Hi, Sian here for BBC Learning English. In this Masterclass, we're going to look at something British people love doing: being polite.
嗨，我是 BBC 學英文的 Sian。在這次的高級英文班中，我們要來看一件英國人很愛做的事：有禮貌。
Being Polite: How to Soften Your English
禮貌篇：如何讓你的英文變委婉
"No, I'm not coming to your party this evening."
「不，我今晚不會去參加你的派對。」
"Wow, this food is disgusting!"
「哇，這食物有夠噁心!」
"Give me some of your lunch."
「分我一點你的午餐。」
Now, sometimes it's okay to be direct or even blunt with your friends, but it's important not to sound rude, particularly in the workplace. We're gonna look at four ways you can soften your language to make you more polite.
現在，朋友之間有時講話直接或甚至有點不經大腦是沒關係的，但很重要的是不要聽起來粗魯無禮，特別是在職場上。我們要來看四種能讓語言變委婉且聽起來更有禮貌的方法。
Requests, Suggestions, and Questions
請求、提議以及疑問
Okay, listen to these two requests—which one sounds more polite and less direct, and why? Number one: "Pick me up on your way to the party this evening." Or number two: "I was hoping you could give me a lift to the party." Now, number two is much more polite.
好，聽聽這兩項請求－－哪一個聽起來比較有禮且不那麼直接，為什麼呢？第一個：「你今晚要去派對的時候順便來接我。」還是第二個：「希望你可以順道載我去派對一下。」第二個有禮貌多了。
We soften requests and suggestions and questions by using past forms, continuous forms, or both. For example, "I was wondering if you could give me a lift later." We can also make requests softer by using a negative question with a question tag. So, "You couldn't give me a lift later, could you?" or "I don't suppose you could pick me up tonight, could you?"
我們會用過去式、進行式，或兩種同時使用來軟化請求和提議及疑問的語氣。舉例來說，「我在想你等會是不是能載我一程。」我們也可以利用含附加問句的否定問句來讓請求聽起來更婉轉。那麼，「你等會沒辦法載我，對吧？」或是「我想你今晚是沒辦法載我了，對吧？」
Giving Opinions
提供意見
Okay, listen to these two opinions—which do you think sounds less direct and more polite? Number one: "You're too young to get married." Or number two: "I reckon you're a little young to be getting married." Yeah, the second one is much less direct. It's softer.
好，聽聽這兩種意見－－你覺得哪個聽起來比較委婉而且更有禮貌呢？第一個：「你還太年輕，不適合結婚啦。」還是第二個：「我覺得你要結婚還有點太年輕。」沒錯，第二個婉轉許多。語氣比較溫和點。
We use verbs like "reckon," "guess," "feel" to make your opinions less direct. You can also use vague expressions like "sort of," "kind of," "a little bit." It also helps if you make it into a question: "Aren't you kind of young to be getting married?"
我們會用像 reckon(覺得)、guess(猜想)、feel(感覺)這些動詞來讓自己的意見不那麼直接。你也可以運用一些模稜兩可的說法，像是 sort of(有幾分)、kind of(稍微)、a little bit(有一點)。改成問句也有幫助：「你要結婚不會有點太年輕了嗎？」
Discussing Problems
討論問題
Okay. Now listen to these two problems—which one sounds less direct? The first one: "You've made a mistake in this report." Or the second one: "You seem to have made a mistake here." Yes. The second one was softer, less direct.
好。現在聽聽這兩個問題－－哪一個聽起來比較不直接？第一個：「你這份報告有一個錯誤。」還是第二個：「你這裡好像有個地方弄錯了。」沒錯。第二個比較委婉、不直接一點。
We introduce problems with verbs like "seem" and "appear" to soften them. So, "You appear to have saved over all my documents." You could also use these to introduce your own problems. So, "I seem to have lost those reports you wanted."
我們會用像 seem(好像)和 appear(似乎)這些動詞來委婉點出問題。那麼，「你似乎存檔蓋過我所有的文件了。」你也可以用這些來點出自己的問題。「我好像弄丟了你要的那些報告。」
Saying No!
說不!
Now, listen to these two ways of refusing an invitation—which one sounds less direct? Number one: "No, I'm not coming to your party this evening." Or number two: "I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to your party this evening." Okay, again, the second one was much softer, less direct.
現在，聽聽這兩種回絕邀請的方式－－哪一種聽起來比較不那麼直接？第一種：「不，我今晚不會去參加你的派對。」還是第二種：「我不確定我今晚有沒有辦法去你的派對。」好，又一次，第二種回答婉轉許多，也比較不直接。
We find it really hard to say no, so instead, we use tentative language to soften it. So, "I'm not sure I'll make it to your party," or "It's looking unlikely I'll be able to come this evening." This basically means "I'm not coming."
我們覺得說不很難，因此取而代之，我們會用猶豫不決的話語來軟化拒絕。那麼，「我不確定我去不去得了你的派對」或是「看來我今晚似乎不太可能能去」。這基本上就代表「我不會去」。
Now, to find out more about avoiding being too direct and to practice not being rude, I was hoping you would check out our website: bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon! Goodbye!
現在，想知道更多怎麼避免太過直接的資訊，並且練習不要粗魯無禮的技巧，我希望你會去看看我們的網站：bbclearningenglish.com。下回見!掰掰!
- 「接(某人)」- Pick Up
Pick me up on your way to the party this evening.
你今晚要去派對的時候順便來接我。 - 「在途中」- On One's Way
Pick me up on your way to the party this evening.
你今晚要去派對的時候順便來接我。 - 「例如、比方說」- For Example
For example, "I was wondering if you could give me a lift later."
舉例來說，「我在想你等會是不是能載我一程。」 - 「載某人一程」- Give Someone A Lift
For example, "I was wondering if you could give me a lift later."
舉例來說，「我在想你等會是不是能載我一程。」 - 「成功、及時趕到」- Make It
I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to your party this evening.
我不確定我今晚有沒有辦法去你的派對。
