“might as well”是英语中常用的固定短语,核心含义是“不妨;还是…为好;倒不如”,用来表达“没有更好的选择/做某事更合理/顺势而为”的态度,带有轻微的妥协、建议或无奈感(因别无他法)。
强调“做某事是最合理的选择”,尤其是当:
其他选项更差/不可行;
做某事的成本/麻烦很小;
顺势而为(既然已经处于某个状态,不如继续做下去)。
结构:might as well + 动词原形(有时可省略主语,直接用于口语)
当原本的计划泡汤或没有更优方案时,用“might as well”接受次优选择。
The concert is canceled—we might as well go for a walk.
音乐会取消了——我们不妨去散步吧。
It’s raining heavily. We might as well stay home and watch a movie.
雨下得很大,我们还是待在家里看电影吧。
建议对方做某事,因为“这样做更合理/结果更好”。
You might as well tell her the truth—she’ll find out sooner or later.
你不妨直接告诉她真相——她早晚都会知道的。
We might as well leave early to avoid traffic.
我们还是早点出发吧,免得堵车。
因已经付出了一些成本(时间、精力等),继续做某事更划算。
I’m already awake at 6 a.m.—I might as well go for a run.
我6点就醒了——倒不如去跑步吧。
We’ve driven this far—we might as well finish the trip.
我们都开了这么远了——还是把行程走完吧。
表示“不妨不做(因为做了也没用/没必要)”。
If he’s not going to listen, you might as well not say anything.
如果他根本不听,你倒不如什么都别说。
It’s too expensive—we might as well not buy it.
太贵了——我们不妨不买。
表示“做A和做B一样好/一样没用”(强调两者无差别,或B同样不合理)。
You might as well tell the boss as lie to him—he’ll fire you either way.
你告诉老板和骗他没区别——反正他都会开除你。
We might as well eat here as go to that fancy restaurant—it’s just as pricey.
我们在这里吃和去那家高档餐厅没区别——价格一样贵。
1、 与“may as well”的区别:
两者含义几乎相同,可互换。但might as well更委婉、正式,或带有更弱的“可能性”;may as well更口语化、直接。
口语中更常用“might as well”(因更委婉)。
2、 不能拆分:是固定短语,不能改成“might well as”或其他形式。
“might as well”本质是“退而求其次的合理选择”,核心是“做某事比不做/做其他事更划算”。用的时候结合场景(无奈、建议、顺势),搭配动词原形即可。
常见口语例句:
“I don’t feel like cooking—we might as well order takeout.”
我不想做饭——我们不妨点外卖吧。
“The line is too long—we might as well come back tomorrow.”
队太长了——我们还是明天再来吧。