英語を理解し話すことは、オーストラリアでの生活を向上させるのにとても役立ちます。ポッドキャスト、SBS Learn Englishでは、日々のさまざまなシチュエーションで使えるとっさの英語や表現を、あらゆる例を取り入れて簡単に説明します。
学習ノート
記念日について話すときに便利なフレーズ：
- Can you believe it’s been two years since we started?
- I can’t believe it’s been that long already.
- It’s been quite a ride.
- Time flies.
- We’ve come so far since that day.
- We’re only getting started.
- What a milestone.
- It feels like forever!
ボキャブラリー：
A milestone
マイルストーン、節目
To exaggerate
大げさに言う
口語的な言い回し：
Every few years
数年ごとに
It feels like yesterday
まるで昨日のようだ
To be up to
何かを「している」ことをユーモラスに表現する言い方です。
遊んでいる子どもや、してはいけないことをしている子どもについて話すときによく使います。「やらかす」
Over the years
過去から現在までの長い期間にわたってという意味の言葉です。
“It’s been quite a ride”
「大変な道のりだった」。一緒に過ごした時間には、ジェットコースターのようにたくさんの浮き沈みや変化があったことを表すフレーズです。
学習のポイント：
英語でどの過去形を使うかを選ぶのは難しいことがあります。
この会話の中では、クレアとアランは2つの異なる過去形（現在完了have-has + 過去分詞）と過去形（動詞 + ed）を使い分け、違ったニュアンスを出しています。
何かが過去に始まり、現在まで続いている場合は現在完了を、何かが起こった特定の時点に焦点を置く場合は過去形を使います。
Claire: "...it’s been two years since we started here."
- it’s been (現在完了：has + been) three years since we started (過去形：動詞 + ed) here
「since」 という単語を使うときは、以前から始まっていて今も続いていることについて話しているので、現在完了を使うことが多いです。
兎の場合、始まりは特定の時点（3年前）だったものの、この事柄は今もまだ続いているため、クレアはこのように話しています。
また、二人の活動はまだ終わっていないので現在完了形を使っています。
Allan: Wow, I can't believe it’s (has) been that long already!
Claire: Yeah, it’s (has) been quite a ride! We’ve (have) come so far since that day.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia.
Hi everyone! I’m celebrating today because it’s the 50th anniversary of SBS!
Back in 1975, SBS started broadcasting in just a few languages. Now, 50 years later, we’re proud to share stories and voices from over 60 language communities across Australia—including this one, Learn English!
Have you celebrated any anniversaries this year—maybe a wedding anniversary or a work milestone? These are great moments to recognise and knowing how to talk about them in English can be really useful, especially when you want to congratulate someone—or even yourself!
I’m Josipa, and today, in classic Learn English style, we’re celebrating by focusing on work and wedding anniversaries, and how to talk about them in everyday English.
It feels just like yesterday that I started making this podcast, but it’s been 3 years and counting! What a journey!
We can say it feels like yesterday as a way of saying it feels like it was not long ago even though it was quite a while ago, and we all know that time feels like it goes quicker when you’re having fun!
I’ll tell you what else has been an amazing journey? Allan and Claire’s relationship!
We've been lucky to hear all kinds of chats over the years, and it feels just like yesterday when I heard their first one. By the way, ‘over the years’ means that a lot of time has gone by.
Allan and Claire have worked together over the years and are talking about that right now. Let's listen in on their conversation.
Claire
Can you believe it’s been two years since we started here?
Allan
Wow, has it already been that long? Time really flies.
Claire:
Yeah, it’s been quite a ride! We’ve come so far since that day.
Allan
And we’re only getting started! Speaking of anniversaries, my sister and her husband just celebrated their silver wedding anniversary last week.
Claire
Wow! What a milestone! Are they having a celebration?
Allan
Yep. They’ll have a party soon so we can wish them a happy anniversary.
Allan and Claire sure have come a long way, haven’t they? We say something has come a long way when we mean that a lot of progress has been made, and whatever it is has got a lot better over that time.
Enough celebrating Allan and Claire! let’s see what they were talking about.
Claire said,
Can you believe it’s been two years since we started here?
So, Claire isn’t asking Allan whether he actually believes her, she’s trying to show her surprise that it is so long because it doesn’t feel that long to her. We can say can you believe before we talk something that is unexpected, amazing or even shocking.
For example, can you believe how much better you are at speaking English since listening to this podcast?
Haha, anyway, can you believe we are only at the start of the dialogue? We still have so much to get through!
Allan replied,
Wow, has it already been that long? Time really flies.
Time flies. We say this when we feel that time is passing very quickly. We often say this when we are surprised time has passed so quickly. For instance, can you believe it’s been 3 years since this podcast started? Time really flies.
Allan also said,
Has it already been that long?
Allan’s agreeing with Claire and is saying that he also doesn't feel like much time has past since they started here th years ago – it seems much shorter.
Here’s an example. If you moved into your new house 5 years ago but if feels like it was only short time, well, it would be a perfect time to say, “I can’t believe it’s been that long already!”
Back to Claire,
Yeah, it’s been quite a ride! We’ve come so far since that day.
We know Allan and Claire work has developed and got so much better, so they can say that they have come so far, but what kind of ride are they talking about?
“It’s been quite a ride” is a phrase that their time together has been full of action, like on a roller coaster ride where there are plenty of ups and downs, or changes.
We know Allan and Claire have been up to all kinds of things on this podcast so it’s definitely true that their time together has been quite the ride!
By the way ‘up to’ is a humorous way to say that hey have been doing all kinds of things. We often use it when we are talking about children who are playing or even doing things they should not be doing!
We can also use it to find out what our friends have been saying. We can ask them: ‘what have you been up to lately?’
Allan replied,
And we’re only getting started!
And we’re only getting started! Allan is saying - even though they’ve been working together for two years, that’s just the start so there will be many more years of working together in the future. Isn’t that nice?!
He then said:
My sister and her husband just celebrated their silver wedding anniversary last week.
Allan said his sister and her husband just celebrated their silver wedding anniversary which means that they have been married for 25 years.
Cool fact, there are names for all the different wedding anniversaries, like gold is 50 years and platinum is 70 years. Can you imagine being married for 70 years? Even 50? That would be quite a ride. Congratulations to Allan’s sister!
What a milestone!
It sure is, Claire!
A milestone is an important and memorable moment or event in the development of something.
Twenty-five years together - that’s a big milestone worthy of a big celebration! Hmm. I wonder if they will invite me?
Allan replied,
we can wish them a happy anniversary
A common and simple way to congratulate someone on an anniversary is just to say, "Happy anniversary!"—just like you’d say, "Happy birthday!" It works for wedding anniversaries, work anniversaries, or even special personal milestones.
A big thank you to our guest Wolfgang Mueller Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
