► Giving bad news (Сообщаем плохие новости)
Плохие новости сообщать неприятно, но приходится. Иногда стоит «подсластить пилюлю», а иногда – заострить внимание на проблеме.
• I'm afraid / I'm sorry / Unfortunately – «Боюсь, ...» / «Мне жаль, …» / «К сожалению, …». Универсальный способ донести неприятные новости до собеседника.
Примеры:
I'm sorry, but the report is not ready yet. I will let you know when it is finished.
I'm afraid, this item is out of stock now. Unfortunately, your plane is delayed.
• Выражения It's my unfortunate duty to tell you that / There is no easy way to say this, but / I'm sorry to have to tell you that идеальны для формального общения.
Примеры:
It's my unfortunate duty to tell you that your application has been declined.
There is no easy way to say this, but our performance rate has dropped by about a half this year.
I'm sorry to have to tell you that we cannot afford a new marketing campaign.
• Прилагательные slight / little сделают сообщение мягче, а serious / major – строже. Для смягчения сообщения вы также можете использовать выражения It seems that / It looks like / Apparently.
Примеры:
I'm sorry, but we have a slight problem.
I regret to tell you, but we have a very serious problem.
Unfortunately, I have some really bad news.
It seems that your booking has been cancelled by mistake.
Apparently, Mindy has forgotten about the appointment.
► Giving good news (Сообщаем хорошие новости)
Нет ничего приятнее, чем порадовать собеседника хорошими новостями!
• Для сообщения хороших новостей используются выражения I'm really pleased to tell you that / I'm really happy to inform you that / I have some amazing news for you / I'm so excited to tell you that.
Примеры:
I'm really pleased to tell you that your new article is a great success!
I have some amazing news for you! You have been promoted!
I'm happy to inform you that your trademark has been successfully registered.
I'm so excited to tell you that Sheldon has patented his new invention!
• Для сообщения хороших новостей в неформальной обстановке используйте фразы Guess what / Can you believe it / You know what!
Примеры:
Guess what, my first novel has been published!
Can you believe it? Amy has graduated cum laude!
You know what! You have been chosen the new vice-president!
Watch out!
• Существительное trouble – «проблема» – не имеет формы множественного числа. Поэтому его нельзя употреблять с неопределенным артиклем a / an. В то же время существительное problem – «проблема» – является исчисляемым и может употребляться во множественном числе.
Примеры:
We have a serious problem. — Problems arise on every stage of the process.
We're having a lot of trouble with this new software. – The new trainee causes trouble for other employees.
• Существительное news — «новости» — употребляется тольков единственном числе. Его также нельзя употреблять с неопределенным артиклем a / an.
Пример: I can’t figure out what this news means.
Sounding natural!
Bite a bullet means to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation.
Example:
I am afraid of checking the results of my exam, but I will bite the bullet.
