替我和她说 我今儿有事 实在脱不开身
“tell her something came up and I really can't make it.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
你上去后
“When you get there,”
替我 和她说 我 今儿 有事 实在 脱不开身
“tell her something came up and I really can't make it.”
“Give this to her for me.”
“Make an excuse for me so I don't have to see her directly right now.”
Passing an excuse through a third party allows both parties to preserve face and softens the disappointment of a broken appointment.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
tied down / unable to get away
A standard idiomatic phrase used to excuse oneself from an engagement due to urgent matters.
tell her on my behalf
A practical spoken frame for delegating a message or delicate communication to an intermediary.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“You didn't tell her what I said to you?”
“I'm talking to her. How is it involving you now? [Fan's Butcher Shop]”
“I know nothing I say to you now matters.”
“Take me instead. How about that? Stop!”
“I need to tell you something. - In a minute. - Hold on.”
“I walked up to her and asked her for her number.”