Do you have trouble getting your mum off the phone?

Natalie on phone
 
Natalie:    Yes... I know!... She didn't say that…
 
Feifei:    Natalie.
 
Natalie:  Really?
 
Feifei:    Natalie!
 
Natalie:  Sorry, I'm going to have to love you and leave you.
 
Feifei:    Urgh.
 
Natalie:  Yeah, me too. Bye.
 
Natalie:  Sorry Feifei, I just had to take that call.
 
Feifei:    Are you ready now for this week's Question and Answer of the Week?
 
Natalie:  Yes I'm ready.
 
Feifei:  本期《你问我答》节目我们会来解答听友Zhang Yishi 对英语里一个常见表达的疑问。Let’s hear from Zhang. 
 
Insert
 
What's the meaning of the expression love you and leave you? Which situation the British use it and how they use it? Thank you, Zhang Yishi.
 
Feifei:  Zhang Yishi 想知道在英语里短语  love you and leave you 的意思是什么，他还想知道我们应该什么时候、对哪些人使用这个短语。You just said that expression Natalie.
 
Natalie:  When?
 
Feifei:  Remember when you were on the phone at the start of the programme? 
 
Natalie:  Oh yes. 
 
Feifei:  You said I'm going to have to love you and leave you, 意思就是我不得不爱你，但也要离开你。
 
Natalie:  Well Feifei love you and leave you is an idiomatic expression and can be used in English as a way of ending conversations. 
 
Feifei:  这是一个习惯表达，人们通常用这个表达来结束一段对话。Let's listen to some examples.
 
Insert
 
A. Well I'm up early tomorrow so I'm going to have to love you and leave you.
 
B. What an awful day! I'm sorry I can't stay for a chat; I'm going to have to love you     and leave you.
 
C. I'm going to have to love you and leave you I'm afraid; I've got a lot to do after lunch. 
 
Natalie:  Did you hear the language used with the expression love you and leave you? Let's listen again.
 
 
Insert
 
A. Well I'm up early tomorrow so I'm going to have to love you and leave you.
 
B. What an awful day! I'm sorry I can't stay for a chat; I'm going to have to love you     and leave you.
 
C. I'm going to have to love you and leave you I'm afraid; I've got a lot to do after lunch. 
 
Natalie:  In each of the examples each person used 'I'm going to have to' with the expression love you and leave you. By saying I'm going to have to love you and leave you they're saying they're going to have to end the conversation and leave. 
 
Feifei:  I'm going to have to love you and leave you. 意思也就是不得不结束对话然后离开。说话一方通常用这个表达来礼貌地暗示需要离开。
 
Natalie:  It can also be used in situations where there's only time for a short conversation.
 
Feifei:  有时候如果时间只允许说话双方进行一个简短的对话，我们也可以使用这个表达。
 
Natalie:  Love you and leave you is usually used in informal and friendly situations.
 
Feifei:  Love you and leave you 通常被用在友好的非正式场合中。So what other ways can you signal the end of a conversation? 
 
Natalie:  'I'd better go' and 'I'd better run' are also common phrases to signal the end of a conversation, which are then followed by a way of saying goodbye.
 
Feifei:  I'd better go 还有  I'd better run 也可以用来暗示需要结束对话。不过在暗示完需要结束对话后我们还得说再见。
 
Natalie:  And there are lots of different ways of saying goodbye.
 
Feifei:  What are they?
 
Natalie:  Well they are…
 
RING RING RING RING
 
Natalie:  I'm sorry! I'm waiting for a really important call!
 
Feifei:    Not again!
 
Natalie:  Hi Mum.
  
Yes... that sounds fine… I'm going to have to love you and leave you… catch you later...
 
   Yep… ok, see you later...
 
   Mmm… cheerio...
 
   I'd better go… So long mum… Um-hum, yeah....
 
   Ok, take care…
 
   Yes mum… I'd better run… bye-e!
 
Natalie:  Sorry! Sometimes you just can't get your mum off the phone.
 
Feifei:  It's ok, but you did mention a lot of interesting ways of saying goodbye. 不过你刚才用了很多有趣的说再见的表达。 You said catch you later, see you later, cheerio.
 
Natalie:  I also said so long, take care and bye-e.
 
Feifei:  Bye-e?
 
Natalie:  Yes Feifei, sometimes when we say bye we tend to raise the intonation at the end, so bye becomes bye-e.
 
Feifei:  Bye-e.
 
Natalie:  Well Feifei I'm going to have to love you and leave you. 
 
Feifei:  希望你对我们的回答还满意 Zhang Yishi. 如果你在英语学习中遇到任何难题，都可以发信给我们到 questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
 
Natalie:  So long Feifei.
 
Feifei:    Cheerio Natalie.  

Have you ever found it difficult to end a conversation? Do you find it hard to get someone off the phone?

This week Natalie and Feifei look at how and when the phrase 'love you and leave you' is used in English.

Have you heard of these phrases below?

Catch you later.

I better go.

So long.

Take care.

Listen to the programme to find out what they mean.

Also this week, find out who in the BBC China Team needs to turn off their mobile phone!

If you have a question you would like to ask our team, email us at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.

We might make a programme about your question.