生活英语对话 Episode 67: A call from Poland

本单元是关于波兰打来的电话的对话

Tim: Hey Helen, guess who just called?
Helen: Oh no, was it Michal?
Tim: Yes, you just missed him!
Helen: Oh, no!
Tim: He said to send you his love. Why don't you call him back?
Helen: No. He said he needed some space, so I've got to give him some space. But I wish I'd been here when he called. What else did he say?
Tim: Oh, he sounded well, he's working hard, his dad's a bit better, nothing much really.
Helen: I really miss him.
Tim: You need to get out and about you know.
Helen: I suppose so. Shall we all go and see a movie tonight?
Tim: I'd be up for it, but I think Alice has gone out with Paul, to some sort of art exhibition, I think.
Helen: Again? That's interesting. I think those two might be getting serious...

Vocabulary: 字汇

those two might be getting serious 他们两人可能是来真的噢
when a romantic¹ relationship gets serious, the two people feel committed² to each other and begin to think about the possibility of a long-term³ relationship.

I'd be up for that 算我一份
I'd like to do that (especially when talking about a group arrangement)

本单元语言点是关于 'wish' 的用法，wish + past perfect 对过去的事表达惋惜 - wish 后使用过去完成式，情况请看下面的解释和例句。

Past regrets - 'wish'

Past regrets - wish + past perfect 对过去的事表达惋惜 - wish 后使用过去完成式

Helen was out when Michal called. When she says 'I wish I'd been here when he called' she is expressing regret for a past event. She is sad about something that happened, and she is sorry that the past was not different.

To express regrets about past events, use:

subject + wish(es) + past perfect (had + past participle).

For example: last week you forgot to set your alarm. As a result, you slept late, you were late for school, you missed the start of the exam, and you failed the exam.
You can express your regret for things that happened (or didn't happen) in the past by saying:

I wish I hadn't forgotten to set my alarm.
OR I wish I had remembered to set my alarm.

I wish I hadn't slept late.

I wish I hadn't been late for school.
OR I wish I had been on time for school.

I wish I hadn't missed the start of the exam.
OR I wish I hadn't failed the exam.
OR I wish I had passed the exam.

Note: Even though the speaker is talking about a past event, the verb⁴ 'wish' is used in the present simple form, because s/he regrets it now.

I wish I had passed the exam.
You wish you had passed the exam.
S/he wishes s/he had passed the exam.
We wish we had passed the exam.
You wish you had passed the exam.
They wish they had passed the exam.

1 romantic   

adj.浪漫的，风流的，传奇性的，夸大的，想象的，浪漫派的

参考例句：

• She thinks it will be romantic to be an actress.她认为当个女演员会很浪漫。
• Her husband is very romantic.她丈夫非常浪漫。

2 committed   

a.坚定的，献身的，忠诚的

参考例句：

• They called for assurances that the government is committed to its education policy. 他们要求保证政府切实执行其教育方针。
• He committed the cardinal sin of criticizing his teammates. 他犯了指责队友的大错。

3 long-term   

adj.长远的，长期的

参考例句：

• It isn't a long-term policy.这不是长久之计。
• We must calculate on a long-term basis.我们要作长期打算。

4 verb   

n.[语]动词

参考例句：

• The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
• These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。