Bide someone's time 等待時機

內容簡介

當我們想做出意義重大的決定時，除瞭深思熟慮，有時，“bide our time（等待時機）” 也很重要。“Bide someone’s time” 這個英語短語來源於一個現在已經不常用的單詞 “bide（等待）”。聽節目，跟主持人 Phil 和菲菲一起學習如何使用 “bide someone’s time”。

文字稿

（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）

Feifei
大傢好，歡迎收聽 AYYBLOG 英語教學的 “地道英語” 節目。在每期節目中，我們都會介紹一個英語母語人士或講英語流利的人會用到的習慣用語或短語。I’m Feifei, and I’m here with Phil.

Phil
Hello everyone.

Feifei
本期節目中我們要學習一個短語，它就是 “bide someone’s time”。

Phil
How are you, Feifei? Did you buy that new car you wanted?

Feifei
No, actually, I didn’t. I went to look, but there wasn’t anything at the right price that I liked. But that doesn’t matter – it’s not an emergency. I can bide my time until the right deal comes along.

Phil
That sounds like smart thinking! And that’s the phrase we’re looking at in this episode – ‘bide someone’s time’. And when we’re speaking it can be ‘bide my time’, ‘bide your time’, ‘bide his or her time’, ‘bide our time’ or ‘bide their time’. It means to wait for an opportunity. What can you say about it?

Feifei
‘Bide’ is a very old-fashioned word that means ‘wait’. We don’t really use it on its own anymore, but it survives in this expression, ‘to bide someone’s time’ – it means to wait patiently and quietly for an opportunity.

Phil
You talked about biding your time for the right deal to come along – you don’t need a new car right now, you’re happy to wait. And we can use it anywhere where opportunities come up. Maybe, at work, you’re not totally happy with your job, but rather than look for a new one, you’re happy to bide your time until there’s an opportunity for a promotion.

Feifei
Yes, so you’re waiting patiently for the right job to come up. Let’s listen to some examples of people using ‘bide someone’s time’.

Examples
My sister auditions for this dance company every year, and she still hasn’t got in, but she’s biding her time, practising her skills, and hopefully she’ll get in soon.

I really want to go to the beach with my friend, but it keeps raining every weekend. We’ve just got to bide our time and wait for a sunny day.

I’ve just learnt the secret to fishing. You’ve just got to bide your time until a big one comes along.

Feifei
So, we’re talking about the phrase ‘bide someone’s time’.

Phil
Also, you can say ‘I’m just biding time’ if someone asks you what you’re doing, and you’re patiently waiting for something. So, that’s a slightly different way to use it.

Feifei
短語 “bide someone’s time” 的意思就是 “等待時機”。雖然 “bide（等待）” 這個單詞在英語中已經很少被用到瞭，顯得有些過時，但 “bide someone’s time” 這個短語卻在日常對話中被保留瞭下來。“Time” 在這個短語中指的就是 “合適的時機”。除此之外，我們還可以用 “I’m just biding my time.” 來委婉地表達 “我自己正在等待某事發生”。

Now, there are lots of interesting phrases to learn in English, but you’ll have to bide your time until the next episode of Authentic Real English. See you then!

Phil
Bye!