英文沒有「加油」這個字!五種場合各一句,別再 Add oil

「加油」英文沒有這個字!五種場合各一句,別再說 Add oil | MJ英語 Daily English | 生活英語

同事等一下要上台簡報,手心都是汗。你想說一句「加油」——結果腦中只跳出 “Add oil!”,話到嘴邊又吞回去。

英文沒有萬用的「加油」,但有更貼切的:事前打氣說 You got this.(你可以的);上台表演說 Break a leg!;苦戰中說 Hang in there.;場邊喊 Let’s go!。選對場合比記一個字更有用。

💡 先搞懂:為什麼英文沒有一句「加油」

中文的「加油」是萬用鑰匙:考試前、比賽中、工作累了、分手難過,通通一句搞定。英文把這些拆成不同場合不同句——事情還沒開始,說 You got this.(你一定可以)或 You’ll do great.;上台演出、面試這種「祝好運」的場合,劇場傳統是 Break a leg!;事情做到一半很辛苦,說 Hang in there.(撐住)或 Keep it up.(保持下去);在場邊替球隊喊,才是 Let’s go!、Come on!。至於 Add oil!,那是香港英語直譯,雖然 2018 年被收進牛津英語詞典,但多數美國人沒聽過,當玩笑可以、真心鼓勵不行;Fighting! 則是韓式用法,美國人也不這樣講。

台灣人最容易卡的雷:① Add oil!(港式直譯,母語者多半聽不懂)→ You got this!;② Fighting!(韓式英文)→ Good luck!;③ 對正在苦戰的人喊 Come on!(聽起來像在催)→ Hang in there.


情境對話 Dialogue

邊聽邊學

這一集完整音檔就在這裡,也可以到 Apple 或 Spotify 收聽

立即播放約 8 分

場景:公司會議室外,Julia 等一下要對客戶簡報,正在深呼吸;同事 Sean 剛好經過,想替她打氣。


Sean

Hey, big presentation in ten minutes, right? How are you feeling?

嘿,十分鐘後要大簡報對吧?你還好嗎?

Julia

Nervous. My hands are sweating. In Chinese we’d just say jia you, but that’s not a thing here.

緊張。手心都在流汗。中文我們會說「加油」(jia you),但這裡好像沒這種說法。

Sean

Jia you? Oh, people translate that as add oil, right? Like for a car. I’ve never heard anyone say it.

Jia you?喔,有人會把它翻成 add oil 對吧?像加汽油那樣。我沒聽過有人真的這樣講。

Julia

Exactly my problem. So what do you say when someone’s about to go on stage?

這就是我的問題。那有人要上台的時候,你們都說什麼?

Sean

Depends. Right before something big, we’d say you got this, or you’ll do great.

看情況。在大事之前,我們會說 you got this(你可以的),或 you’ll do great(你會表現得很好)。

Julia

And if it’s a performance? My friend has a recital tonight.

那如果是表演呢?我朋友今晚有場演奏會。

Sean

Then break a leg. It’s a theater thing. Sounds violent, means good luck.

那就說 break a leg。那是劇場的傳統說法,聽起來很暴力,意思其實是祝你好運。

Julia

Break a leg. Got it. What about when someone’s already struggling, like halfway through a tough week?

Break a leg,記住了。那如果對方已經在苦撐呢,像是一個很難熬的禮拜才過一半?

Sean

Hang in there. Or keep it up, if they’re doing well. Anyway, you got this. Go get them.

就說 hang in there(撐住)。如果他表現不錯,就說 keep it up(保持下去)。總之,你可以的,上吧。

🎯 30 秒快速複習

英文沒有萬用的「加油」:事前打氣=You got this/You’ll do great;表演上台=Break a leg;苦戰中=Hang in there/Keep it up;場邊喊=Let’s go/Come on;事後肯定=You crushed it。別用 Add oil(港式)或 Fighting(韓式)。

①事前=You got this.
②也可以=You’ll do great.
③表演=Break a leg!
④苦撐=Hang in there.
⑤表現好=Keep it up.
⑥場邊喊=Let’s go!
⑦做完了=You crushed it.
⑧別說 Add oil / Fighting

下次這樣說 Next Time

想說「加油」最常用錯的三句,換成這樣講最到位。

① 朋友要上台前

❌ 中文腦會說

Add oil!

把「加油」直接翻過來

✅ 該這樣說

You got this!

