VOA名师答疑2023 I beg to differ的用法

I beg to differ的用法

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Yevgen, from Ukraine, about the use of “I beg to differ” and disagreement expressions in American English.

大家好! 本周《名师答疑》，我们回答来自乌克兰的叶夫根的问题，他问到美式英语中I beg to differ的用法和其他表示不同意见的说法。

Hello everybody.

大家好。

I would like to know the best disagreeing phrases.

我想知道表达不同意最好的说法是什么。

How common [is the] phrase 'I beg to differ' in American English?

在美式英语中，I beg to differ这个短语常见吗？

Best regards, Yevgen, from Ukraine.

最好的问候，叶夫根，来自乌克兰。

Dear Yevgen, Thank you for your question.

亲爱的叶夫根，谢谢你的问题。

The expression “I beg to differ” is not commonly used in American English.

I beg to differ（恕我不敢认同）这个短语在美式英语中并不常用。

This British English expression of disagreement is quite formal and extremely polite.

这个英式英语表达是非常正式和非常礼貌的。

We have several expressions in American English for disagreement.

美式英语中有这样几个表示不同意的说法。

Some are more formal and polite than others.

其中一些比其他说法更正式、更有礼貌。

We will take a closer look at a few of those expressions today.

今天我们将仔细看看这几个表达方式。

You can use these basic statements for disagreeing: either “I disagree” or “I do not agree.”

你可以用最基本的说法来表示不同意：I disagree或者I do not agree（我不同意）。

However, sometimes these statements are too strong for certain conversations.

然而，有时这些句子在对话中语气太生硬了。

If we disagree with someone in a formal setting¹ or over a sensitive issue, such as politics or beliefs, we sometimes add the following phrases before our basic messages.

如果我们在正式场合或在政治、信仰等敏感问题上与某人有不同意见，我们有时会在基本句子之前添加以下短语。

I am afraid I disagree.

恐怕我不同意。

I see your point, but I do not agree.

我明白你的意思，但我不同意。

I understand what you are saying, but I disagree.

我明白你在说什么，但我不同意。

These expressions are used to hedge², or soften³, what we say.

这些表达是用来缓冲或软化我们的语气。

They are used like a barrier—think of a green bush that surrounds a garden or house—to help protect the receiver of the message.

它们就像一道屏障--想想围绕着花园或房子的绿色灌木丛--帮助保护信息的接受者。

Hedging expressions let the writer or speaker say what they want to say less directly or politely.

这些委婉表达让人以不那么直接或更礼貌的方式说出他们想说的话。

When we speak to a close friend or family member, we often use less formal hedge expressions.

当我们与亲密的朋友或家人交谈时，我们经常使用不那么正式的委婉表达。

For example:

比如：

Speaker A: What time should we wake up? Our flight leaves at 9:30 in the morning.

说话人A：我们应该几点起床？飞机上午9：30起飞。

Speaker B: We should wake up at 4:00 a.m. to arrive at the airport by 6:00 a.m.

说话人B：我们应该早上4点起床，要在上午6点前到达机场。

Speaker A: Well, I don’t think so. We will be waiting for a long time!

说话人A：嗯，我不这么认为。我们会等很久的！

In this example, speaker B uses the word “well” to hedge or soften the sentence and “I don’t think so” to disagree.

在这个例子中，说话人B用well这个词来缓冲或者说软化句子语气，用I don't think so来表示不同意。

This informal expression of disagreement is acceptable⁴ since the speakers are close and familiar with each other.

这种不同意见的非正式表达是可以接受的，因为对话人彼此都很亲近和熟悉。

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Yevgen!

请让我们知道这些解释和例子是否对你有帮助，叶夫根！

And that’s Ask a Teacher. I’m Faith Pirlo.

以上就是本期《名师答疑》，我是费思·皮尔洛。

1 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

2 hedge   

n.树篱；障碍物；vt.用篱笆围；vi.避免直接回答

参考例句：

• The gardener trimmed the hedge.那位园林工人修剪了树篱。
• He squeezed through a gap in the hedge.他从树篱的缺口处挤过去。

3 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

4 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。