ACT 3-2 你愿意嫁給我嗎？

【故事梗概】

Harry鼓足了勇氣，說出了求婚的話。Susan同意接受他的求婚，但卻提出了三個先決條件。

Harry: Well? Does that mean you’ll marry me?

Susan: Is that a proposal, or are we just playing a game?

Harry: Sit down, Susan. There’s something I have to ask you. [He takes a flower from the table and gets down on one knee.] Susan, will you marry me?

Susan: It’s such an important decision. There’s so many things to talk about. There are three things that have to be done first, Harry.

Harry: Three things?

Susan: First, we have to decide where to live.

Harry: Well, that’s easy. We talked about that earlier. We’ll live in New York.

Susan: All right. Second, we have to talk to Michelle together about being married.

Harry: We’ll do that immediately. What’s the third thing?

Susan: You have to ask for my father’s permission.

Harry: Absolutely! But first things first. We have to go to pick up Michelle.

Susan: Oh, I’m so happy, Harry!

Harry: Not as happy as I am.

【語言點精講】

1. Susan, will you marry me?

Susan，你愿意嫁給我嗎？句中的will是情態動詞，表示“意愿，意志”。

2. It’s such an important decision. There’s so many things to talk about. There are three things that have to be done first, Harry.

這是一個非常重要的決定，有許多事情要談談。首先有三件事要做，Harry。

There’s so many things …There are three things…: 口語里，在There＋ be的句式中，當在它后面并不馬上出現復數名詞時，習慣上be動詞用單數。如這里的there’s so many things和 there are three things 即可說明。

3. We have to decide where to live.

我們得決定住在哪里。

這句話中decide的賓語由where加不定式to live構成。動詞不定式前面加疑問副詞后作賓語，其功能相當于賓語從句。

4. Second, we have to talk to Michelle together about being married.

第二件，我們得一起同Michelle談一下我們要結婚的事。

being married: 我們結婚的事。這個短語表示狀態，更準確的說法應該是表示動作，即 getting married。

5. You have to ask for my father’s permission.

你應當征得我父親的同意。

在美國，女孩子要嫁人需征求父親的意見是一個傳統習慣。然而現在，結婚時，男方要征得女方父親的同意的情況已不多見。這一句說明蘇珊還是比較舊派的女子。

ask for sb’s permission: 征求某人的同意，征得某人的許可。也可以說ask sb. for permission

6. But first things first. We have to go to pick up Michelle.

first things first: 事有先后。

to pick up Michelle: 去接 Michelle。

7. Not as happy as I am.

沒有我那么幸福。