你一定可以

為什麼:Add oil 是香港英語,2018 年雖被收進牛津英語詞典,但多數美國人沒聽過;You got this 才是母語者臨陣打氣最常用的一句。

② 幫人打氣喊一聲

❌ 中文腦會說

Fighting!

韓劇學來的用法

✅ 該這樣說

Good luck! / Let’s go!

祝好運/場邊喊

為什麼:Fighting 當加油是韓式英文,美國人聽到可能會聯想到「打架」;祝好運用 Good luck,替球隊喊用 Let’s go。

③ 對方正在苦撐

❌ 中文腦會說

Come on!

單獨喊,像在催人

✅ 該這樣說

Hang in there.

撐住,快到了

為什麼:Come on 單獨對努力中的人喊,語氣接近「快一點啦」;Hang in there 才是「我知道很累,撐住」。


重點單字 Vocabulary Boost

cheer on/tʃɪr ɑːn/ phr. v.

替某人加油、打氣。

We’ll be there to cheer you on.(我們會到場幫你加油。)

break a leg/breɪk ə leɡ/

祝你演出順利(劇場傳統說法)。

Break a leg tonight!(今晚演出加油!)

hang in there/hæŋ ɪn ðer/

撐住、別放棄。

Hang in there, it’s almost over.(撐住,快結束了。)

keep it up/kiːp ɪt ʌp/

保持下去(對方表現不錯時)。

Great job, keep it up.(做得好,保持下去。)

crush it/krʌʃ ɪt/

表現超好、大成功。

You totally crushed it.(你表現超讚。)

root for/ruːt fɔːr/

為某人加油、支持某人。

We’re all rooting for you.(我們都在為你加油。)

nervous/ˈnɜːrvəs/ adj.

緊張的。

I’m so nervous.(我超緊張。)

recital/rɪˈsaɪtl/ n.

獨奏會、演奏發表會。

She has a piano recital.(她有一場鋼琴發表會。)


重點句型 Sentence Patterns

1. 事情開始前 → You got this. / You’ll do great.

最萬用的一組,簡報、面試、考試都能用。

例:You got this.(你可以的。)
例:You’ll do great, I’m not worried.(你會表現得很好,我一點都不擔心。)
例:Go get them!(上吧!)
Go get them 口語常唸成 go get ’em,是「衝吧」的意思。

2. 表演或大場面 → Break a leg!

劇場傳說:據說直接祝好運不吉利,所以反著講。

例:Break a leg tonight!(今晚演出順利!)
例:Good luck out there.(上場加油。)
例:Knock ’em dead.(去把他們震住。)
Break a leg 用在演出、試鏡、上台;一般考試說 Good luck 就好。

3. 對方正在苦撐 → Hang in there. / Keep it up.

事情做到一半的鼓勵,跟事前打氣要分開。

例:Hang in there, it’s almost over.(撐住,快結束了。)
例:Keep it up, you’re doing great.(保持下去,你做得很好。)
例:Almost there!(快到了!)
Hang in there 是「我知道很辛苦」;Keep it up 是「現在很好,繼續」,兩者語氣不同。

4. 場邊替人喊 → Let’s go! / Come on!

這組是喊出來的,加上名字或隊名最自然。

例:Let’s go, Taiwan!(台灣加油!)
例:Come on, you can do it!(來吧,你做得到!)
例:We’re all rooting for you.(我們都在為你加油。)
Come on 要配上後面那句才像加油;單獨喊容易變成「快一點啦」。

5. 事情結束後 → You crushed it. / Nice work.

加油不只在事前,事後那句肯定更有記憶點。

例:You crushed it!(你表現超讚!)
例:That went really well.(進行得很順利。)
例:I knew you’d pull it off.(我就知道你做得到。)
pull it off = 把難搞的事情成功完成。

