Things — 意味・使い方
そうなんです。今回取り上げる会話表現は、たった一つの単語「things」です。この表現は、「物事」、「状況」、「調子」、「様子」などという意味を表します。
例えば、職場が変わった友人に「How is your new job going?」（調子はどうだい）と尋ねたら、「The first month was difficult, but things started to improve」（最初の1ヶ月は大変だったけど、状況は改善し始めたよ）と答えるかもしれません。この返答に含まれる「things」はこの友人に影響を与える状況を指しています。
この表現は日常会話での使用頻度が高く、様々な場面で使われます。たくさん用例を見て感覚をつかんでいきましょう。
用例
“Hi, Ken. How are things?” “As things stand now, I’ll have to take an extra class next semester to graduate on time.”
The team played well, all things considered, given the injuries they faced.
Volunteering in the community is a small way to help change things for the better.
Things have changed in this city over the last ten years.
I’m really happy with the way things have worked out in my new job.
By procrastinating, you’re only making things difficult for yourself later on.
Let’s just let things take their course and see what happens.
He realized his error and took action to put things right.
I offered to help, but he assured me he had things in hand.
We need to talk if we want to work things out.
Don’t worry. I’m sure things will turn out OK in the end.
We need to get things sorted out before we can move on.
I didn’t mean to let things slip, but I’ve been distracted by personal issues.
You’re complicating things by trying to do everything yourself.
Things came to a head when she finally quit her job.
Things look bleak for our team.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, but don’t let things get to you too much.
You should try to look at things from his point of view.
I’m trying to learn to see things as they are, without judgment.
We need to sit down and talk things over before we make a decision.
While things haven’t gone entirely to plan, we’ve learned a lot along the way.
I wish things were different, but I’m grateful for what I have.
まとめ
今日の表現「things」は、日本語の「物事」、「状況」、「調子」、「様子」などに相当する表現です。ネイティブスピーカーも頻繁に使います。日常会話で、ぜひ、使ってみましょう。
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ところで、日常英会話で便利なフレーズ集をお探しでしたら、こちら⇩でご紹介しています。
また、英語の電話表現も含めて、ビジネス英語全般に関するおすすめ教材については、こちら ⇩ をご覧ください。
