第527期:话到嘴边却忘了时该说什么?
常听有人在话到嘴边一时想不起来某个词时说“How to say”,意思自言自语问自己的一句话,想要表达汉语“怎么说?”的意思。我公司的德国人也经常这样说。
但这种说法是不对的,不符合英语习惯。没有一个英语母语人士会在这种时候说how to say. 那么,遇到这种“提笔忘字”的情况,应该怎样用英语表达呢?
这种情况可以细分为三个场景。
第一种情况
当你真的不知道某个东西英语怎么说时,你想问别人“这个东西用英语怎么说?”
这时,正确的英语表达是:How do you say xx in English? (How to say xx in English?)或者 What do you call xx in English? (这里的English可以换成任何一种语言)
这两种表达最简单,也最常用。
例如:
你问:How to say “我饿了” in Japanese?
对方答:お腹が空いた。
你问:What do you call boss in German?
对方答:der Chef.
第二种情况
你知道某个东西英语怎么说,但一时突然想不起来了。或者你在说话时,突然脑子断片了,忘了自己想要说什么了。
这时候,有很多地道的英语表达。以下简要列举三种。
1. I lost my train of thought. 我忘了我说/想到哪儿了
lose your train of thought = forget what you were thinking, right in the middle of thinking about it
2. It slipped my mind. 突然忘了
slip one’s mind = forget something
3. It’s on the tip of my tongue! 我想说什么来着?就在嘴边呢,想不起来了。
It means you know that you know something, but you can’t remember it at that moment!
第三种情况
别人跟你提起一件什么事或一个人,以为你记得,但你一点都想不起来了,没印象了。
这时候,应该这样说。
-
It doesn’t ring a bell. 我想不起来了,我没印象了。
ring a bell = something is familiar, but you can’t completely remember it
例句:
His name rings a bell, but I can’t remember what he looks like. 他的名字耳熟,但我想不起他长什么样了。 -
It went in one ear and out the other. 我听过就忘了。
go in one ear and out the other = forget something as soon as you hear it, forget something quickly
例句:
He told me is his name, but it went in one ear & out the other. 他跟我说了他的名字,但我听完就忘了。
*注意:这种说法要慎用,因为听者会觉得你很傲慢。这句话不适合用在日常对话中。 -
Can you refresh my memory? 你帮我回忆一下。
refresh one’s memory = help someone remember something
例句:
It doesn’t ring a bell. Can you refresh my memory? 没印象了。你帮我回忆一下。 -
I had a senior moment. 上年纪了,忘性大。
have a senior moment (usually said by older people) = a humorous way of saying that you momentarily can’t remember something simple because you are getting older