The past perfect tense
In today's dialogue, Karen said "I kind of wish I had gone at a different time".
Why did she use the past perfect "I had gone" here?
今天对话中，Karen说到"I kind of wish I had gone at a different time". 为什么她要用过去完成时呢？
Let's look at the 2 main usages of past perfect:
我们来看看过去完成时的两个主要用法：
1) Express regret:
1) 表达遗憾
Everybody has regrets. Usually when we are expressing regrets, we use some version of the past perfect.
每人都有遗憾、后悔的时候。通常，这些遗憾都发生在过去。
For example:
I kind of wish I had gone at a different time.我希望我是别的时候去的。
He knows he should have been nicer to her. 他知道他本应该对她好一点。
I wish I'd never met you! 我真希望我从没遇见过你！
2) When a sentence has two past actions, past perfect is used to describe the event taking place earlier:
2) 当一个句子中，有两个过去时，更早发生的那件用过去完成时：
For example:
I caught up with some old friends I hadn't seen in a while. 我跟几个好久不见的老友重新叙了叙旧。
For their anniversary, they went back to the restaurant where they'd gone on their first date. 周年纪念日，他们回到了他们第一次约会的那个餐厅。
Sample sentences:
Ireallyshouldhavegonetobedearlierlastnight!
我昨晚真该早点上床睡觉！
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00:03
Shetoldmethatshewishesshehadwaitedabitlongertogetmarried.
她告诉我她真该再等一段时间再结婚的。
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00:05
Hedidallthethingsthathe'dalwayswantedtodo.
他做了所有之前一直想做的事。
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00:03
ShewaswearingthesamesweaterIhadboughtearlierthatday.Whatacoincidence!
她那天穿的那件毛衣跟我之前刚买的一样。多么凑巧！
Back to work chit-chat
假期后聊什么？
Okay, we know that returning to work after a holiday can be a bit depressing. But let's look on the bright side: going back is a great opportunity for some catching up with your co-workers. We talked about a few common phrases people use in these situations in today's lesson: Now, we'd like to expand on them a little bit.
好的，我们知道从假期回来上班可能有点失落。但是我们来看看好处：回来上班可能对于拉近同事关系来说是个好机会。今天的课上我们讨论了一些人们常用的短语：现在我们需要稍作拓展。
When seeing your co-workers for the first time after returning from a holiday break, the following questions are the best. Note that they aren't too personal or pointed. Asking general questions like these give your co-worker the opportunity to answer any way they'd like.
当假期归来第一次见到同事的时候，一般问以下问题最好。记住，问题一定不能是太个人化或者太直接。问一些一般性的问题，这样会给同事自由回答的机会。
How was your holiday? 假期怎么样？
How was your break? 假期怎么样？
Did you have a nice holiday/break? 假期过得不错嘛？
Did you go home for the holidays? 假期回家了吗？
Now, this is the important part: If the person looks different than the way you remember them, think about whether you should say anything about it. Remember that people in the West don't like to make ANY negative comments about other people's looks, even when they are meant to show closeness. Comments like:
现在重要的部分来了：如果同事看起来跟之前不一样了，考虑一下要不要提起。记住，西方人不喜欢对别人长相做出负面评论，即使这样看起来很亲密。比如像这样的评论：
You look tired. 你看起来很疲惫。
Did you gain weight? 你是不是体重有增加？
Instead, Western people tend to focus more on positive changes, such as:
相反，西方人倾向于更加关注积极的变化，例如：
You look well-rested. 你看上去休息得不错。
You looked tanned. 你皮肤晒成古铜色了。
Nice tan! 古铜色好好看！
Or just simply:
或者简单说：
You look great! 你看上去气色真好！
If you have foreign co-workers, or work in an English environment, make sure you try a few of these phrases out this year. And don't worry, another holiday will be here before you know it!
如果你有外国同事，或者在英语环境中工作，今年一定要用上这些短语。别担心，很快我们就会有其他节假日课程的！