Girlfriend
“Girlfriend” 通常指浪漫关系中的女方;在美式口语里,有时也指“女性朋友”,易与恋爱含义混淆,正式表达可用 “female friend” 明示。
- “He bought flowers for his girlfriend on her birthday.” (女朋友生日那天他买了花。)
- “My girlfriend studies engineering at the same university.” (我的女朋友在同一所大学读工程。)
- “They were friends for years before she became his girlfriend.” (他们做朋友多年后,她才成为他的女朋友。)
复合词:“girl”(女孩、年轻女性)+ “friend”(朋友),语义从“女性朋友”收窄为恋爱对象,与 “boyfriend” 对称。
两个自由词根复合,无额外词缀;可对比 “boyfriend” 的相同构词模式。
在当代英语中,“girlfriend” 多指非婚恋爱关系;公开介绍、社交媒体状态里很常见。跨文化交际时注意与中文“女朋友”默认含义基本对应。
- 固定搭配: “ex-girlfriend” (前女友), “long-term girlfriend” (长期交往的女友)
- 复数: girlfriends
“girl” + “friend”:从“女性朋友”里锁定那位“特别的女性朋友”。
“At the airport, he hugged his girlfriend goodbye and promised to call every night while abroad.” (在机场,他拥抱女朋友道别,并答应出国期间每晚打电话。)