1. Don't say: "You look tired."
Why: It implies she doesn't look good.
Instead say: "Is everything OK?" We often
blurt1 the "tired" comment when we get the sense that the other person feels out of sorts. So just ask.
不要说"You look tired."(你看上去很累。)
这句话暗示了她看上去状况不佳。
我们可以说"Is everything OK?"(你一切还好吗?)我们会脱口而出"tired"这个词是因为感觉到对方有些消沉,所以直接问原因吧。
2. Don't say: "Wow, you've lost a ton of weight!"
Why: To a newly trim person, it might give the impression that she used to look unattractive.
Instead say: "You look fantastic." And leave it at that. If you're curious about how she got so
svelte2, add, "What's your secret?"
不要说"Wow, you've lost a ton of weight!"(哇塞,你减掉了N多斤啊!)
对一个刚恢复苗条的人来说,这句话给她的感觉是自己从前看上去很糟糕。
我们可以说"You look fantastic."(你看上去真棒。),并且就此打住。如果你想知道她是如何变苗条的,那就加上一句"What's your secret?"(有啥秘诀呀?)
3. Don't say: "You look good for your age."
Why: Anything with a
caveat3 like this is rude. It's saying, "You look great―compared with other old people. It's amazing you have all your own teeth."
Instead say: "You look great."
不要说"You look good for your age."(以你的年纪来说,你看上不错啊。)
任何像这样带有告诫意味的话语都是粗鲁的。这就是在说:“跟其他老家伙比起来,你看上去不错。你那口牙竟然一颗没掉,太令人惊讶了。”
我们应该直接说"You look great."(你看上去很棒。)
4. Don't say: "I could never wear that."
Why: It can be misunderstood as a criticism. ("I could never wear that because it's so ugly.")
Instead say: "You look so good in skinny jeans." If you slip, say something like "I could never wear that...because I wasn't blessed with your long legs."
不要说"I could never wear that."(我可不会穿那样的衣服。)
这话可以被误解为批评:“那衣服太丑了,我才不要穿。”
我们应该说"You look so good in skinny jeans."(你穿紧身牛仔裤很漂亮。)假如你不小心说漏了嘴,那就这么圆回来"I could never wear that...because I wasn't blessed with your long legs."(我是穿不了那裤子……因为我没你那样修长的腿哎。)
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