine.
护理师:只要确保不要空腹吃就好了。
看医生 go to the doctor / see a doctor
(X) go to see the doctor
在中文的逻辑里都会把「要去看医生」直接翻成 go to see the doctor,但实际上在口语时多半只会 go 或 see 择一使用,直接说 go to the doctor 或 see a/the doctor 就可以啰!
I am not feeling well now; I will see a doctor as soon as possible after work.
我现在觉得身体不太舒服,下班后我会尽快去看医生。
Neil: So, last week my grandad accidentally cut his thumb off. And any sane person would have immediately gone to see a doctor.
Neil: 所以,上礼拜我阿公不小心把他大拇指切了下来。任何精神正常的人都会马上去看医生。
Alex: Wait, so what did your grandad do?
Alex: 等等,所以你阿公怎么处理?
Neil: He put the thumb on ice, then drank a bottle of whisky while he waited for my grandma to come home and drive him to the hospital.
Neil: 他把他的大拇指放到冰上,然后喝了一瓶威士忌,边等我阿嬷开车载他去医院。
Alex: Were they able to reattach it?
Alex: 他们有办法接回去吗?
Neil: Yeah, luckily.
Neil: 有,幸好。
白吐司 white bread
(X) toast
听到吐司两个字,我们就会直觉地想到 toast 这个单字,但是 toast 指的其实是烤过的吐司,而不是所谓的白吐司。而一般我们常说的没有烤过的白吐司则是 white bread,而一条白吐司就是 a loaf of bread,下次不要再说错啰!
My grandma’s homemade white bread is the softest and most delicious bread in the world.
我奶奶自制的白吐司是世界上最柔软和可口的面包。
Ben: You know, you shouldn’t eat so much white bread.
Ben: 你知道,你不应该吃这么多白吐司的。
Sal: How bad can a couple of slices of white bread toast be?
Sal: 吃几片吐司会怎样?
Ben: The human body doesn’t need complex starches like those found in white bread.
Ben: 人体不需要这么多像白吐司里面那种淀粉。
Sal: You’re making me feel guilty now …
Sal: 你现在让我罪恶感很重…
Ben: If you can’t live without sandwiches or toast, it’s much healthier if you swap white bread for wholewheat.
Ben: 如果你一定要吃三明治或烤吐司的话,换成全麦吐司会比较好。
白开水 boiled water
water
世界上的水千奇百种,到国外时又常因为生饮和开水分不清楚而肚子痛吗?通常在会喝生水的地区,说 water 或 tap water 都是指水龙头里直接流出来、没有煮过的水;如果在国外餐厅想喝煮过的白开水的话,可以说 boiled water (开水),如果没有煮过的开水也可以喝瓶装水 (bottled water) 比较安全。
小小补充:如果还要加上温度的条件,则可以说 room-temperature water (冷开水)、ice water (冰开水)、hot water (滚热水),而温开水可不是 warm water,而是 lukewarm water 喔。
I would like a cup of boiled water, served at room temperature.
我想要一杯冷的白开水。
Ian: Can you put the kettle on for me?
Ian: 你可以帮我把水壶放上去吗?
Heather: Are you making food or just a drink?
Heather: 你要煮东西还是喝东西?
Ian: I need boiled water for coffee.
Ian: 泡咖啡要煮水。
Heather: Okay, I won’t fill it all the way up then.
Heather: 好,那我不会装满。
Ian: This is a fancy looking kettle.
Ian: 这水壶看起来好高级.
Heather: Yeah, it’s designed so that it plays a musical chord when the water is boiled!
Heather: 是啊,这设计是水开的时候还会发出音乐呢!