「我請客」該如何表達？

英語漫談系列(26)

「我請客」該如何表達？

中外國情不同，除非事前約定，否則不會在餐會後才說「我請客」。

中國人喜歡說：「我買(埋)單」，但英文不宜說：“I pay”外國人恐怕也不

明白。如屬事前約定，可說：“Let me treat you to a lunch (dinner).”

「我請你吃午(晚)餐」，如無事前約定，則順理成章應是「各付各的」，

“ Dutch treat”」然而老中常喜歡餐會後給別人一個surprise-搶付錢。

如屬事後表示「我作東」可說：“Let me stand the treat.」或“The treat is

mine.」或「The treat is on me.」。至於老中喜在餐會後搶付錢一事，老外則

感莫名其妙，蓋有人自願做東自是求之不得，何必爭執？

【另註】：有人在櫃台前寫著：『Please pay here. 付賬處-即Cashier Counter) 』

若有人說，『Let me pay your lunch. 』是對人施捨的說法。

另外：

treat vt. 款待；宴請；招待， ~ + 人 + to + n.

a. They ~ed me to a feast at a fancy restaurant. 他們在一家時髦的餐廳盛宴招待我。

b. The audience is ~ ed to one extraordinary vision after another. 觀眾被招待去觀賞一個接一

個非凡的景像。

c.《The building itself is welcoming and comfortably classy, and

the service is friendly, treating each customer as a special

acquaintance.》

房子本身就令人有迎賓之感，與古典的舒適，而服務親切，招待每一位顧客

如特別貴賓。

l  treat n. 請客、招待 As a ~, we were invited to the Niagara Falls. 我們被招待到尼加拉瀑布去玩。

l  ”Fall in love with our delightful selection of fine wines and sweet ~s.” 請愛上我們精選的美酒與甜點。( treats指candy如chocolate與dessert甜點)

l  These delectable sweets and ~s are sure to satisfy even the choosiest of dessert connoisseurs. 這些可口的甜食糖果，必能滿足甚至最挑剔的甜點鑑賞家。

(delectable a. = delicious美味的，但，choosy a.精選的)

*treat vt. 另作「對待、視為、治療、討論」之義：

a. They ~ him like their own child; they treat him as if he were their own child. 他們視他如己出。

b. We’ll ~ his suggestion as a warning. 我們會把他的建議當作警告。

c. The patient with a liver cancer was ~ ed with a new medication. 患肝癌的病患接受新的藥物治療。

d. The topic was not ~ed in his commentary. 在他的評論中未討論到這個題目。

treat 之名詞為treatment  n.待遇、治療； medical ~ 醫療

*Imprisoned at the camp, these POW’s were suffering from ill

treatment of the enemy. 這些戰俘被關在營區時，遭受敵人虐待。

*Biologists are starting to understand the neural basis for the body’s clocks- insight that could lead to treatment. 生物學家正開始瞭解身體時鐘的神經基礎- 這是可以導致治療的洞察力。

*Surgery is not a treatment for “metastatic” or widely spread cancer. 對於已擴散的癌症，開刀不是治療方法。

10/04/2013

Justin Lai 編著

英語漫談

AACHW13