短语洞察 37 | Back out: 答应了又反悔？如何地道表达“食言” | 英语口语

🎧 节目简介你有没有遇到过这种情况：朋友明明答应了和你一起去旅行，结果临出发前突然说不去了？或者在职场上，谈好的合作对方突然反悔了？这种“临阵脱逃”或“食言”的行为，在英语听力和地道表达中有一个非常形象的短语。本期 Beyond English 不止英语，Mandy 和 Patrick 带你解锁 "Back out" 的核心逻辑，助你精准描述这种破坏承诺的行为。📖 CORE VOCABULARY• Back out: [食言/退出] - To decide not to do something that you had agreed to do• Commitment: [承诺] - A promise or firm decision to do something• Reverse: [倒退] - To move backward• Flake: [爽约的人] - A person who is unreliable and cancels plans (slang)• Last minute: [最后一刻] - The latest possible time before an event________________________________________🗣️ BILINGUAL SCRIPT (中英对照 · 辅助理解)Mandy: Ugh, Patrick, I am so annoyed right now.Mandy: 呃，Patrick，我现在好烦。Patrick: Hello everyone. Welcome to Beyond English. I'm Patrick. What happened, Mandy? You look frustrated.Patrick: 大家好。欢迎来到 Beyond English 不止英语。我是 Patrick。怎么了，Mandy？你看起来很沮丧。Mandy: I am! My friend promised to go camping with me this weekend. We planned it for months. But today, she called and said she isn't going.Mandy: 是啊！我朋友答应这周末跟我去露营。我们计划了好几个月。但今天，她打电话说她不去了。Patrick: Oh no. That is very disappointing. So, she promised, but then she changed her mind?Patrick: 噢不。那太让人失望了。所以，她承诺了，然后又改变主意了？Mandy: Yes! Is there a phrase for this? "She stopped going" sounds too simple.Mandy: 对！有没有什么短语形容这个？“她停止去了”听起来太简单了。Patrick: You need the phrasal verb: Back out. She backed out of the trip.Patrick: 你需要这个动词短语：Back out（食言/退出）。她退出了这次旅行。Mandy: Back out. Like walking backwards?Mandy: Back out。就像倒着走吗？Patrick: Exactly. Imagine you are driving a car into a garage. You are committed. You are inside.Patrick: 没错。想象你正把车开进车库。你已经投入了。你在里面了。Patrick: But then, you change your mind. You put the car in reverse and "back out" of the garage. You are no longer in the agreement.Patrick: 但后来，你改变了主意。你挂倒挡，从车库里“倒出 (back out)”来。你不再在这个协议里了。Mandy: That is a great visual. She reversed out of our plan. So, Patrick, can I use this for small things?Mandy: 这个画面很棒。她从我们的计划里倒车出去了。那么，Patrick，我可以用这个形容小事吗？Patrick: You can. For example: "He said he would buy dinner, but he backed out when he saw the prices."Patrick: 可以。比如：“他说他会请客吃晚饭，但看到价格后他反悔了。”Mandy: Haha, that happens. What about at work? Is it professional?Mandy: 哈哈，这种事常有。那在工作中呢？这专业吗？Patrick: Yes, it is very common in business. Imagine a company agrees to a deal, but then they stop.Patrick: 是的，这在商务中很常见。想象一家公司同意了一笔交易，但后来他们停止了。Patrick: You can say: "The investors backed out of the deal at the last minute."Patrick: 你可以说：“投资人在最后一刻退出了交易。”Mandy: That sounds serious. Now, Patrick, is "Back out" the same as "Cancel"?Mandy: 听起来很严重。现在，Patrick，"Back out" 和 "Cancel"（取消）是一样的吗？Patrick: There is a nuance. "Cancel" is neutral. You can cancel a dentist appointment. It is just a change of schedule.Patrick: 有细微差别。“Cancel”是中立的。你可以取消牙医预约。那只是日程的变更。Mandy: And back out?Mandy: 那 back out 呢？Patrick: "Back out" implies you broke a promise. You said "yes," people relied on you, and then you said "no." It feels more negative.Patrick: "Back out" 暗示你违背了诺言。你说了“好的”，人们依赖你，然后你说了“不”。这感觉更消极。Mandy: I see. So my friend didn't just cancel; she broke her promise.Mandy: 我明白了。所以我朋友不只是取消了；她违背了她的承诺。Patrick: Sadly, yes. Listeners, have you ever backed out of a plan?Patrick: 遗憾的是，是的。听众朋友们，你们有没有退出过某个计划？Mandy: Or has someone backed out on you? Tell us in the comments.Mandy: 或者有人对你们食言过吗？在评论区告诉我们。Patrick: Thanks for listening. Go beyond words!Patrick: 谢谢收听。超越词汇！在小宇宙查看该单集文稿