美語情景對話 第1118期:Love and Relationships in France 法國的戀愛關係

Todd: Hello, Marianne. I thought we would talk about love and relationships today.

託德：你好，瑪麗安。我們來談談現在的愛情和戀愛關係。

Marianne: Okay.

瑪麗安：好。

Todd: If you don't mind.

託德：如果你不介意的話。

Marianne: That's fine.

瑪麗安：我不介意。

Todd: And we would ask you about marriage in your country of France. And is it changing? Like are fewer people getting married? Are they getting married younger or later? Like how is marriage changing in France?

託德：請你說說你的祖國法國的婚姻。婚姻情況有改變嗎？結婚的人是越來越少嗎？人們結婚的年齡是呈年輕化還是會推遲結婚？法國的婚姻情況有什麼變化？

Marianne: Well, marriage, it's kind of like very, like it's a traditional idea. Actually, it's a very conservative idea or very – it became like a conservative concept. So actually nowadays, I would say that French people do not really care about getting married. They care more about like having a stable relationship or having a real love relationship. Because I would say like for example, for my grandfather and grandmother's generation, marriage was very, like, it was very important for the stability of the family and for the stability of – even for yourself. Like even for when you were a woman at this time, you have to rely on a husband to live because women were not independent. They couldn't work or they had difficult access to work. So marriage was very important to have this possible life and having someone who can support you. But nowadays, because things are changing between men and women, they tend to be equal, so they tend to have the same rights. So marriage became less important to get some stability in your life. But the most important nowadays is to find someone that you can really rely on and someone that you really love to have a family. So people get married like when they are older. So they really enjoy like being young and enjoy, like, having different partners for example and then decide who is the best one, best partner. And then when they are older, when they are sure, they can get married and have a family. But it's not the first priority. People are more independent; women and men nowadays in France. So marriage is like kind of just like people put back – put the marriage back, it's not the first priority. The main priority is really about love, about finding happiness in your life if you find someone you love.

瑪麗安：嗯，婚姻是傳統的想法。這是一種非常保守的想法，婚姻已經成爲保守概念。現在，法國人並不在乎結婚與否。他們更在乎有一段穩定的戀愛關係或有一段真正的戀情。舉個例子，對我祖父母那代人來說，婚姻對家庭的穩定和自身的穩定來說非常重要。當時，女性要依靠丈夫生活，因爲女性並不是獨立的。她們不能工作，或者說她們很難找到工作。所以，婚姻非常重要，因爲你要找到支持你生活的人。可是現在，因爲男性和女性的情況已經發生變化，男女更平等，享有同樣的權利。所以婚姻對於維持生活穩定來說不再重要。現在最重要的是找到你真正想依靠、想組成家庭的人。所以，人們結婚的年齡越來越晚。他們在年輕時享受時光，和不同的伴侶交往，然後決定最佳伴侶人選。在他們年齡越來越大時，當他們確定時他們就會結婚，組成家庭。但是婚姻不再是首要任務。人們越來越獨立，現在法國男女非常獨立。所以他們會推遲結婚，結婚不再那麼重要。更重要的是愛情，找到你愛的人，找到幸福的生活。

Todd: Okay. Well, I think in the States it's very similar. But how do they feel about children? And also, how do they feel about, let's say, being with someone for their entire life? Like you find your soul-mate and then that's it.

託德：好。我認爲美國的情況和法國類似。法國人對生孩子有什麼看法？他們對和伴侶共度一生有什麼看法？比如找到靈魂伴侶之類的。

Marianne: Well, it's a very romantic idea. So I think it's – it doesn't have to do with marriage. Like it depends on your personality I would say because if you believe in this idea of the perfect soul-mate and someone you can live with forever, it's more like romantic. So I would say, nowadays, like still French people believe in everlasting or never-ending love. But it's not necessarily through marriage that you accomplish this.

瑪麗安：嗯，這是一個非常浪漫的想法。我認爲不一定非要結婚。這取決於你的性格，如果你相信完美靈魂伴侶，你可以和一個人共度一生，那非常浪漫。現在，法國人依然相信永恆的愛。但是，那並不一定通過結婚來實現。

Todd: Okay. And what about children?

託德：好。那孩子呢？

Marianne: What do you – so what's your question about children?

瑪麗安：就孩子來說，你想問什麼？

Todd: So you were saying that marriage isn't as important to people. Are they willing to have children out of wedlock? Or like do people feel like you have to be married to have children or they just...?

託德：你說婚姻對人們來說不再重要。那他們願意未婚生子嗎？人們是認爲一定要結婚以後再生孩子還是他們可以……？

Marianne: No, no. No, no. You have to love each other. You really have to love each other to have children. Like it doesn't matter so much if you are married or not, it's just a question of paper usually. For example, if the child should have the name of the father or the mother when you are not married, it could be this kind of issue. But like people can have children and then get married. Like for example, my friends – I have many friends around me who are just getting married now but they have already children like two or three children. So it's not, yeah, the question of having children or getting married before – we don't need – the order does not really matter nowadays. You have to marry the other if the other is really your ideal partner. But it does not matter if you have children before or after.

瑪麗安：不是，不是的。首先一定要相愛。一定要相愛才能要孩子。這與是否結婚沒有太大關係，婚姻不過是一張紙。舉個例子，如果沒有結婚，那孩子出生以後可能面臨是隨父姓還是隨母姓的問題。但是也可以有孩子以後再結婚。我身邊有很多朋友正在準備結婚，而他們已經有兩三個孩子了。現在，要孩子和結婚的順序不再那麼重要。如果對方是你理想的伴侶，那你就和對方結婚。結婚前生孩子還是結婚後再生孩子不太重要。

Todd: That makes a lot of sense. I think it's the same in a lot of countries these days.

託德：這很有道理。我想現在有很多國家都是這種情況。

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重點講解：
1. get married 結婚；
例句：The last time I met her, she said she was going to get married.
上次我遇到她時她說要結婚了。
2. care about 關心；在乎；在意；
例句：Friends genuinely care about each other.
只有朋友才真正地互相關心。
3. rely on 依賴；依靠；
例句：They relied heavily on the advice of their professional advisers.
他們非常依賴職業諮詢師提供的建議。
4. put back 拖延；推遲；
例句：There are always new projects which seem to put the reunion back further.
總是有新的項目使重聚一推再推。