Today we answer a question from Alan in China. He writes:

今天我们来回答来自中国的艾伦一个问题UO*U9GZY~By1L。他写道

"I ... know that people always say ‘Certainly!' or ‘Of course'... So what's the difference? Thank you!" – Alan

我们总能听到人们说Certainly!’ 或者 ‘Of course’（当然），那么这两者之间有什么区别呢? 感谢作答！——艾伦

Dear Alan,

亲爱的艾伦，

Thank you for writing to us.

感谢你的来信w6zSBn|-vASw*Q。

The expressions "certainly" and "of course" are similar in meaning.

“certainly” 和“of course”在意思上是相似的U|%o#Fxqkc7。

What is different is how you use them and with whom.

不同的是你怎样使用它们，以及和什么搭配使用L8n,Dtxc%U9Z7IyDw。

By definition, the word "certainly" means that you know something for sure.

根据定义，“certainly”意味着你对某事是肯定的N71yv%+@ad。

This is the more formal, or official-sounding, of the two words.

这是两个词中比较正式或听起来比较正式的一个h)GpdE#G]=rM57TMEc.J。

In a world that is becoming more socially informal, you are less likely to use the word "certainly." But here is an example:

在这个用词越来越不正式的世界里，你越来越不太可能使用certainly这个词6JeBu8kFlfXbV3of&%。举个例子：

You are in a meeting with your supervisor at work.

你正在和你的上司开会@bU&itzXFzm。

She says to you, "Do you think you can have your report ready by next Friday?"

她对你说，你认为你能在下周五之前准备好你的报告吗?

You may answer: "Yes, certainly. It will be ready by then."

你可以回答：当然可以（certainly）F&A|gHgV#vy-。到时候肯定一切就绪Bjmo4u7f5+。

There is no question in your mind the report will be ready!

这意味着你毫无疑问的肯定能在那之前准备好报告xtb+@yfokQkBeA。

Now we turn to the term "of course."

现在我们来看看术语“of course.”;&L_+4bgrfK。

It is defined this way: "used informally to give permission or say yes in a way that shows you are very certain"

它的定义是这样的：用来非正式地表示允许或同意，表示你非常确定 vOs#3W=|Etc#O@。

You are more likely to use "of course" when speaking with friends.

你更有可能在你和朋友聊天时用到这个词6|Ei+q#^k*。

For example, your friend Tom asks:

例如，你的朋友汤姆问：

"Do you want to go to the party with me Saturday night?"

“星期六晚上你想和我一起去参加晚会吗? ”

You may answer:

你可能这样回答 ：

"Of course! I'd love to go, sounds fun!"

当然!（Of course）我很想去，听起来很有趣!

Other, similar words you can use are "sure" and "alright."

你还可以使用其他类似的词，如sure和okayAfc1NHP=qSSlOdP~|kJ.。

"Sure" leaves no question in anyone's mind.

“sure”意为双方对此都毫无疑问FDHz%rk5fhEut。

Let's go to the beach for the weekend!

我们周末去海滩吧！

Sure, that would be great!

当然，那太好了！

The words "all right" mean that you agree with what someone said.

all right这个词的意思是你同意某人所说的话;[b+h%LDyY0fUtZ。

The difference is you can use this term if you are not happy about it.

区别在于，如果你要表达不满的话，你就可以使用它SkdgT,I-3XcH8G46x。

Here is an example:

这里有一个例子 ：

Can you help me finish my work?

你能帮我完成我的工作吗？

All right, but only for an hour.

好吧，但我只有一个小时时间.O,K9xphN1L。

You can use it like the term ok.

它在这里的用处和OK差不多UjN(An&,h)Wuw。

And That's Ask a Teacher!

以上就是今天名师答疑的全部内容[z)oO(+Ny22YjOY%;z。

I'm Anne Ball.

我是安妮·鲍尔KoE*aD6.fz。