逐字稿 Transcript

J
“You’re up next.” Your friend is shaking at the side of the stage, and you reach for that one Chinese cheer everybody uses. Then you freeze, because English has no twin for it. I’m Jason, and this is MJ English.「你是下一個。」朋友在舞台側邊抖個不停,你想脫口說出大家都在用的那句中文加油,卻突然卡住,因為英文沒有一模一樣的字。我是 Jason,這裡是 MJ English。
M
And I’m Mary. Honestly, this happens to me all the time. Someone’s nervous, I want to cheer them on, and my brain just says add oil. Which, spoiler, is not the move. We’ll get to why in a minute.我是 Mary。老實說,我也常這樣。有人很緊張,我想幫他打氣,腦袋卻只蹦出 add oil。先爆雷,這句不太行,等一下就告訴你為什麼。
J
So here’s the thing. In Chinese, that one cheer is a master key. Before a test, during a game, when you’re tired at work, when you’re sad. One word does everything. English doesn’t have a master key. It has a bunch of small ones.重點來了。中文的加油像一把萬能鑰匙:考試前、比賽中、工作累了、心情不好,一句全搞定。英文沒有萬能鑰匙,只有一串小鑰匙。
M
Right, so you have to ask yourself one thing: where are we in the story? Has it not started yet? Is it a performance? Are they already tired? Are you shouting from the side? Or is it over? Each one gets its own line.對,所以你要先問自己:現在到故事的哪一段?還沒開始?是表演?對方已經很累?你在場邊喊?還是都結束了?每一種都有自己的說法。
J
Number one, before it starts. A client presentation at a Taipei office, a job interview, an exam. Say “You got this.” Or “You’ll do great, I’m not worried.” Or, a little more pumped up, “Go get them!”第一種,事情還沒開始。像是台北辦公室的客戶簡報、面試、考試。可以說 You got this(你可以的),或 You’ll do great, I’m not worried(你會表現很好,我一點都不擔心),再熱血一點就說 Go get them(上吧)。
M
And people often say “go get ’em,” all squished together. It sounds super natural. My favorite is “You got this.” It’s short, it’s warm, and you can say it to anyone, even your boss. Well, maybe a friendly boss.而且大家常把它連在一起念成 go get ’em,聽起來超自然。我最愛 You got this,短短的、很溫暖,對誰都能說,連老闆都行,嗯,要是親切一點的老闆啦。
J
Number two, a performance. Your friend has a piano recital tonight. You say “Break a leg!” I know, it sounds violent. But it really means good luck. It comes from the theater.第二種,表演。你朋友今晚有鋼琴發表會(recital),你就說 Break a leg(祝你演出順利)。我知道聽起來很暴力,但其實就是祝你好運,這是劇場傳來的說法。
M
The story is, actors believed that saying good luck out loud actually brought bad luck. So they said the opposite. Funny, right? You can also say “Good luck out there” or “Knock ’em dead.” But for a normal exam, just say good luck. Save the leg for the stage.傳說演員相信直接說祝好運會帶來壞運,所以大家反著講。很有趣吧?你也可以說 Good luck out there,或 Knock ’em dead(去把他們震住)。不過一般考試,說 good luck 就好,斷腿留給舞台。
J
Number three, and this one matters. Your friend is already in the middle of something hard. Maybe it’s a crazy week, or a long run. Don’t say “You got this” here. Say “Hang in there, it’s almost over.”第三種,這個很重要。對方已經在苦撐,可能是瘋狂的一週,或是長跑跑到一半。這時別再說 You got this,要說 Hang in there, it’s almost over(撐住,快結束了)。
M
Hang in there means, I know it’s hard, hold on. But if they’re doing well, you say “Keep it up, you’re doing great.” See the difference? One is, I feel your pain. The other is, you’re on a roll. And “Almost there!” works for both.Hang in there 的意思是我知道很辛苦,撐著點。但如果對方做得不錯,你就說 Keep it up, you’re doing great(保持下去,你做得很好)。有感覺到差別嗎?一個是我懂你的辛苦,一個是你正順風。Almost there(快到了)兩邊都適用。
J
Number four, shouting from the sidelines. Think of a kid’s sports day in Taiwan, or cheering the national team. You yell “Let’s go, Taiwan!” or “Come on, you can do it!” And you can say, “We’re all rooting for you.”第四種,在場邊喊。想想台灣小朋友的運動會,或幫國家隊加油。你可以大喊 Let’s go, Taiwan(台灣加油),或 Come on, you can do it(來吧,你做得到),還有 We’re all rooting for you(我們都在為你加油)。
M
