每到月底,地铁坐不起、盒饭吃不起,盼星星盼月亮就盼着发工资,可是工资还没焐热就又没了,总之就是一句话:“我没钱”。
中文都说穷到吃土,英文里又如何地道表达“我没钱”?是不是I have no money?老外虽然能理解这种表达,但不够纯正。
那么,地道英语是怎么说的?

(图源:视觉中国)
1. I'm skint.
我手头比较紧。
skint 指没钱,身无分文的。一句“I'm skint”,别人就知道你最近很穷,超过5块钱的活动估计都不会找你了~
例句:
I'm skint! Lend us a tenner.
我没钱了,借我们10英镑吧。
I'm completely skint.
我身无分文。
2. I'm penniless.
我身无分文。
“penny”是“便士,一分钱”,“penniless”表示的就是“一分钱都没有了”。
例句:
A: What have you bought ?
你买什么了?
B: Oh, I bought many clothes. I'm penniless now.
我买了好多衣服,现在没钱啦!
3. I'am strapped.
我手头紧(被捆扎)。
strapped adj. 缺钱的
例句:
I'm gonna need a raise though,I m strapped.
不过你得加点薪,我身无分文了。
I can't go out tonight. I'm strapped for cash.
我今晚不能出去了。我手头有点紧。
4. I'am broke.
我身无分文。
broke adj. 一文不名;身无分文
例句:
Can I borrow 10 dollars? I'm broke until payday.
能借我10美元吗?发工资之前我没钱了。
I'm flat broke. = (Brit) I'm stony broke. [=I have no money at all]
我身无分文。
1. a church mouse 一贫如洗
“穷到吃土”可以用俚语 a church mouse ,表达“穷到吃土,一贫如洗”。中世纪的西方教堂里(church)是没有放食物的柜子和储物室的,所以住在那里的老鼠总是挨饿。后来,老鼠就成了“贫穷”的象征。
例句:
He is as poor as a church mouse.
他一贫如洗。
I wish I had more money. I'm as poor as a church mouse.
但愿我有多点钱。我真是穷到吃土。
2. hand to mouth 拮据;贫穷
例句:
They have been living hand to mouth since he lost his job. = It's been hand to mouth since he lost his job.
自从他失去工作后,他们一直生活得很拮据。
一般情况下人们不太会说:I have a lot of money,这样不太地道。比较常见的表达是:I'm loaded. 我很有钱(loaded adj. 非常富有)。
例句:
Let her pay—she's loaded.
让她付钱吧,她钱多得很。
美剧《摩登家庭》里有一句台词:
What size tubing would I need for three ducklings to slide through? Cost is no object.
什么型号的管子能让三只小鸭子滑过去?钱不是问题。
这里面的cost is no object 常用来表达“钱不是问题,钱不在话下”。也可以说:money / expense is no object.
例句
When they take a vacation, money is no object. [=they don't worry about how much something costs] They always stay at the most expensive places.
他们度假时,钱不是问题。他们总是住最贵的地方。
If cost was/were no object [=if cost did not matter; if we had enough money] we'd buy a new car instead of fixing the old one.
如果钱不是问题,我们就会买新车而不是修旧车了。
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