英文原版对话1000个:604 Learning Language

Tom: Joel, you speak Thai.

Joel: Yeah, a little bit.

Tom: Your wife speaks English.

Joel: Yep, yep.

Tom: So, at home, what language do you use?

Joel: We usually speak English when we want to have real communication¹ because her English is much better than my Thai, but I like to practice Thai a lot so when I'm being² a little more playful, when the topic isn't serious and we really don't need to communicate, then we'll speak in Thai and I get a chance to practice and it's also fun for her to listen to me speak in Thai and to teach me. What's interesting is that, it depends also on who we're around, so for example if we're with my family and we want to say something in private³, then we'll speak in Thai but if we're with her family and we want to say something privately⁴ then we'll speak in English so her family can't understand us.

Tom: Don't your family think that's quite rude?

Joel: Oh, they don't really, they don't really know what we're talking about so they can't be sure. It gets more complicated⁵, though because she also speaks Japanese and I speak Japanese, so sometimes when we are with her brother who speaks English, we'll speak Japanese if we want to speak privately.

Tom: And then again, there's your little kid. What language does he speak?

Joel: I try to speak English most of the time when I'm with him because I want to have him hear me as a model because he lives in Thailand so he's always hearing⁶ Thai and I want him to have a chance to hear some English but I find that since I'm around Thai people all the time, they're speaking Thai to him, I start to get used⁷ to how they talk to him, and I start to kind of copy their examples, so sometimes it feels natural to me to speak Thai with him, but I try to speak English with him as much as I can.

Tom: And what do you eat in your family?

Joel: Oh, we eat Thai food all the time, yeah. I like it much better than American food.

Tom: Is it because you like it or because your wife is good at cooking it?

Joel: I guess both. I mean, you can't really find much American food in Thailand so it's much easier to get and if you were going to go to a restaurant, like ***** or something, even though it's not so good, it's very expensive, so, both. I like Thai food better and it's just easier to get when you're there.

Tom: With the different languages you can't really settle⁸ down together in front of the TV.

Joel: She usually likes to watch English programs, though, so but it's hard for me to watch Thai programs. I usually, I get bored very quickly because I can't understand much.

 

 

1 communication   

n.交流；通讯；通信

参考例句：

• English is a tool for communication.英语是交流之工具。
• Language is an instrument for communication.语言是交际的手段。

2 being   

n.存在；生存；生命存在，生命，人， 本质；art.在，有，是

参考例句：

• Can you explain to me the purpose of being?你能对我解释一下存在的目的吗？
• What is the purpose of our being?我们生存的目的是什么？

3 private   

adj.私人的，私有的，个人的

参考例句：

• She never spoke about her private life.她从未谈论她的私生活。
• He was being followed by a private detective.他正被私家侦探跟踪。

4 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

5 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

6 hearing   

n.听，听见，听到，听说，听取；听力，听证会，诉讼，审讯

参考例句：

• I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.我盼望着不久收到你的信。
• The old man's hearing is poor.那位老人听力差。

7 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

8 settle   

vi.安家；定居；停留；vt.使定居；安排；解决

参考例句：

• I have to settle my affairs before leaving here.离开这儿以前，我得把一些私人的事情安排妥当。
• She has decided how she should settle the matter.她已做出决定如何来了解这件事。