What for? (干什么用?)For what?

　　What is this for? (这个用来干嘛?)

　　为了谁?

　　For who?

　　I bought this gift today. (今天我买了一份礼物。)

　　For who? (给谁买的?)

　　Who is it for?

　　你旅行的目的是什么?

　　What's the purpose of your visit? *出境游时，边防检查官的问话。

　　What brought you here? (你为什么来这儿?)

　　没有理由不让做吧。

　　No reason not to.

　　Why do you want to do that? (你为什么想做那件事?)

　　No reason not to. (没有理由不让做吧。)

　　Why not?

　　What's wrong with it?

　　Why shouldn't I?

　　你怎么在这儿?

　　Why are you here? *根据说话方式的不同，有时会让对方听起来不礼貌。

　　我告诉你为什么……

　　I'll tell you why...

　　This is the reason why...

　　总之，是这么回事儿。

　　In brief, it's like this. *比较随便的说法，用在说出重点之前。虽然不是正式的说法，但可用于所有情况。

　　In short, it's like this.

　　In a word, it's like this.

　　To sum up, it's like this.

　　它的由来是这样的……

　　It started like this...

　　How did Edison make the light bulb? (爱迪生是怎样发明灯泡的呢?)

　　It started like this... (它的由来是这样的……)

　　This is its history...

　　This is the way it began...

　　原来如此!

　　That's why! *比较随便的说法。

　　Why doesn't it work? (为什么不动呢?)

　　You have to turn it on first. (你得先打开开关。)

　　Oh, that's why! (哦，是这样啊!)

　　所以……

　　That's why...

　　That's why I like her. (所以我喜欢她。)

　　I see. (我明白了。)

　　●指出错误

　　我觉得你错了。

　　I think you're mistaken.

　　I think you've been misled.

　　你错了。

　　You're wrong.

　　That man is Mr. Smith. (那位是史密斯先生。)

　　You're wrong. He's Mr. Sheehan. (你错了，他是希恩先生。)

　　You're incorrect.

　　那是谁的错呀?

　　Whose fault is that? *含有责备对方的语感。

　　Whose fault is it?

　　Who's to blame?

　　吃不着葡萄就说葡萄是酸的(还嘴硬!)

　　I think it's sour grapes. *sour grapes是意为“酸葡萄”、“不认输”的惯用表达方式。它来自有名的伊索寓言。“狐狸看到树上长满了诱人的葡萄，可是怎么也够不着时，就说那葡萄是酸的，算了吧。”狐狸嘴硬，但却不得不死心。

　　I think it's a case of sour grapes.

　　那随你的便。

　　That's up to you. *up to... 表示“随……的便”、“由……决定”。

　　Should I buy a red car or a blue car? (我是买红色的汽车还是买蓝的?)

　　That's up to you. (那就随便你喽。)

　　You choose.

　　You decide.

　　你没说到点儿上。

　　That's not the point.

　　He's poor because he's lazy. (他很穷是因为他很懒。)

　　That's not the point. (你没说到点儿上。)

　　That's not the issue.

　　That's not what I'm talking about.

　　对不起，那是我的。

　　Excuse me. That's mine. *当发现别人错拿走什么东西时使用。

　　That doesn't belong to you. (那不是你的。)

　　Excuse me, that's not yours. (对不起，那不是你的。)

　　I think that belongs to me. (我想那是我的。)