5. He's out for lunch. Would you like to try again an hour later?他出去吃午餐了, 你要不要一小时后再打来?
受到中文的影响, 许多人要讲某人‘出去’吃午餐了常会说成, "He went out for lunch." 其实这个 went 是多余的, 通常老美只讲 be out for something 就行了. 如果要再简化一点, 单说, "He is on lunch." 或是 "He is on (lunch) break." (他正在休息时间.) 这样子也可以.
如果别人要找的人不在, 通常我们有二种选择, 第一种是请别人晚点再打来, 除了像例句用 try again/ call again 之外, 我们也可以用 call back/ try back 这样的讲法. 例如你可以建议别人, "Why don't you call back in 30 minutes?" (你何不 30 分钟后再打来呢?) 第二种选择就是请对方留言, 客气一点的讲法是, "May I take your message?" 或是 "Would you like to leave a message?" (你想留言吗?)
6. She is not here but you can call her machine.她不在这里, 但是你可以打她的电话答录机.
老美管电话答录机叫 answering machine 或是也有少数人叫 answer machine. 但是在一般的对话中常常简称 machine. 例如 "You can call her machine." 就是说, 你可以打她的电话答录机留言. 或是你打电话给某人, 但你想他很可能不在, 这时你就可以说, "I'm expecting a machine." (我想会是电话答录机接的电话.) 如果是 "I want to check on my machine." 则是说我要检查电话答录机里的留言.
记得喔! 通常人家讲 someone's machine 时百分之九十九都是指电话答录机而言, 你可别傻傻地问人, "Answering machine?" 像六人行 (Friends) 里有一集 Chandler 说, "I got her machine." 结果 Joey 还呆呆地问他, "Her answering machine?" Chandler 就讽刺 Joey 的无知说, "No. interestingly enough, her leaf blower (machine) picked up the phone." (很有趣喔, 不是电话答录机喔! 而是她的吹落叶机接的电话.) 注: 美国的萿叶都不是用扫的, 而是用吹的, 很神奇吧? 而 leaf blower 就是那种背在身上拿来吹落叶的机器啦!
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