“我有其他事情要做”在很多情况下,尤其在婉拒邀请时,直接翻译成 "I have other things to do" 听起来不够礼貌,略显生硬。英语中有很多更委婉、更自然的表达方式,可以根据不同的语境选择使用。
英文表达 | 中文意思 | 适用场景 |
---|---|---|
I'll have to take a rain check. | 下次吧/以后再说吧。 | 婉拒邀请,并暗示将来有机会再接受。 |
I'm tied up right now. | 我现在很忙。 | 表示目前没有时间,比较正式。 |
I'm a bit swamped at the moment. | 我现在有点忙不过来。 | 表示目前工作繁忙,语气较为轻松。 |
I'm afraid I can't make it. | 恐怕我去不了。 | 礼貌地拒绝邀请。 |
I have a prior engagement. | 我之前已经有约了。 | 比较正式的拒绝方式。 |
Something came up. | 突然有点事。 | 比较通用的说法,可以用于各种情况。 |
I'm not available then. | 我那个时候没空。 | 简单明了地说明自己没时间。 |
I wish I could, but... | 我希望我能去,但是…… | 表达遗憾,并解释原因。 |
朋友邀请你去看电影:Instead of saying "I have other things to do," you could say "I'm afraid I can't make it tonight. I'll have to take a rain check." (与其说“我有其他事情要做”,不如说“恐怕我今晚去不了了。下次吧。”)
同事邀请你一起吃午饭:Instead of saying "I have other things to do," you could say "I'm a bit swamped at the moment. Maybe tomorrow?" (与其说“我有其他事情要做”,不如说“我现在有点忙不过来。明天可以吗?”)
老板邀请你加班:Instead of saying "I have other things to do," you could say "I wish I could, but I have a prior engagement." (与其说“我有其他事情要做”,不如说“我希望我能加班,但是我之前已经有约了。”)
虽然在婉拒邀请时不建议直接使用 "I have other things to do",但在某些情况下,这个表达方式也是可以使用的。例如:
当别人问你为什么不做某事时,可以直接回答 "I have other things to do.",例如:Why aren't you doing your homework? - I have other things to do. (你为什么不做作业?- 我有其他事情要做。)
在比较随意的情况下,也可以使用这个表达方式,例如:I can't talk right now, I have other things to do. (我现在不能聊天,我有其他事情要做。)
场景:朋友邀请你去参加派对: "Thanks for the invite, but I'm tied up this weekend. Maybe next time?" (谢谢你的邀请,但这周末我很忙。也许下次吧?)
场景:家人让你帮忙做家务: "I'd love to help, but something came up. I can do it later." (我很乐意帮忙,但是突然有点事。我可以晚点再做。)
场景:陌生人向你寻求帮助: "I'm sorry, I'm not available to help right now." (对不起,我现在没空帮忙。)