表示“与某人订婚”(强调“处于订婚的状态”),是描述男女双方已确定婚姻关系但尚未结婚的状态。
be动词根据主语的人称和时态变化(am/is/are/was/were/has been等);
介词to后接订婚的对象(不能用with/in等其他介词)。
肯定句(状态描述):
She is engaged to a lawyer. (她和一位律师订婚了。)
They have been engaged to each other for a year. (他们已经订婚一年了。)
否定句(未订婚):
I am not engaged to him—we're just friends. (我没和他订婚——我们只是朋友。)
They were not engaged to each other when they moved in together. (他们同居时还没订婚。)
疑问句(询问订婚状态):
Are you engaged to Tom? (你和汤姆订婚了吗?) Was she engaged to someone before meeting you? (她认识你之前和别人订过婚吗?)注意和"be engaged in (doing) sth." 区分:
"be engaged in (doing) sth." 表示“从事/忙于(做)某事”(强调专注于某项活动),后接“事”而非“人”。
例:He is engaged in writing a novel. (他正忙于写小说。)
She was engaged in teaching when I called. (我打电话时她正在上课。)
动作(“订婚”这个行为):用get engaged to sb.(强调“开始订婚”的动作)。
例:When did you get engaged to her? (你什么时候和她订婚的?)
状态(“处于订婚中”的持续状态):用be engaged to sb.(强调当前的状态)。
例:We are engaged to each other now. (我们现在订婚了。)
总结:"be engaged to sb." 是描述“与某人订婚的状态”的常用短语,关键是记住介词用to,对象是人;而"be engaged in" 则是“忙于某事”,对象是事。