Blue Jasmine · 2013 — 第 7 / 15 章 · 2'04" · B2

Boss Asks Her for a Drink, Explained:I don't mean to pry

On the surface it's a work conversation: someone is studying interior design on the clock and is told not to let it interfere. Underneath, the talk slides from "the business at hand" to her teeth, her looks and her boyfriend — and "I don't mean to pry" lands between personal questions.

あらすじ

At work, one person asks what the other studies in her spare time. She says she's learning to use a computer and wants to study interior design online. The reply is that the ambition is commendable, but studying on work time is a problem if it interferes with the business at hand. Then comes a drink invitation, compliments on her teeth and looks, and a question about her boyfriend.

Office chatFirst datesInvitingComplimentingBoss & employeeB2mediumamericanClean
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

a natural flair forthe business at handI'd love it if you couldkeep an eye on it

00:00 / 02:04
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このシーンの表現

I don't mean to pry

I don't want to intrude

The polite disclaimer comes right after the private question, and the awkward laugh exposes the contradiction.

I don't mean to pry, but is everything okay at home?

このシーンの他の表現

  • a natural flair for

    an inborn talent for something

  • the business at hand

    the work needing attention now

  • I'd love it if you could

    a soft but pressing request

  • keep an eye on it

    watch something closely

  • straight-A student

    a student who gets top grades

このシーンのメモ一覧

32 行のセリフに 29 件のメモ

表現 · A2in one's spare time

when one is not working

What are you always studying in your spare time?
発音What are you

In fast speech, 'what are you' can blur together; keep the words light rather than clipped.

What are you always studying in your spare time?
表現 · A2learn to use something

get trained to operate something

Well, I'm trying to learn to use a computer.
スラング · A2wanna

want to — Common in speech; avoid it in formal writing or interviews.

I wanna study interior design online.
表現 · B2have a natural flair for something

an inborn talent for something

Someone explains why interior design suits them, framing a feel for space and color as inborn talent.

You know, I have a natural flair for space and color and an eye for choosing soft furnishings.
表現 · B2have an eye for something

a good sense for choosing something

You know, I have a natural flair for space and color and an eye for choosing soft furnishings.
表現 · B1on work time

during paid working hours

It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.
表現 · B1interfere with something

get in the way of something

It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.
表現 · B2the business at hand

the work needing attention now

A praise-first warning that quietly pulls the conversation back to the work that needs doing now.

It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.
文法 · B2can't really have you studying

causative have: It means 'I cannot allow you to keep doing this'; have + person + -ing stresses an ongoing action.

It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.
発音can't really have you

The t in can't can almost vanish before really; keep have you unstressed.

It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.
文法 · B2see that it doesn't

see that-clause: The pattern means 'make sure that it does not happen'; it refers back to the promise.

Please, see that it doesn't.
スラング · A2gonna

going to — Fine in casual talk; use 'going to' in formal settings.

I was gonna ask you a question. Yes?
表現 · A2have a drink with someone

drink together with someone

Would you have a drink with me?
表現 · B1would love it if someone could + 动词

I would be very glad if you could

I'd love it if you could.
発音love it if

Link 'love it if' as one smooth run, with a light t in it.

I'd love it if you could.
表現 · B1a quick one

a short drink or brief occasion one stands for a drink here

Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.
表現 · A2meet someone for dinner

arrange to have dinner with someone

Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.
文法 · B1would have to be a quick one

modal obligation: Would have to softens the obligation, and one stands in for a drink.

Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.
表現 · B1tell a lot about someone

reveal a great deal about someone

I was just saying you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths.
スラング · B1awful lot

a great deal — Colloquial; usually 'an awful lot' in full.

I was just saying you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths.
表現 · B1know what to look for

know which signs to check

Or careless? You have to know what to look for.
表現 · B1keep an eye on something

watch something closely

Someone asks for the time and says they need to watch it, meaning they must not lose track of the clock.

Do you have the time? I have to keep an eye on it.
表現 · B2prove more difficult than expected

turn out harder than expected

This computer thing is proving a little more difficult than I imagined.
文法 · B1used to be

used to: Used to marks a past state that is no longer true.

It's funny, really, because I used to be a straight-A student in college.
表現 · B2die off

die one by one until few remain

You know, but they say every year, millions of brain cells just die off.
表現 · B2get compliments on something

receive praise about something

I'm sure you get many compliments on them.
表現 · B2be serious with someone

be in a committed relationship

Right after a compliment, the question probes whether her relationship is serious, sounding caring but invasive.

Are you serious with your boyfriend?
表現 · B2not mean to pry

not intend to ask private questions

I don't mean to pry. Heh. Uh...

「Boss Asks Her for a Drink」を読み解く

What's really going on

Two conversations run at once. One is procedural: "I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand." The second is an appraisal of the person being questioned — "You have good teeth," "you're a very beautiful woman," "Are you serious with your boyfriend?" Each remark arrives dressed as small talk, and the disclaimer "I don't mean to pry" lands between personal questions, so the politeness only highlights the intrusion. The answers stay polite but guarded — a drink that has to be quick, a boyfriend waiting for dinner, homework still to do.

Theme

PowerThe person who controls the schedule also controls the conversation, sliding from a work warning into questions about her private life.
RomanceA drink invitation is offered casually, while the reply keeps a boyfriend in the frame and asks for it to be quick.

発音のポイント

  • What are you — In fast speech, 'what are you' can blur together; keep the words light rather than clipped.
  • can't really have you — The t in can't can almost vanish before really; keep have you unstressed.
  • love it if — Link 'love it if' as one smooth run, with a light t in it.
It's very commendable, but I can't really have you studying on work time if it interferes with the business at hand.

Praise first, boundary second: the ambition is commendable, but studying on work time is a problem if it interferes with the work in front of you.

Would you have a drink with me?

A direct invitation, framed as a casual drink — easy to accept, deflect, or cut short.

Well, it would have to be a quick one because, you know, I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.

A yes with a time limit, plus a boyfriend mentioned early: it accepts the drink while keeping it brief and tied to her existing plans.

I don't mean to pry. Heh. Uh...

A polite disclaimer about prying — coming between personal questions, it highlights the intrusion instead of excusing it.

このシーンについての質問

Why does the conversation turn to her teeth?

The line "you can tell awful lot about people when you look in their mouths" sets it up: teeth are offered as a way of reading character, and from there the talk moves to her looks and her private life.

Is the drink invitation a date?

The line itself only asks for a drink. The answer — "it would have to be a quick one" plus a boyfriend waiting for dinner — keeps it short and casual, so the scene never settles whether it is a date.

Why does she mention being a straight-A student?

She says she used to be a straight-A student in college, which makes struggling with the computer seem a little funny: her old academic success is set against her current difficulty.

Why mention a boyfriend at all?

"I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner" gives a practical reason to keep the drink short: she already has plans. It answers the invitation without a flat refusal, while leaving the question of romance open.

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