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第7輯 第14課 Let me have a word with my boss first.
記得小時候如果男孩子要約我出去,我總是把爸爸媽媽搬出來當 擋箭牌說:「我要問問爸爸、媽媽才知道。」長大之後進入商場,你的客戶有時會提出一些不合理的要求,你也可以把老闆拿出來當擋箭牌,你可以說:“Let me have a word with my boss first."「先讓我跟我的老闆談一談吧。」此外,你還可以說:“I need to confirm with my boss first."「我得先跟我的老闆確認一下再說。」還有一個說法是:“Let me get the authorization first."「先讓我拿到授權再說吧。」
對話
A:How long is this lease?
甲:租期是多久﹖
B:Five years.
乙:五年。
A:Would it be possible to rent it for a shorter time?
甲:有沒有可能把租期改短些呢﹖
B:I think it would. But let me have a word with my boss first.
May I use your phone?
乙:我想是可以的,但先讓我跟老闆商量一下。我可以借用你的電話嗎﹖
A:Sure. Go ahead. And would you ask if the rent is still negotiable or not?
甲:當然可以,請隨便用。還有,可不可以問問租金是否仍有商量餘地呢﹖
問租期
How long is this lease?是說「租期有多久?」那lease一字可不可改為rent?
答案是「不可以」。作動詞,lease、rent兩字往往通用,指「租賃」,例如:I rented/leased the apartment to an American couple.(我把那個套房租了給一對美國夫婦。)不過,lease強調租約,rent則強調租金。作名詞用,lease也是指租約或租期,rent則 是指租金。問租約長短,自然應說How long is the lease?問租金多少,則應說How much is the rent?
把lease的意思引伸,人、機械等獲得新生或延長壽命,可說to get a new lease of life,例如:The reparation work has given the old building a new lease of life.(那棟舊建築物修復之後,壽命得以延長。)
房屋經紀人對所有租賃問題幾乎都不能自決,必須請示房東或上司。所以,遇上一些特別問題,往往會說:Let me have a word with the landlord / my boss first. 留意to have a word with是慣用語,意思是「談談」,切勿照字面把a word解作「一個字」,例如:There have been quite a lot of complaints about her service lately. I must have a word with her.(近來不少人訴說她的服務欠佳,我得跟她談談。)
除了租期,租房子時或須提出的問題還有:Do you require a deposit?(要交保證金麼?),When can I move in?(我甚麼時候可以搬進來?),Are pets allowed?(容許飼養寵物嗎?)

 

 


 資料來源:生活美語(點我看真人對話)

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