危険な英語の間違えのベスト１０ （その4）

Usually, mistakes are not serious (真剣). If you forget (忘れる) “a” or “the” people will be able to understand you, or if you say “Go to shopping” instead of (変わりに) “go shopping” (買い物は場所ではないから”to”は使えない), people will still understand your meaning. But some mistakes can be very dangerous.

This series is about the most dangerous mistakes in English. These are mistakes that could cause a serious misunderstanding (重大な誤解の原因になる). Here’s number 4:

How do you say, 「上司は転勤になると言った。」Many people make a mistake and say, "My boss said I'm going to be transferred." But who is going to be transferred? The boss? Or the speaker? In this case, it's the boss, so we should say, "My boss said he's going to be transferred."

The most important thing to remember is that when you're explaining what someone else said, you should always use "he" or "she."

One other difficult case is with "you." How would you say, 「上司は私がクビになると言った。」If you say, "My boss said you're going to be fired" the listener might he or she is going to be fired.

Can you say these sentences in English? If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。） You don't have to use your real name　and more than one ｐerson (二人以上） can do it.

1. 上司が私にABCプロジェクトを担当して欲しいと言いました。
2. 上司がABCプロジェクトを担当しますと言いました。
3. 上司があなたにABCプロジェクトを担当して欲しいと言いました。
4. お医者さんがあなたは妊娠していますと言いました。
5. お医者さんが私は妊娠していると言いました。
6. お医者さんがあなたは妊娠していると言いました。
7. お兄さんは自分自身に対して怒っていると言いました。
8. お兄さんは私に対して怒っていると言いました。
9. お兄さんはあなたに対して怒っていると言いました。

東京はカナダより寒い？

This week I was talking to a student who used to live in Hokkaido. I told her that I feel colder in Tokyo than I did in Canada. She said that she understood my feeling, and she is colder in Tokyo than she was in Hokkaido.

Of course, the temperature (温度）is much colder in Canada and Hokkaido, but the buildings and lifestyles (生活）are very different. My house in Canada had very good insulation (断熱材), double-pane windows (二重窓), and central heating (セントラルヒーティング). We used the car much more, so I didn't have to go out in the cold so much.

Sometimes I think I should go to Hokkaido or Canada for the winter so I can be warm!

Here are some phrases you can use for discussing the temperature. Can you say them in English?  If you write your answers in the comments of this blog, I will check them. このブログのコメントに答えを書いてくれたら、チェックします。） You don't have to use your real name　and more than one ｐerson (二人以上） can do it.

There are vocabulary hints below the quiz.

1.      今日の温度はー5度です。
2.      家に断熱材を入れてから暖房費が下がりました。
3.      体感温度によると今日の温度はー20度でした。
4.      加熱炉がないので客部屋にストーブを使います。
5.      室温は２０度です。
6.      温度がー40度になるとカ氏と摂氏が同じになる。
7.      温度計によると温度はー2度です。
8.      温度自動調節器を下げてくれますか。

1.    temperature
2.    insulation, heating bills
3.    wind chill factor
4.    furnace, space heater
5.    room temperature
6.    Celsius, Fahrenheit
7.    thermometer
8.    thermostat

How do you say 成人式 in English?

On Monday, on my way to the station, I saw a lot of young people wearing beautiful kimonos. I guess they were coming home from the Coming of Age Day Ceremony (成人式). We don't have any events like this in Canada.I thought it was very interesting, and the kimono were beautiful.

Today, I'd like to study some expressions for talking about age. The first one is "in his/her XXs." If you want to say, 「彼女は１０代です」, you can say, "She's in her teens." To say ～代前半、なかば、or 後半, just add "early" "middle" or "late. E.g. She's in her late 20s.

Another good expression is 「turn ～」. For example, 「妹は今年２０になった」is "My younger sister turned 20 this year."

20才未満 is "a minor." E.g. "He can't drink because he's still a minor."

Here are some photos I took:

I was so impressed by the creative fashions I saw!