Root for is a great phrase. It just means you’re on their side. And number five is after it’s over. People forget this one! Say “You crushed it!” or “That went really well.” Or my favorite, “I knew you’d pull it off.”Root for 是很好用的片語,意思就是我站你這邊。第五種是結束之後,很多人都忘了這個!可以說 You crushed it(你表現超讚),或 That went really well(進行得很順利),我最愛的是 I knew you’d pull it off(我就知道你辦得到)。
J
Pull it off means you did something hard, and it worked. And crush it means you did it really, really well. It’s casual, it’s happy, and people love hearing it, even from a coworker.Pull it off 是把困難的事做成功,crush it 則是做得非常好。這句很輕鬆、很開心,大家都愛聽,就算是同事說的也一樣。
M
One more thing. If you’re the nervous one, you can say it out loud: “I’m so nervous.” Then your friend knows exactly which line to pick. Julia did that in our story, and Sean jumped right in. That’s what friends do.還有一件事。如果緊張的人是你,可以直接說 I’m so nervous(我超緊張)。這樣朋友就知道該用哪一句。Julia 在我們的情境裡就這樣做,Sean 馬上接話,朋友就是這樣。
J
Yeah, and it helps to picture real moments. Your coworker before a pitch. Your niece at a school recital. Your dad watching Taiwan play baseball. Same heart, three different lines. That’s the whole trick.對,想像真實場景會更好記。同事要提案、姪女在學校發表會、爸爸在看台灣打棒球。同樣的心意,三句不同的話,這就是整個訣竅。
M
Okay, now the three traps. First, “Add oil!” It’s Hong Kong English. It actually got into the Oxford English Dictionary in twenty eighteen, which is cool. But most Americans have never heard it.好,接下來是三個地雷。第一個,Add oil。這是香港英語,二〇一八年真的被收進牛津英語詞典,滿酷的。但大部分美國人從沒聽過。
J
Right, so it’s fine as a joke between friends. But as real encouragement? Someone will say, “Add oil? Like for a car?” That’s exactly what happened in our story. So say “You got this” instead.對,所以朋友之間當玩笑可以,但當真心鼓勵就不行,對方會問:加油?像幫車加油嗎?我們的情境裡就是這樣。改說 You got this 就對了。
M
Trap two, “Fighting!” That’s Korean-style English. Americans don’t use it that way, and it can sound like, um, a fight. Just say “Good luck!” Easy.第二個地雷,Fighting。這是韓式英文,美國人不這樣用,聽起來可能還像要打架。直接說 Good luck 就好,簡單。
J
And trap three, a bare “Come on!” Say it to someone who’s already struggling, and it sounds like, hurry up, I’m tired of waiting. Not cute. Say “Hang in there” instead. Same energy, much kinder.第三個地雷,單單一句 Come on。對已經在苦撐的人喊,聽起來像在說快一點啦,我等得不耐煩了,不太可愛。改說 Hang in there,一樣有力氣,但溫柔多了。
M
Quick recap. Before it starts, “You got this.” On stage, “Break a leg.” Halfway through, “Hang in there” or “Keep it up.” On the sidelines, “Let’s go.” After, “You crushed it.” And if you’re nervous, that’s totally normal.快速複習。開始前說 You got this,上台說 Break a leg,做到一半說 Hang in there 或 Keep it up,場邊喊 Let’s go,結束後說 You crushed it。還有,如果你自己緊張,那完全正常。
J
Okay, let’s hear our story one more time. Julia is nervous, her hands are sweating, and Sean is about to teach her a few ways to cheer. Listen for each situation as it comes up.好,我們來再聽一次剛剛的情境。Julia 很緊張,手心都在冒汗,Sean 要教她幾種打氣的說法。聽聽每一種情境是怎麼出現的。
M
And notice how Julia ends up using it herself. Here we go.你也注意聽,Julia 最後自己也用上了。開始吧。
🔁 [DIALOGUE REPLAY] 重播情境對話
J
So when you want to say that one Chinese word, stop and ask where the person is in the story. Then pick the line that fits.所以下次想說那句中文加油的時候,先想想對方在故事的哪一段,再挑最合的那句。
M
Now tell us in the comments: who do you most want to cheer on, and for what? Tell us the moment, and we’ll help you find the perfect line.現在來留言告訴我們:你最想為誰加油,又是為了什麼事?告訴我們那個時刻,我們幫你配一句最適合的英文。
J
Thanks for hanging out with us on MJ English. You got this.謝謝你陪我們一起上 MJ English。You got this。
M
And go get ’em!出發吧,Go get ’em!

延伸學習 Keep Going

中文有、英文沒有的那些話,還有這幾集。

你最想跟誰說一句「加油」?留言告訴我們那個場合,我們幫你配一句英文!

留言你翻不出來的中文話,我們排進下一集。

追蹤 MJ英語 podcast,下次見。

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