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地道英语

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A big ask 让人为难的请求

Episode 260210 / 10 Feb 2026

节目简介

在请人办事的时候，我们可能偶尔需要提出一些需要他人大费周章才能完成的请求。在英语中，这种 “让人为难的请求” 会被称为 “a big ask”。同样，当他人提出了一个令我们有些为难，不好处理的请求时，我们也可以用 “This is a big ask.” 来提示对方 “这个要求有些困难，不好完成”。听节目，跟主持人菲菲和 Phil 学习这个表达的用法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei 
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English, where we explain phrases and expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei.

Phil
And I'm Phil. Can I ask you something, Feifei?

Feifei
Yes, sure.

Phil
OK, you know you were going to take next week off work, and I was going to take the week after that off? Turns out I mixed up the dates – I booked flights for next week. Could I swap weeks with you and take next week off? Um, I know it's a big ask.

Feifei
Phil, that is a big ask. I don't think I can do that – I've already got everything planned out.

Phil
OK, I get it. It was a big ask. Shall we just explain this expression – 'a big ask'?

Feifei
Well, that's not such a big ask – let's do that! OK, so a big ask is a request for something that you know will be difficult for the person that you are asking. You asking me to change my holiday was too big an ask – I just can't do it.

Phil
That was probably an unreasonable thing for me to ask for. We often use 'a big ask' at work to say that you know a task is difficult when you're asking for it to be done – "I know it's a big ask, but can you do it?" And we also use it to say that what someone is asking us for might be too difficult – "That's a big ask, but I'll try and get it done."

Feifei
Let's hear some other examples of people using 'a big ask'.

Examples
Asking me to do anything before I've had my morning coffee is a big ask.

I know it's a big ask, but can you pick me up from the airport next weekend? My flight gets in at 3am.

To start with, my neighbour asked me to water his plants while he's on holiday, but now he's added mowing the lawn, and that's a big ask.

Feifei
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “地道英语” 节目。在本期节目中，我们一起学习了表达 “a big ask” 的用法。“A big ask” 指的是 “一个难以实现或让人为难的请求”，通常这个 “ask（请求）” 是一个对他人来说很难做到的事情，或者需要他人付出很大努力才能做到的事情。Phil, 'ask' is not a verb here, is it?

Phil
No, it's not. 'Ask' is usually a verb, but it's actually being used as a noun here. But remember, we don't often use 'ask' as a noun outside this expression.

Feifei
No, we don't. Well, that's it for this programme, but join us again next time to learn more English phrases and expressions.

Phil
Make sure you listen – it's not a big ask.

Feifei
Goodbye.

Phil
Bye.

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