美式英语雷区

　　英式英语，美式英语，都是英语，有啥不同？在英国人看来，飘洋过海又发展了数百年的美式英语跟他们的英语区别可大了，有些美式表达更是让他们忍不住要吐槽。虽说一般情况下，只要交流中不产生误解，“英美混搭”也无可厚非。不过，若你面对的是英式英语环境，比如你要参加英国的语言测试，像是雅思、剑桥商务英语和三一口语等，或者你要面对的是说英式英语的客户，还是走英式路线比较稳妥。下面就来了解一下英国人的“美式英语雷区”，关键时刻回避为上。

　　1. wait on

　　英国人吐槽：To “wait on” instead of “wait for” when you‘re not a waiter - once read a friend’s comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive - I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board.

　　你又不是服务员，不用“wait for”用什么“wait on”。有次我读了一段朋友就在车站等车(waiting on a train)发表的评论，他想表达的意思是，火车还没到站。我却以为朋友在火车上，而火车滞留在了车站里。

　　英式表达：wait for

　　2. reach out to

　　英国人吐槽：“Reach out to” when the correct word is “ask”. For example: “I will reach out to Kevin and let you know if that timing is convenient.” Reach out? Is Kevin stuck in quicksand? Is he teetering on the edge of a cliff? Can‘t we just ask him?

　　用“reach out to”表示“问”，该用“ask”才对。比如，“I will reach out to Kevin and let you know if that timing is convenient. (我会问下凯文，如果时间方便的话会告知您的。)”伸出手去？难道凯文陷到流沙里了吗？还是他在悬崖边摇摇欲坠？难道我们就不能“问”一下他？

　　英式表达：ask

　　3. hike a price

　　英国人吐槽：“Hike” a price. Does that mean people who do that are hikers? No, hikers are ramblers!

　　“Hike(提升)”价格。那是不是意味着“提升价格的人”可以用hikers表示了？不，hikers是“漫步者”的意思啊有木有！

　　英式表达：raise/increase a price

　　4. Can I get a...

　　英国人吐槽：When people ask for something, I often hear: “Can I get a...” It infuriates me. It’s not New York. It‘s not the 90s. You’re not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really.“

　　当人们需要什么东西的时候，我经常听到”Can I get a...“(可不可以给我一个...)，这真让我火大。这儿又不是纽约，现在也不是90年代，你以为你在Central Perk里演《老友记》啊，真是的！

　　英式表达：May I have a...

　　点击查看源网页

　　5. regular coffee

　　英国人吐槽：I hate the fact I now have to order a “regular Americano”. What ever happened to a medium sized coffee?

　　我讨厌我现在必须点“regular Americano(普通杯美式咖啡)。”为什么就不能说a medium sized coffee(中杯咖啡)呢？

　　英式表达：medium sized coffee

　　6. I got it for free.

　　英国人吐槽：“I got it for free” is a pet hate. You got it “free” not “for free”. You don‘t get something cheap and say you got it “for cheap” do you?

　　我最讨厌“I got it for free(我免费得到它)”。你是“免费(free)”得到它，而不是“为了免费(for free)”。你不会买到个便宜货，然后说你买到它“为了便宜”，对吧？

　　英式表达：I got it free.

　　7. least worst option

　　英国人吐槽：The next time someone tells you something is the “least worst option”, tell them that their most best option is learning grammar.

　　下次要是有人跟你讲XXX是the “least worst option”(最好选择)，你就告诉他们对他们来说最好的选择是把语法学好。

　　英式表达：most best option

　　8. two-time, three-time

　　英国人吐槽：The phrase I’ve watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is “two-time” and “three-time”. Have the words double, triple etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it - which is not healthy as it‘s almost every day now. Argh!

　　我经历过的渗透到英语里的美式短语(特别是播音员使用的)是“two-time(两倍)”和“three-time(三倍)”。难道double啊triple啊这些词都彻底消失了么？从语法上来说，这根本不合理，而用在口语中就更糟糕了。每次听到或者看到它我就心跳加速。这是不健康的，因为现在几乎每天都要来上一次。唉！

　　英式表达：double, triple

　　9. 24/7

　　英国人吐槽：Using 24/7 rather than “24 hours, 7 days a week” or even just plain “all day, every day”.

　　不用“24 hours, 7 days a week”，也不用简单直接的“all day, every day”来表达“全天候”，非要用24/7。

　　英式表达：all day, every day

　　10. a million and a half

　　英国人吐槽：The most annoying Americanism is “a million and a half” when it is clearly one and a half million! A million and a half is 1,000,000.5 where one and a half million is 1,500,000.

　　最让人恼火的美式英语是“a million and a half”，正确的说法明明是one and a half million. A million and a half是1000000.5，one and a half million是1500000。

　　英式表达：one and a half million

　　注：关于half的用法，美式英语说“a half hour(半小时)”而不是“half an hour”也让英国人很不爽，大家要注意呀！

　　11. my bad

　　英国人吐槽：People that say “my bad” after a mistake. I don’t know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that.

　　那些在犯错后说“my bad(我的错)”的人，我真不知道还有什么事能让人这么恼火、将懒惰体现得这么淋漓尽致。

　　英式表达：That‘s my fault.

　　12. That’ll learn you.

　　英国人吐槽：I am increasingly hearing the phrase “that‘ll learn you” - when the English (and more correct) version was always “that’ll teach you”. What a ridiculous phrase!

　　我越来越经常听到人说“that‘ll learn you(这是给你的教训。) “—明明英语(而且也是更加正确)的说法是”that’ll teach you“. “That‘ll learn you”什么的简直荒谬到家了！

　　英式表达：That’ll teach you.

　　13. Where‘s it at?

　　英国人吐槽：I really hate the phrase “where’s it at?” This is not more efficient or informative than “where is it?” It just sounds grotesque and is immensely irritating.

　　我真的很讨厌“where‘s it at? (XXX在哪儿?)”这个短语。它又不比“where is it?”更有效率或是含有更多信息，听起来很怪，而且非常惹人厌。

　　英式表达：Where’s it?

　　14. train station

　　英国人吐槽：Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished?

　　Train station(火车站)。每次听到它，我就很恼火。谁最先开始用这个词的？那些人没有被罚吗？

　　英式表达：railway station

　　15. shopping cart

　　英国人吐槽：I caught myself saying “shopping cart” instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I‘ve never lived nor been to the US either.

　　我发现自己今天说了“shopping cart(购物手推车)”而不是shopping trolley，自我厌恶到了极点。我从没去过美国，也没在美国生活过。

　　英式表达：shopping trolley