JHi, I’m Jason. Okay, confession time. The first time a foreign friend asked me where to go in Taiwan, I said, “You must go to Jiufen! It’s worth to go!” He smiled politely. I think he felt a little scared.嗨,我是 Jason。好,我來認錯。第一次有外國朋友問我在台灣該去哪裡,我說:「You must go to Jiufen! It’s worth to go!」他禮貌地笑了笑。我猜他有點被嚇到。
MAnd I’m Mary. Ha! Because that sounds like a rule from your boss. And the second sentence has a grammar problem too. Today we’ll fix both, plus a few more things. Let’s start in a Taipei office on a Friday afternoon.我是 Mary。哈!因為那聽起來像老闆訂的規定。而且第二句文法也有問題。今天兩個一起修,還有其他幾個小地方。我們先到週五下午的台北辦公室。
JGrace is at her desk. Her coworker Lucas just moved to Taiwan. He walks over and says, “Grace, I’m free on Saturday. Where should I go?”Grace 坐在位子上。她的同事 Lucas 剛搬來台灣。他走過來說:「Grace,我週六有空。你覺得我該去哪裡?」
MGrace doesn’t answer right away. She asks, “Do you want city or nature? Or a bit of both?” And Lucas says, “A bit of both. Something really Taiwanese.”Grace 沒有馬上回答。她問:「你想逛城市還是去大自然?還是兩個都來一點?」Lucas 說:「兩個都來一點。想要很有台灣味的地方。」
JSo Grace says, “Then you have to go to Jiufen. The old street and the tea houses are amazing.” Notice she says “you have to go.” She doesn’t say “you must go.”於是 Grace 說:「那你一定要去九份。老街和茶館都超棒。」注意喔,她說的是「you have to go」,不是「you must go」。
MHere’s the difference. Must often sounds like a rule. A sign says, “You must wear a helmet.” Your parents say, “You must be home by ten.” But a friend who’s excited? Friends usually say “have to.”差別在這裡。must 常常聽起來像規定。標示牌會寫「You must wear a helmet.」,爸媽會說「You must be home by ten.」。但一個很興奮的朋友呢?朋友通常會說 have to。
JIn Chinese we say “you must go,” and it feels warm. In English, must can sound strong, like an order. “You have to go” sounds more like, “Trust me, you’ll love it.”中文我們說「你一定要去」,感覺很熱情。但英文的 must 可能聽起來很強硬,像命令。「You have to go」比較像是:「相信我,你會愛上的。」
MWant it even friendlier? Say, “You should definitely go.” Same feeling. Should plus definitely means, “I really recommend this.” Both are great when you’re sharing your favorite places.想要更親切一點嗎?可以說「You should definitely go.」感覺一樣。should 加 definitely 就是「我真的很推薦」。分享你最愛的地方時,兩個都很好用。
JNext, Lucas asks, “Is it hard to get there?” And Grace says, “Not really. It’s about an hour by bus.” Small thing here: it’s “by bus.” No “the” in the middle.接著 Lucas 問:「去那裡會很麻煩嗎?」Grace 說:「還好。搭公車大概一小時。」這裡有個小細節:是「by bus」,中間不用加 the。
MRight. By bus, by train, by MRT. Just “by” plus the transport. And “about” means roughly. So “It’s about twenty minutes by MRT” works the same way. It’s an easy pattern to remember.沒錯。by bus、by train、by MRT,就是 by 加交通工具。而 about 是「大概」的意思。所以「It’s about twenty minutes by MRT」也是同樣的用法。這個句型很好記。
JThen Grace adds, “But go early. It gets really crowded.” Now, I used to say, “People are very many.” Lots of students in Taiwan say that. It’s a word-for-word thing from Chinese.然後 Grace 補了一句:「不過要早點去,人會超多。」我以前會說「People are very many.」很多台灣學生都這樣說。那是從中文一個字一個字翻過來的。
MIn English, you talk about the place. “It gets really crowded.” Crowded means too many people in one place. Lots of people visit Jiufen, especially on weekends. So “it gets really crowded” fits perfectly.英文是用「地方」當主詞。「It gets really crowded.」crowded 就是同一個地方擠滿了人。很多人去九份,尤其是週末。所以 it gets really crowded 剛剛好。
JAnd look at “Go early.” Just two words, and it’s a perfect tip. You can also say, “Go on a weekday,” or “Go at sunset.” Short, clear, helpful. Each one helps your friend avoid the crowds.還有「Go early.」,只有兩個字,卻是很棒的建議。你也可以說「Go on a weekday」或「Go at sunset」。簡短、清楚又有幫助。每一句都能幫朋友避開人潮。
MThen Lucas changes the topic. He asks, “What about Taipei 101? Should I go up?” The observatory needs a ticket. And Grace says, “Honestly, I’d skip the observatory.”接著 Lucas 換了話題。他問:「那台北 101 呢?要上去看看嗎?」觀景台要買票。Grace 說:「老實說,觀景台我會跳過。」
J“I’d skip” is “I would skip.” It means, “If it were me, I’d skip it.” It’s soft. You’re not saying, “Don’t go.” You’re just sharing what you would do.「I’d skip」就是「I would skip」。意思是「如果是我,我會跳過」。語氣很軟。你不是在說「不要去」,只是在分享你自己會怎麼做。
MAnd here’s a nice trick: skip something, then give a better idea. Grace does exactly that. She says, “Hike Elephant Mountain instead. You get the best view of 101, and it’s free.”還有個好用的小技巧:先說跳過什麼,再給一個更好的點子。Grace 就是這樣做的。她說:「改去爬象山吧。可以看到 101 最美的樣子,而且免費。」
