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。
このエピソードは、中級者に適しています。聴き終わったらクイズで学習成果を確認しましょう。
学習ノート
お酒を断りたい時に便利なフレーズ：
- No, thanks. I’m pacing myself.
- I don’t want to have one too many.
- I’m taking it slow.
- I’ve been wining and dining a lot lately. I’ll skip this one.
- I’ll sit this one out.
- I’ll give this one a miss.
- No thanks, I’m on the wagon this month.
- I’m doing a dry month.
- I keep to soft drinks.
- I’m on a permanent dry spell!
口語的な言い回し：
To let someone down
誰かをがっかりさせる
Keep one's cool
冷静さを保つ、慌てない
Pacing
自分のペースでやる、ほどほどにする
Go on
「どうぞ」、や「続けて」のように、相手に何かをするように促すときに使用するフレーズです。
To let your hair down
リラックスする。外ではきちんと髪を結っていた人が、家に帰ってくつろぐ際に髪を下ろすようなイメージです。
To paint the town red
派手に楽しむ、どんちゃん騒ぎをする
ボキャブラリー：
Tipsy
ほろ酔い
Wining and dining
ワインと食事を一緒に楽しむこと。主に豪華なディナーを楽しむ際に使われます。
A dry month
禁酒月間、全くお酒を飲まない期間
Soft drinks
ソフトドリンク
A dry spell literally means a period without water, usually rain , but we can also use it to mean a period without other things, like luck or alcohol.
本来は雨の降らない期間や乾期を意味地ますが、禁酒しているという意味や、運に見舞われない期間が続いているという意味でも使われます。
学習のポイント：
ダイアログの中でクレアさんはこんな風に話しました。
- I’ve been wining and dining a lot lately
現在完了進行形（I + have + been + 動詞 + ing）を使用することで食べたり飲んだりする過程を強調しています。
この時制を使うことで、単に「やった」ではなく、「やってきた過程」重点が置かれます。「最近」や「最近」といった言葉と一緒に使われることが多く、次のような言い方ができます。
- I’ve been studying very hard lately so I’m going to let my hair down tonight
- I’ve been drinking too much recently so I’m going on the wagon
- I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, so my English is getting a lot better
トランスクリプト：
(注：これは一字一句書き起こしたものではありません）t)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia.
You’re at a party for your friend. Everyone is laughing... clinking glasses and wishing her a happy birthday. You came to the party even though you have an early start tomorrow. You don’t want to drink but you still want to enjoy the party.
I’m Josipa, and in this episode, we’re practising how to politely say no to a drink — without spoiling the fun.
Allan is topping up everyone’s wine, and Claire? She’s had enough for now...
Allan
Want another glass?
Claire
No, thanks. I’m pacing myself. Don’t want to have one too many.
Allan
You sure? It’s a special occasion! Go on, let your hair down.
Claire
I’ve been wining and dining a lot lately. I’ll skip this one.
Allan
Fair enough. I’ll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
Claire really kept her cool there. When you keep your cool, you stay calm and don’t get upset or nervous, even when things get difficult or awkward. She really didn’t want another glass of wine, but she also didn’t want to seem impolite.
Let’s see how she did it. First, Claire said,
No, thanks. I’m pacing myself. Don’t want to have one too many.
I’m pacing myself. If you’re pacing yourself, you’re taking things slowly so that you don’t get too tired, too full, or in this case, drink too much. You’re being careful and managing your own limits. You could also say,
I’m taking it slow.
And that would mean the same thing. Claire also said,
I don’t want to have one too many.
It means that you don’t want to drink more alcohol than you can handle. To have 'one too many' means having just a little too much — enough to feel tipsy.
When you are tipsy you feel a little light-headed and a bit unsteady. It’s that funny, happy feeling after a small amount of alcohol, but before you’re fully drunk.
When I’m tipsy, I try to keep my cool, because it’s so easy to have one too many in those moments.
Allan then said,
You sure? It’s a special occasion! Go on, let your hair down.
‘To let your hair down’ is to relax and enjoy yourself, especially if you have been careful or serious for a while. We use the phrase ‘Go on’ when we are trying to encourage someone to do something, in this case, to accept the offer of a drink.
I work hard, so when I’m on holidays, I let my hair down – but not too much.
So, yes, I like to relax, but even when I’m having fun, I try not to go overboard — that’s another way of saying we don’t drink too much.
Claire said,
I’ve been wining and dining a lot lately. I’ll skip this one.
Wining and dining means eating fancy meals and often drinking wine, usually at restaurants or special events.
So, Claire said that she’ll skip another drink this time. She doesn’t want any more alcohol. Another way to say politely say 'no' when someone is offering you another drink is,
I’ll sit this one out.
Or
I’ll give this one a miss.
At the end of the dialogue we heard Allan say,
I’ll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
A dry month is a period (usually a whole month) when someone chooses not to drink alcohol at all. People might do this for health reasons, as a personal challenge, or simply to take a break.
After the holidays, I always do a dry month to recover from the partying I do on my holidays. It makes me feel healthier. What about you?
Let’s say that you never drink alcohol. When out at a party or a restaurant and someone offers you alcohol, you can say,
I’m sorry, I don’t drink
Or
I keep to soft drinks.
Soft drinks are non-alcoholic drinks, usually fizzy or sweet, like soda, juice, lemonade, or sparkling water. You could also say what Claire said,
I’m on a permanent dry spell!
This is a playful way to say that you never drink alcohol. A dry spell usually means a period without something, often rain or luck, but you can use it to say that you’re not drinking alcohol at all.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
SBSの日本語放送は火木金の午後１時からSBS3で生放送！
火木土の夜10時からはおやすみ前にSBS1で再放送が聞けます。
