Li:    Hello everyone and welcome to Question and Answer of the Week. I'm Yang Li. 

Real or mirage?

 
Finn:  And I'm Finn. Now today's question comes from someone with a famous name: Churchill.
 
Li:  Churchill 丘吉尔不是第二次世界大战时期英国首相的名字吗。Is that his real name?
 
Finn:  Well I don't know, it could be. But now you mention the word real -yes? real name - Churchill's question is also about this word real, and the word true. What's the difference?
 
Li:  Churchill 希望我们能解释true 和  real这两个形容词的区别。
 
Finn:  Well that can't be too hard now can it Li? Shall we have a look in the dictionary? 我们查查字典吧，啊找到了。True.
 
Li:  Lots of meanings. 真实，真的，真正的。
 
Finn:  Ok lots of meanings. Now let's look up real. Once we've done this I guess we can finish the programme and go home Li.
 
Li:  Well, maybe not. There are lots of meanings for this word too.
 
Finn:  Yes, I can see things like 真实，真的，真正的。They look a bit similar. Looks like we have a bit of explaining to do, doesn't it?
 
Li:  乍看上去，这两个词的意思真的差不多呀。
 
Finn:  They are indeed. So I'll tell you what, the best thing to do is to look at some examples Li. I'm going to play two sentences and I want you to tell me which one is correct. Now listen out for the word mirage 幻觉，海市蜃楼。
 
Insert
 
In the desert people often see mirages of things like islands, castles and lakes, but they aren't real.
 
In the desert people often see mirages of things like islands, castles and lakes, but they aren't true.
 
Finn:  So Li, any ideas? Should it be real or true?
 
Li:  Yes. This one is real.
 
Finn:  That's right.
 
Li:  Real 的意思是真正存在的，在沙漠里人们经常看到岛屿，城堡和湖泊的幻影 或着我们常说的海市蜃楼  - they aren't real.
 
Finn:  Yes, so this is one important difference. We use the word real when we talk about things which actually exist. They’re real, so for example a real person, or a real place. They're tangible 实实在在的 and not imaginary 想象中的。Now, let's listen to two more examples. 
 
Insert
 
A: I heard you're leaving us next week? Is it real?
B: It's real, I'm afraid. I got a new job.
 
A: I heard you're leaving us next week? Is it true?
B: It's true, I'm afraid. I got a new job.
 
Li:  Aha, here the answer is true, right Finn?
 
Finn:  True. Yes, that's right.
 
Li:  在使用true 的时候表达的意思是属实的，和事实相符的 – it's true.
 
Finn:  And the opposite of this word is false. Now you'll often see these two words together in quizzes, for example, where they ask you whether something is true or false.
 
Li:  Yes, true or false. 但不能说  real or false.
 
Finn:  That's right. Now for our next pair of sentences. Listen out for the phrase based on 根据，基于。 Let's move from the desert to the sea.
 
Insert
 
The film Titanic is based on a true story.
 
The film Titanic is based on a real story.
 
Li:    Right – this one should be true. A true story
 
Finn:    That’s right. 
 
Li:   就是真实的故事。我们都知道有些故事story是虚构的made up有些则是真实的，即真人真事。
 
Finn:  Yes. So the film Titanic is based on what we call a true story: a story with events that really happened. There really was a love story between two of the passengers, many of the characters were real people, and the ship really did sink after it hit an iceberg.
 
Li:  Ok, so in a true story, the people we hear about are real people.
 
Finn:  Yes, real people and real events – not imaginary. 
 
Ok so, so far what are the main differences between true and real?
 
Li:  好我来归纳一下，现实中存在的东西就是real. 某一消息或言论是否属实呢？这就是true. 一个真实发生过的故事就是a true story.
 
Finn:  That’s right and now Li, you know I think it's fair to say that in English you’ll hear the word real more often than the word true.
 
Li:  Yes. 是的，比如说真正的挑战者个短语就是 a real challenge, 当然也可以说a true challenge, 不过  real 这个词在实际生活当中用得更多。
 
Finn:  Great, so as we've found out today, there are some differences between these two words. And there are many, many more that we don't have time to explain today. So the best thing to do is to read and listen to as much in English as possible.
 
Li:  That's true. So thank you to Churchill for today's question. But I'm still wondering whether that's his real name?
 
Finn:    Yes I'm wondering too, I wonder! Well hopefully he or she will hear this programme and let us know. So thank you Churchill for your question and we hope you enjoyed our programme.
 
Li:  And if you keep learning English – your dreams will come true.

 
Finn:  Will they come true? Well I don't know if we can really promise that. But can I tell you a true story Li?
 
Li:  Oh yes please!
 
Finn:  It's been a real pleasure presenting with you today.
 
Li:  Really?
 
Finn:  Really.
 
Li:  最后我想提醒大家如果遇到英语学习方面的问题请随时给我们发邮件 questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
 
Finn:  That's right, please send us an email. So, until next time, bye!
 
Li:  我们下次节目再会。 

This week's question from Churchill in China is about the words true and real. What's the difference?

Finn and Li explain that although the words are very similar, there are differences in the way they are used. Here are three of them:

1. In the desert people often see mirages of things like islands, castles and lakes, but they aren't REAL.

We use the word real here because we are talking about something actually existing or occurring.

We use the word real when we talk about things which actually exist – they are real: a real person, a real place. They're tangible and not imaginary.

2. A: I heard you're leaving us next week? Is it TRUE?
B: It's TRUE, I'm afraid. I got a new job.

We use the word true here. When we say that a statement or piece of information is true it means it's in accordance with fact or reality.

3. The film Titanic is based on a TRUE story.

The film Titanic is based on what we call a true story: a story with events that really happened. There really was a love story between two of the passengers, many of the characters were real people, and the ship really did sink after it hit an iceberg.

We hope these three examples help but as always, our advice is to read as widely as possible to improve your sense of when to use each word.

If you have a question about English, email it to questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. We might answer it on this programme.

Glossary 词汇

mirage 幻觉，海市蜃楼

tangible 实实在在的

imaginary 想象中的

in accordance with fact or reality 同事实或现实相一致

based on 根据，基于

passengers 乘客

sink 下沉

iceberg 冰山