“假话”常见的英文表达有 lie、falsehood、untruth 等,具体使用哪个词取决于语境和表达重点:
lie:最常用,指为欺骗他人而故意说出的不真实的话,强调说谎这个行为以及话语的不真实性。例如:
He told a lie to cover up his mistake.(他为了掩盖自己的错误撒了个谎。)
It's wrong to tell lies.(说谎是不对的。)
falsehood:较为正式,强调与事实不符的内容,常用于书面语或较为严肃的场合。例如:
The article was full of falsehoods and misinformation.(这篇文章充斥着虚假信息和错误内容。)
He was accused of spreading falsehoods about the company.(他被指控散布关于公司的虚假消息。)
untruth:意思与“falsehood”相近,但使用频率相对较低,同样指不符合事实的话或陈述。例如:
It's important to distinguish between truth and untruth.(区分真话和假话很重要。)
She refused to accept any untruths in the report.(她拒绝接受报告中的任何虚假内容。)