「What does this mean again?」: 在對話中使用副詞「again」

 

「Again」是最常用的英文副詞之一。（當然，任何語言中表達同樣意思的副詞都一樣，畢竟這意思實在太常會被用到。正如中文的「再」字也十分常用的副詞。） 既然如此常見，相信你們也早就認識它了。 查閱的一下字典，你會發現「again」最主要的意思是「once more（再次）」或「another time（另一次）」。 例如： He visited us again. 他再一次來探我們 這裡的副詞「again」修飾了核心動作「visited」，表達出主語「he」「再一次」實行了「visiting us 探望我們」的動作。 對於「again」的角色或它這句子中表達的意思，你們應該也沒甚麼問題。 所以這篇通訊，我想討論的「again」另一種在日常對話中出現的常見用法： Annie: “When are you moving again?”  Ben: At the end of the month. Annie: Oh, right. I forgot.  上述對話例子中，Annie在問題裡面使用了副詞「again」，向Ben查問一個她曾聽說過但自己又不太確定的資訊。 這次對語的語境/場景是，Ben應該曾告訴過Annie搬家的日子，但在這對語發生的時間點，Annie已忘記（或不確定）有關資訊，所以請Ben重複一次。 在問題「when are you moving」裡面加入副詞「again」，Annie就表明了她記得Ben以前曾跟她說過這資訊。「Again」可以讓她在確認先前的交流的前題下，再請Ben複述資訊。 這語境中，「when are you moving again?」並不是「你甚麼時侯再次搬家？」的意思。 「Again」的這種用法在英文對語中非常普遍，就如廣東話中的「（你之前話) XXX 話？」。 例如「 when are you moving again?」用廣東話來表達可以是「 （你之前話）你幾時搬話？」。 Annie: “When are you moving again?”  你之前話你幾時搬話? Ben: At the end of the month. 月尾 Annie: Oh, right. I forgot.  係喎，唔記得咗添 這樣使用「again」，可以向聽者表明你承認這些資訊是之前說過的，現在只是想「再次」查核或詢問。 「Again」有「再一次」的意思，在這用法中，它是修飾「再一次」詢問舊有的資訊這動作，而不是句中「moving」的核心動作。 當然「when are you moving again?」同一句 也可被理解成「你甚麼時候再次搬家？」，也就是「again」修飾核心動作「moving」。所以要表達的意思到底是甚麼，視乎每個不同的情況而定。 學會了「again」的這個額外用法，對我們日常進行英文會話也很有幫助。 下次如果你想重問一些舊資訊，想表達「你之前話咩話」時，便可以嘗試使用一下「again」。 例如當看見一個之前學過但又忘記了意思的生字，便可以這樣請教老師： “What does this word mean again?” “呢個字點解話？”

“What does this mean again?”:  The adverb “again” in conversational usage The adverb “again” is probably one of the most commonly used adverbs in English. (Actually, the equivalent word in any language would be one of the most common adverbs in that language, because it has a meaning that needs to be expressed all the time. The word “再,” for example, is a very common word in Chinese.) Because it is so common, I am sure most of you already know it.  If you look up the word “again” in the dictionary, the top definition would usually be “once more” or “another time.” For example: He visited us again.  他再一次來探我們 The adverb “again” is modifying the core action of “visited” here -- as in, the subject “he” did the action of “visiting” “one more time.” I am sure that you have no problem with the role of the word “again” or with the meaning it is expressing in this sentence. What I would like to talk about in today’s newsletter is another common conversational usage of “again,” like in this example:  Annie: “When are you moving again?”  Ben: At the end of the month. Annie: Oh, right. I forgot.  In this example, Annie uses “again” as an adverb in her question to Ben to ask for a piece information that she has heard before but is unsure about.  In the context/scenario of this conversation, Ben probably told Annie about his moving date before. However, by the time of this conversation, Annie has forgotten this information (or is unsure about it) and wants to ask Ben to repeat it. By adding the adverb “again” to her question “when are you moving,” Annie expresses that she remembers that this information has been given to her by Ben before. “Again” allows her to acknowledge this previous exchange while asking Ben to repeat the information at the same time.  This conversational usage of “again” is very common in English. In Cantonese, the equivalent would be -- “(你之前話)XXX 話？” For example, “when are you moving again?” can be translated as “（你之前話）你幾時搬話？” in Cantonese: Annie: “When are you moving again?”  你之前話你幾時搬話? Ben: At the end of the month. 月尾 Annie: Oh, right. I forgot.  係喎，唔記得咗添 This usage of “again” signifies to the listener that you acknowledge that the topic has been addressed before, but you want to check or ask for the information “again.” The “once more” meaning of “again” in this usage modifies the action of asking for the old information “again” -- rather than the actual core action in the sentence, like “moving” here. Of course, “when are you moving again?” can also be read as “你甚麼時候再次搬家？” -- as in, with the “normal” meaning of “again” modifying the central action. What the actual intended meaning is depends on each situation.  It is good to understand this other usage of “again” as well because it comes up a lot in casual conversation.  Next time, if you want to ask for old information and express “你之前話咩話,” you can use the adverb “again” in this way. For example, if you see a word that you have learnt before but have forgotten what it means, you can ask your teacher: “What does this word mean again?” “呢個字點解話？”