つかえる英会話Daily / Travel

Lesson 669 上級

外国人にもらったプレゼント。その場で開けるのってNG?

外国人にプレゼントをもらったらその場で包装紙をビリビリ…これが西洋のマナーだと思っていませんか?

Lesson

Dialogダイアログ
Explanationsフレーズ解説
Translation日本語訳

Dialog

繰り返し聴いて英語の自然なリズムを身につけましょう。

Claire and her colleague Ken are talking at the office. She has just finished talking to someone on the phone.

Ken: Hi, Claire. A bad time?

Claire: Not at all. I’ve just been talking to a friend of mine…did I ever tell you about this couple whose husband is American and wife Japanese?

Ken: No, I don’t think so…what about them?

Claire: The wife…her name is Yoko…she speaks very good English and they’ve been married for 10 years. But sometimes she gets stuck on cultural issues…well, this time, it was how you open presents.

Ken: Uh…excuse me, do Japanese people have regimented ways of opening gifts, like those they have for serving tea?

Claire: Don’t be silly…actually, it’s quite the opposite. She has always thought in the West, when someone is given a present, she should rip it open immediately, right in front of the person who’s given it to her. And she asked me if it’s a right thing to do, even on formal occasions.

Ken: And what did you say?

Claire: Well, as you know, I said, “If the person is not your close friend, it’s always safe to ask her ‘May I open it?’ first.” Am I not right?

Explanations

そのまま使える便利なフレーズを覚えましょう。

A bad time?

（今忙しい？）
文字通り、「（今は都合の）悪い時間？」という意味です。覚えておくと便利。最初にaがつくことに注意。もっと丁寧にいう場合にはCan I interrupt you?（おじゃましてもいいですか）と言えばOK。

Uh…excuse me.

（え…あのさ。）
人を呼びとめる時や「失礼」という時にexcuse meを使えるのはあたり前。今回のように「ちょっと待ってよ、冗談だろう」という意味でも使えるようになれば、かなりの会話通。

Do Japanese people have regimented ways of opening gifts, like those they have for serving tea?

（日本人っていうのはお茶を用意する時みたいにプレゼントの開ける時もきちっ手順を踏むわけ？）
regimentedは「厳格に統制された」という意味。
Ex) At my school, every moment of the day was regimented.
　（私の学校では、一1日1日の全ての瞬間が厳しく管理されていた。）

It's quite the opposite.