JAnother useful word is touristy. If a place is a bit touristy, it’s full of visitors and feels very commercial. “It’s a bit touristy” is a gentle way to say, “Maybe not my favorite.”另一個好用的字是 touristy。如果一個地方有點 touristy,就是觀光客很多、商業味很重。「It’s a bit touristy」是一種委婉的說法,意思是「可能不是我的最愛」。
MSo the pattern is simple. “I’d skip X. Try Y instead.” Polite, honest, and helpful. Much better than saying, “That place is bad.” Nobody wants to hear that from a new friend.所以句型很簡單。「I’d skip X. Try Y instead.」有禮貌、很誠實,又有幫助。比直接說「那個地方很爛」好太多了。沒有人想從新朋友那裡聽到那種話。
JNow listen to Lucas. He hears about a free view and says, “A free view? Now we’re talking.” That means, “Oh, now you’ve got my attention. That’s a good idea.”現在來聽 Lucas。他聽到免費的景色,就說:「A free view? Now we’re talking.」意思是「喔,這下你引起我的興趣了。這個點子不錯。」
MYou can use it any time someone offers something you like. A cheaper price, a better plan. “Free coffee? Now we’re talking.” It’s friendly, casual, and very natural.只要有人提出你喜歡的東西,隨時都能用。更便宜的價錢、更好的計畫。「Free coffee? Now we’re talking.」很親切、很隨性,也很自然。
JLucas asks one more thing: “Is it a tough hike?” And Grace says, “Not at all. It’s about twenty minutes of stairs.” Notice how simple that is. A number of minutes, then what it is.Lucas 又問了一件事:「那條路很難爬嗎?」Grace 說:「一點也不難。大概二十分鐘的階梯。」注意這句有多簡單:先說幾分鐘,再說是什麼。
MThen she gives her last tip: “Go at sunset. It’s totally worth it.” And that last part matters, because worth is the trickiest word in this episode.然後她給了最後一個建議:「傍晚去看夕陽,絕對值得。」最後這部分很重要,因為 worth 是這集最容易出錯的字。
JRemember my mistake? “It’s worth to go.” That’s not right. After worth, we don’t use “to.” It’s an easy rule to remember. Worth never likes “to.”還記得我的錯誤嗎?「It’s worth to go.」這樣不對。worth 後面不接 to。這個規則很好記:worth 不喜歡 to。
MHere are three safe ways. “It’s worth it.” “It’s worth going.” Or “It’s worth the trip.” If you only remember one, remember “It’s worth it.” You can use it for food, movies, anything.這裡有三種安全的說法。「It’s worth it.」「It’s worth going.」或「It’s worth the trip.」如果你只記得一個,就記「It’s worth it.」食物、電影,什麼都能用。
JSo “It’s worth going early” works. “It’s worth the trip” works. But “worth to go,” no. A simple way to think about it: worth plus a noun, or worth plus an “ing” word.所以「It’s worth going early」可以,「It’s worth the trip」可以,但「worth to go」不行。簡單的想法是:worth 後面接名詞,或接 ing 的字。
MLet’s put it all together. Instead of “You must go,” try “You have to go” or “You should definitely go.” Instead of “People are very many,” try “It gets really crowded.”我們來整理一下。不要說「You must go」,改說「You have to go」或「You should definitely go」。不要說「People are very many」,改說「It gets really crowded」。
JAnd when you’re not sure about a place, don’t just say no. Say, “I’d skip it. Try this instead.” Then add a time tip, like “Go early” or “Go at sunset.” You’ll sound kind and helpful.當你對某個地方不太確定時,別只說不要。可以說「I’d skip it. Try this instead.」再加一個時間建議,像是「Go early」或「Go at sunset」。你會聽起來很貼心又有幫助。
MPlus the little extras. “It’s about an hour by bus.” And when your friend loves your idea, they might say, “Now we’re talking.” That’s the whole mini guide, all inside one conversation.再補幾個小東西。「It’s about an hour by bus.」還有當朋友很喜歡你的點子時,他可能會說「Now we’re talking.」整個小攻略,就都在一段對話裡了。
JOkay, we’re almost done. Before we finish, let’s hear the whole conversation one more time. Listen for have to, crowded, I’d skip, and worth it. You’ll catch every one of them.好,我們快結束了。結束之前,再把整段對話完整聽一次。注意聽 have to、crowded、I’d skip 和 worth it。每一個你都會聽到。
MJust relax and enjoy it. It’s Grace and Lucas, in a Taipei office, on a Friday afternoon. Here we go.放輕鬆慢慢聽。這是 Grace 和 Lucas,在週五下午的台北辦公室。我們開始吧。
🔁 [DIALOGUE REPLAY] 重播情境對話
JSo next time someone asks where to go, go easy on “must,” and skip “worth to.” Say, “You have to go,” and “It’s worth it.” Add one tip, like “Go early,” and you’ll sound great.所以下次有人問你該去哪裡,must 別太常用,worth to 更不要再說。說「You have to go」和「It’s worth it」。再加一個建議,像是「Go early」,你就會聽起來很棒。
MNow tell us in the comments: where would you send a foreign friend in Taiwan? Write one sentence with “You have to.” We’d love to read your picks. See you again here at MJ English.現在請在留言告訴我們:你會推薦外國朋友去台灣哪裡?用「You have to」寫一句話。我們很想看看你的推薦。下次也歡迎再來 MJ English。
JThanks for listening. Take care.謝謝收聽。保重。
MTalk to you next time.我們下次再聊。