下面这10句,就是被很多人乱用的中国式表达。

1.eat soup(√)

drink soup(×)

喝汤是中国人的饮食习惯。那么,喝汤在英文中是"drink soup"吗?当然不是!

因为西餐里汤一般很稠,汤里有奶油、肉、蔬菜等很多种东西,没法喝,必须送到嘴里咀嚼。

所以,喝汤在英语中是 eat soup 。

同样的,中文里的喝稀饭也不能用"drink porridge"来表达,而是 eat porridge。

如果实在觉得不习惯,我们可以用中性词have来表达食用。

如:

have soup 喝汤

have tea 喝茶

have a drink 喝酒、喝水

have a cigarette 抽烟、吸烟

have a candy 吃糖

have an apple 吃个苹果

have fish 吃鱼

2.take medicine(√)

eat medicine(×)

英文中 eat,通常含有咀嚼的意味,但是我们很少会咀嚼药品,所以吃药的地道表达是 take medicine。

如:

A:I had a cold.

B:No need to take medicine for this illness, with a couple of days of rest you'll be all right.

A:我感冒了。

B: 这病不用吃药,休息一两天自然会好的。

当然了,我们这里用 have medicine 这个中性词表达也可以。

3.look sth up in the dictionary(√)

check dictionary(×)

查字典——很多同学会不小心说成check dictionary。

其实,查字典有固定的三种表达:

look sth up in the dictionary

consult a dictionary

refer to a dictionary

如:

If you don't know a word, you can look it up in a dictionary.

如果你有不识的字,可以查字典。

If you have no idea about it, consult a dictionary, please.

如果你不知道这是什么意思,可以查查字典。

Why grope after the meaning of a word? Refer to the dictionary!

何必苦苦思考这个词的意思?查字典吧!

4.blond hair/sandy hair(√)

yellow hair(×)

黄头发,千万不要说成“yellow hair”!这种颜色在英语文化中是比较敏感的。

比如你看到一个黄种人,直接叫他/她 yellow,这里就有种族歧视的意思。

所以不要用yellow hair来表达黄头发,而是用 blond hair 或者 sandy hair。

如:

The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.

女演员的金发上戴着黑色的假发。

Kevin was a pleasant if tired-looking man, with thinning, sandy hair, clear blue eyes.

凯文外貌讨人喜欢,稀疏的黄头发,清澈的蓝眼睛,但略带倦色。

5.do homework(√)

write homework(×)

使用 write 后面一般跟具体的东西,强调写这个动作。比如 write an article 写文章,write a report 写报告。

但是作业有时候不都是用笔写,有时候需要背诵。这样理解是不是会好一点呢~所以,英语中写作业的习惯表达就是 do homework。如:

It's 8 p.m. and it’s the time to do your homework.

现在八点钟了,到你做作业的时间了。

6.I wish you a good holiday.(√)

Wish you have a great holiday(×)

英语中可以用wish一词来表示用于生日和过年过节的“祝福”。 祝你有个美好的假期,如果说成Wish you have a great holiday,这是典型的Chinglish。

wish表示“祝愿”的用法是 wish sb. sth. 通常接双宾语。如:

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

我们祝你圣诞快乐,新年幸福!

7.How do you say it in English?(√)

how to say this in English? (×)

这个用英语怎么说——中式思维表达为:how to say this in English? 而地道的英语表达为: How do you say it in English?

How to say是在中国最为泛滥成灾的中式英语之一,这不是地道的英语说法。

同样的句子有:

How do you spell that please?

这个词如何拼写?

How do you pronounce this word?

这个单词怎么读?

8.I have a few problems.(√)

I have a lot of difficulties. (×)

一看到困难,好多人会翻译成 I have a lot of difficulties 。但口语中会将这句话表达为:I have a lot of troubles/problems 。

还有一句习惯用语 run into a stone wall ,也可以表示遇到困难而难以前行。

如:

We've run into a stone wall in our investigation.

我们在调查中遇到了困难。

9.turn on the light(√)

Open the light(×)

如果按照中式思维说英语,看到开灯会想到Open the light。

但英语中关于开关电器有固定的表达,那就是 turn on/turn off。例如:

I don't know how to turn on the computer, could you help me with it?

我不知道怎么开电脑,你能帮我吗?

10.I can't speak English very well, but I'm getting better.(√)

My English is poor. (×)

经常会听到中国人会说My English is poor. 说实话,还从来没有听到一个美国人说:My Chinese is poor.

无论他们的汉语是好是坏,他们会说——

I am still having a few problems, but I'm getting better.

或者——

I am not 100% fluent, but at least I am improving.

也可以:

I am not good at English.

(前期文章有专门论述)

10个被固化的中国式表达句型