它和那个
📖 逐句对照翻译
Hello!
你好！
This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Masa in Japan about the usage of the words “it” and “that” in English conversation.
本周的《问老师》节目中，我们回答来自日本的Masa提出的关于英语对话中“it”和“that”用法的问题。
Question`
问题
Dear teacher,
亲爱的老师，
I'd like to ask about [the choice of] pronouns, either "it" or "that,” in my English conversation.
我想问一下，在我的英语对话中，代词是用“it”还是“that”的选择问题。
Sometimes, I'm confused about [choosing] these words.
有时，我会对选择这些词感到困惑。
Thank you,
谢谢，
Answer
回答
I’m happy to answer this question, Masa.
我很乐意回答这个问题，Masa。
We usually use the word “it” to describe a general state of our environment or a situation.
我们通常用“it”这个词来描述环境的总体状态或某种情况。
And we often use the word “that” to answer something specific that someone said.
我们经常用“that”这个词来回应某人说过的具体内容。
Let’s consider the word “it” first.
我们先来考虑“it”这个词。
To describe a state means to describe what the environment or situation is like.
描述一种状态意味着描述环境或情境是什么样的。
The word “it” gives us a quick way of doing this.
“it”这个词为我们提供了一种快捷的方式来实现这一点。
And we typically contract the word “it” with the verb “is” and say “It’s”.
我们通常将单词“it”与动词“is”缩写，说成“It’s”。
So instead of saying:
所以而不是说：
The weather is very cold in Siberia in the winter.
西伯利亚的冬天非常寒冷。
We can simply say:
我们可以简单地说：
It’s very cold in Siberia in the winter.
西伯利亚的冬天非常寒冷。
Similarly, we can say:
同样地，我们可以说：
It’s noisy here.
这里很吵。
It’s crowded right now on the train.
现在火车上很拥挤。
We can also use the word “it” to describe what it is like to do something in general.
我们也可以用“it”这个词来描述一般来说做某事是什么样的感觉。
Consider these examples:
考虑这些例子：
It’s difficult to find a good hotel in that city.
在那个城市很难找到一家好酒店。
It’s normal to feel nervous before giving a speech.
演讲前感到紧张是正常的。
Now, let’s consider the word “that.”
现在，让我们考虑一下“that”这个词。
Instead of describing the state of an environment, each of the following examples shows a person responding to a specific statement.
以下每个示例都不是在描述环境状态，而是展示一个人对特定陈述的回应。
A: I’m surprised you disagree with her.
我很惊讶你不同意她的看法。
B: No, no, that is not what I mean.
不，不，我不是那个意思。
I agree with what she said.
我同意她所说的。
A: Is that your explanation?
那就是你的解释吗？
B: That is the best answer I can give you.
这是我能给你的最佳答案。
A: Did Diane say she was leaving her job?
A: 黛安说她打算辞职吗？
B: That is what I heard.
这就是我所听到的。
So, in general, when you answer to someone in conversation, you can use the word “that.”
所以，一般来说，在对话中回答别人时，你可以使用“that”这个词。
However, there are times when we use the word “it” to answer something specific.
然而，有时我们会用“it”这个词来回答特定的事物。
For example, if someone asks you if you enjoy an activity, you can reply:
例如，如果有人问你喜不喜欢某项活动，你可以回答：
Yes, it’s great.
是的，很棒。
I love it.
我很喜欢。
There are many more uses of the word “that.”
“that”这个词还有更多用法。
You can read and listen to a previous Ask a Teacher program: This and That.
你可以阅读并收听之前的一期《问老师》节目：This and That。
For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
对于我们的读者和听众，你们对美国英语有什么疑问吗？
We’d like to hear from you.
我们期待您的来信。
Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
请发送电子邮件至learningenglish@voanews.com。
And please include where you are from in your email, too.
并且请在邮件中也注明你来自哪里。
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
以上就是“问老师”栏目的全部内容。
I’m Andrew Smith.
我是安德鲁·史密斯。
Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
安德鲁·史密斯为VOA英语学习频道撰写了这节课。
