“make do with”是一个常用的英语短语,核心含义是“勉强应付/凑合着用”——指因没有更好的选择,只能接受或使用不够理想的事物来满足需求。
用通俗的话解释:“有什么就凑合用什么”“没更好的,只能将就”。
英文释义:Accept or use something that is not ideal because you cannot get or do better.
短语的核心结构是:make do with + 名词/代词(表示“用…凑合”);
其否定形式是make do without + 名词(表示“没有…也能应付”)。
通过不同语境的例子,能更直观理解:
If we don’t have enough chairs, we’ll make do with stools.
(如果椅子不够,我们就得用凳子凑合。)
My phone screen is cracked, but I’m making do with it until I can afford a new one.
(我手机屏幕碎了,但在买新手机前只能凑合用。)
We ran out of rice, so we made do with noodles for dinner.
(米吃完了,晚饭只能用面条凑合。)
The café didn’t have my favorite coffee, so I made do with a latte.
(咖啡馆没有我最爱的咖啡,我只能凑喝拿铁。)
The hotel was fully booked, so we made do with a small guesthouse.
(酒店满房了,我们只能凑住小民宿。)
My laptop broke, so I’m making do with my old tablet for work.
(笔记本电脑坏了,工作只能凑用旧平板。)
We had to make do without electricity last night—there was a power cut.
(昨晚停电了,我们只能不用电凑合过。)
I forgot my umbrella, so I’ll make do without it—hopefully it won’t rain too hard.
(我忘带伞了,只能不用伞凑合—希望雨别下太大。)
get by with:含义相近,更强调“勉强维持”(比如经济上)。
例:I can get by with this low salary for a few months.(这低工资我能凑活几个月。)
manage with:更侧重“设法应对”(主动解决)。
例:We can manage with the tools we have.(我们能用现有的工具应对。)
“make do with”的核心是“无奈的将就”——因客观条件限制,接受不完美的替代选项。记住它的结构(with/without + 名词)和场景(资源不足、临时替代),就能轻松运用啦!