we

英 [wi?] 美[wi]

CET4TEM4考研CET6高頻詞基本詞匯

we 我們

來(lái)自PIE*we,我們。

we: we: [OE] We goes back ultimately to Indo- European *wei, which also produced Sanskrit vayám ‘we’. The precise process by which this evolved into German wir, Dutch wij, Swedish and Danish vi, and English we has never been unravelled.
we (pron.): Old English we, first person plural pronoun, "I and another or others," from Proto-Germanic *wiz (cognates: Old Saxon wi, Old Norse ver, Danish vi, Old Frisian wi, Dutch wij, Old High German and German wir, Gothic weis "we"), from PIE *we- (cognates: Sanskrit vayam, Old Persian vayam, Hittite wesh "we," Old Church Slavonic ve "we two," Lithuanian vedu "we two").

The "royal we" (use of plural pronoun to denote oneself) is at least as old as "Beowulf" (c.725); use by writers to establish an impersonal style is also from Old English; it was especially common 19c. in unsigned editorials, to suggest staff consensus, and was lampooned as such since at least 1853 (see wegotism).

1. For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?: 我們活著是為了什么？不就是給鄰居當(dāng)笑柄，再反過(guò)來(lái)笑他們。

2. Don't worry. We'll have you out of here double-quick.: 別擔(dān)心，我們會(huì)很快把你從這兒弄出去的。

3. We all know that fats spoil by becoming rancid.: 我們都知道油脂變質(zhì)后會(huì)發(fā)臭。

4. We'll go to a meeting in Birmingham and come straight back.: 我們將去伯明翰參加會(huì)議，然后馬上回來(lái)。