NHK英会話タイムトライアル2024年度11月

Thick fog, isn’t it?
→ Year, it really IS thick fog. Too bad we can’t see the mountains.

Nice sunrise, isn’t it?
→ Year, it really IS a nice sunrise. Too bad it’s so windy, though.

The Northern Lights are magical, aren’t they?　「オーロラは幻想的ですね」　※自然現象はmisteriousではなくmagical
→ Year, they really ARE magical. Too bad Norah couldn’t join us.

Looks like Professor Smith is retiring.
Looks like Principal Johns is getting married.
Looks like the president is in trouble.
Looks like Jenny will win the Nobel Prize this year.
Looks like Steve won’t win this year.

Looks like (it’s) good weather for walk today.　※～日和：good weather for ～
→ Year, I’m glad (that) it’s sunny.
Looks like good weather for catch the Northern Lights tonight.

I hope it's sunny tomorrow.
I hope it doesn’t rain today.
I hope Steve wins.
I hope Jenny gets re-elected. She is the right person for the job.
I hope the new Prime Minister does well.　「期待します」
I hope you can make it to the concert tonight.

Politics is a sensitive subject.　「デリケートな話題です」　※delicateは壊れやすい物に対して使う
I don’t know much about politics.　※politics [pɑ́lətiks]
I don’t know much about the U.S. election.
No politics at the dinner table.　「食卓では政治の話はNGです」　※夕食でなくても食卓はdinner table

Tell me about YOU.　※他の表現よりシンプルで良い
My parents live in a place called 'Higashi machi.’
My sister and her husband live with my parents.

How’s everyone in your family doing?　※doingを付けることでフレンドリーになる
→ Good. How’s everyone in YOUR family doing?

How is everyone in your office doing?
→ Same as usual.

What’s the big news story in Iceland now?　※storyを付けた方が分かりやすい
The big news story in Iceland is the Norbel Peace Prize.
The big news story in Japan is the election.

Is this tournament a big news story in Europe?　※大会：tournament
That’s a big news story in Japan, too.
It’s not really a big news story in Japan.　「あまり話題になっていません」　※〇〇 is not really ～（形容詞・名詞）「あまり～でない」

Is J-POP big in Iceland?　※popularよりbigの方が「よく知られている、人気がある、賑わっている」ニュアンスを出せる
This band is so big in Japan. Their song was used in a car commercial.

The big news story：「その特定の大きなニュース」
聞き手がそのニュースについてある程度知っている前提に話します。
例
What’s the big news story in Iceland now?
→ この場合、話し手は「アイスランドで注目されている具体的な大きなニュース」という意味で、リスナーもそれが何か気になっている前提があります。

A big news story: 「大きなニュースの一つ」
聞き手に新しい情報を提示する場合や、ニュースを広く一般的に指す場合に使います。
例
Is this tournament a big news story in Europe?
→ 話し手は「このトーナメントが（いくつかある中の）大きなニュースの一つに該当するかどうか」を尋ねています。
That’s a big news story in Japan, too.
→ 日本において、それが「数ある大きなニュースの一つ」として話されています。

In Iceland, how do people celebrate New Year’s?　※年越し、年末年始、お祝い期間の全てをNew Year’sで表現できる
Most people watch New Year’s TV shows.
It’s the same in Japan.

In Iceland, a lot of people make a bonfire on New Year’s Eve.
Most people have dinner with their families for Christmas.
In Japan, Christmas decorations start pretty early.
Christmas decorations start in early November, but some don’t really care about Christmas.　※～にあまり興味がない：don’t really care about ～

Have you been following the news lately?　「ニュースを見ていますか」　※followで見たり聞いたりを広く使える
I haven’t been following the news lately.

Everyone has been following the news about The U.S./American President.　※～のニュースに注目している：have been following the news about ～

I don’t really follow the news.　「あまりニュースを見ません」
I don’t follow sports at all.　「スポーツを全く見ません」
Do you follow European soccer?

What’s in the news today?　「今日はどんなことがニュースになっていますか」
Jenny is all over the news today.　「～のニュースでもちきりです」

I was surprised by the news.
All of my friends were shocked.
Were you surprised by the election results?

It hasn’t sunk in yet.　「まだ実感がありません」　※参考 タイムトライアル2024年8月「鳥肌がたつ、ハラハラする」

I didn’t expect Jenny to win. I’m happy for her.

What do you think of the new Prime Minister.　※Howを使うときはHow do you feel ～
He seems nice.　「優しそうです」
He seems serious and smart.　「まじめで頭が良さそうです」
I don’t have a solid opinion of him yet.　「まだはっきりした意見を持っていません」
Looks like he has a lot of support.

I don’t really know her well yet.
Looks like her lessons are popular.

How do you feel about the coming New Year?　※What do you think about でも良い
I hope there will be peace in the world.　※I hope the world will be peaceful.よりこちらの方が良い

基本的な違い
Think of: 瞬間的に思い浮かべる、意見や印象を表現する。
Think about: 深く考える、計画や決定について検討する。

→ 考えるとき
Think of：「思いつく」「心に浮かべる」「思い出す」など、短時間で瞬間的に思い浮かべるイメージ
例
I can’t think of his name right now.
When I think of summer, I think of the beach.
Think about: 「～についてじっくり考える」「熟考する」など、深く長時間考えるイメージ
例
I need to think about my future.
Let me think about it before I decide.

→ 意見を聞くとき
Think of：個人的な意見や印象を聞く。
例
What do you think of this movie?
Think about: 考慮しているかどうかを確認する。
例
Are you thinking about buying a car?

→ アイデアや計画について話すとき
Think of：過去の出来事やアイデアを思い出す。
例
I often think of my childhood.
Think about: 現在または未来のことをじっくり考える。
例
We are thinking about moving to a new city.