This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Quang in Vietnam, who says: It would be a big help if you could teach me the difference between "fix" and "repair".

在本周的《名师答疑》中，我们回答越南的广的一个问题，他问道：如果你能告诉我"fix"和"repair"的区别，那就帮了我大忙了。

Thank you so much. Hello Quang,

非常感谢。你好，广，

My cell phone was not working yesterday. I tried to fix it but I was unable to.

我的手机昨天坏了。我想把它修好，但我不会修。

So, I took it to a shop to have it repaired. The words "fix" and "repair" can be verbs or nouns.

所以，我把它拿去商店修理。fix和repair可以是动词也可以是名词。

Today, I will focus mainly on the verbs. Both verbs mean to put something that is broken or damaged back into good condition.

今天，我主要讲动词。这两个动词都表示将损坏的东西修好。

Often, we use "fix" and "repair" interchangeably, which means either word can be used. But the verb "fix" is much more common in everyday speech.

通常，"fix"和"repair"可以互换使用，这意味着这两个词都可以使用。但是fix这个动词在日常用语中更常见。

Generally, we use "repair" when we want to sound more formal. We can also use "repair" when someone with expertise is doing the work.

一般来说，当我们想要听起来更正式时，我们会使用"repair"。当有专业知识的人在做某项工作时，我们也可以用repair。

For example, you can take your clothing, phone, computer, car or musical instrument to a shop to have it repaired. Or a person might come to your home to repair your air conditioner, refrigerator or something else.

例如，你可以把你的衣服、电话、电脑、汽车或乐器带到商店去修理。或者有人可能来你家修理你的空调、冰箱或其他东西。

In each of these cases, the person doing the work is an expert at it. However, even when we are talking about such repairs, we may still use the word "fix".

在这种情况下，从事这项工作的人都是这方面的专家。然而，即使我们在谈论这种修理时，我们仍然可以使用"fix"这个词。

For example, you can say, "The tailor fixed the zipper on my jeans" or "The repairman is fixing the refrigerator". In other words, you can almost always use "fix," except in some cases.

例如，你可以说："The tailor fixed the zipper on my jeans"（裁缝修好了我牛仔裤上的拉链）或者"The repairman is fixing the refrigerator"（ 修理工正在修电冰箱）。换句话说，除了某些情况外，几乎总是可以使用"fix"。

Notice that I used the word "repairman". The word "repair" appears in some job titles, such as repairman, repairwoman, repairperson and repair technician.

注意，我用了"repairman"（修理工）这个词。"repair"一词出现在一些职业头衔中，如repairman（修理工）、repairwoman（女修理工）、repairperson（修理工）和repair technician（修理技术员）。

We would not say "fixperson," for example. In addition, the word "repair" appears in the names of many shops that do such work.

例如，我们不会说" fixperson "。此外，"repair"一词出现在许多做这种工作的商店的名字中。

One last thing to know: The verbs "fix" and "repair" can have other meanings.

要知道的最后一件事：动词"fix"和"repair"可以有其他意思。

For example, when someone says they are fixing food or drink, it means they are preparing it. And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.

例如，当有人说他们在准备食物或饮料时，意思是他们正在准备它。以上就是本周的《名师答疑》。

I'm Alice Bryant.

爱丽丝·布莱恩特为您播报。