内容简介

当我们想做出意义重大的决定时，除了深思熟虑，有时，“bide our time（等待时机）” 也很重要。“Bide someone's time” 这个英语短语来源于一个现在已经不常用的单词 “bide（等待）”。听节目，跟主持人 Phil 和菲菲一起学习如何使用 “bide someone's time”。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei 
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。在每期节目中，我们都会介绍一个英语母语人士或讲英语流利的人会用到的习惯用语或短语。I'm Feifei, and I'm here with Phil.   

Phil
Hello everyone.

Feifei
本期节目中我们要学习一个短语，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
短语 “bide someone's time” 的意思就是 “等待时机”。虽然 “bide（等待）” 这个单词在英语中已经很少被用到了，显得有些过时，但 “bide someone's time” 这个短语却在日常对话中被保留了下来。“Time” 在这个短语中指的就是 “合适的时机”。除此之外，我们还可以用 “I'm just biding my time.” 来委婉地表达 “我自己正在等待某事发生”。 

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!