222 my bad; back in the day



Larry和李华在一个大商场里买东西,那里非常拥挤。李华今天学会两个常用语my bad 和back in the day。

LL: My bad! I didn't mean to step on your foot, Li Hua. It's just that there are so many people at the mall today.

LH: My bad? Bad不是坏的意思吗?这儿人确实很多,你不小心踩到我的脚,为什么说my bad? My bad是什么意思呀?

LL: Oh, That's my bad, too. I should have explained what "my bad" means. It is a very informal way of apologizing without actually saying "I'm sorry."

LH: 原来my bad是表示道歉,但是是很不正式的道歉。 什么时候用my bad,什么时候用I'm sorry呢?

LL: Because you are my friend, and stepping on your foot was a pretty minor thing, I said "my bad." I'd say "I'm sorry" for something more serious - or if you were my boss.

LH: 明白了,my bad是对很熟的朋友说的,而且发生的事也不是太严重,就像不小心踩了脚这类小事。要我是你的老板,你就不能说my bad!

LL: Yeah, that's right. Say, would you like to get out of the crowd and stop for a cup of coffee in that shop over there?

LH: 你要去那边那个店里喝咖啡?好呀! 可是My bad我没有带现金。

LL: Don't worry, Li Hua. I've got some cash. You can pay me back later.

LH: 谢谢你。 我在这里占着位子,你去买咖啡吧。我要一杯摩卡拿铁咖啡。

(Sounds of busy restaurant/cash register transaction as Larry gets coffee)

LH: Okay, Li Hua, here is your latte. Oh-My bad! I now remember you wanted a mocha latte. I got the wrong drink.

LH: 没关系,不是摩卡拿铁也没关系。 Larry,递我一张餐巾纸,好不好?

LL: Sure, here's a napkin.

LH: Oops, My bad! 对不起, 我把咖啡撒了!

LL: Here let me help you clean that up.

LH: 谢谢你,幸亏你拿了好多餐巾纸,否则还真没法收拾。

LL: Agh! Now it's my bad! I've spilled my coffee, too. (laughs)

LH: (Also laughing) 你的咖啡也撒了。Larry, 我们赶快走吧, 不然不知又会出什么事,那样我们就会没完没了地说my bad !

******

LL: I can't believe how rude people are at the mall. I know it is crowded, but back in the day people were much more polite.

LH: 没错,有的人真是没有礼貌。Larry,你说back in the day人们都很有礼貌,back in the day是指哪一天呢?

LL: No, no, Li Hua. "Back in the day" is a general expression referring to a time in the past when things were better than they are now.

LH: 噢,back in the day就是指过去,而不是指哪一天。你是说过去美国人都很有礼貌?

LL: Yes, back in the day a man would have taken the time to open a door for a lady, especially if she was carrying packages.

LH: 我遇到过这种情况。上次我去看牙,进大楼的时候,前面那个男子看见我也是进那大楼,就把门开开,等着让我先进去。Larry,你是说以前都是这样的吗?

LL: Yes, and life was much simpler. There were no computers and cell phones back in the day. Now it is rush, rush, rush.

LH: 没错,过去生活是比较简单,别说没有电脑和手机,我们小时候连彩色电视也很少。现在每个人都好像匆匆忙忙,不知道怎么回事。

LL: And can you believe it? Before e-mail, back in the day people wrote letters with their own hands!!!

LH: 自从有了电子邮件后,现在拿起笔来写信的人恐怕是很少了,可是我很喜欢收到别人亲笔写给我的信,因为那让我感到很亲切。

LL: I agree with you. But, then again, I guess not everything back in the day was so great.

LH: 是啊, 过去也不是样样都好。 我父亲常对我说, 他小时候上学要走很远的路。现在的孩子们就幸福多了,可以坐校车。

LL: You know, my dad says the same thing. He would tell me I was so lucky, because back in the day he had to walk five miles to school.

LH: 你爸爸上学要走五里路。我爸爸更苦,他不仅走路还要背着几十斤重的课本呢。

LL:I agree. Li Hua, let's take the bus and go home. Oh, let me open the door for you.

LH: 谢谢你, Larry, 你真希望有更多像你这样有礼貌的年轻人。

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是my bad, 意思是对不起起。还有一个是back in the day, 意思是过去。
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