Can't put one's finger on it

Hi everyone, this is Jennifer Yoo and with ENGLISH WITH YOO! 안녕하세요 English with Yoo!의 Jennifer Yoo입니다.

오디오 듣기: Can't put one's finger on it

오늘의 영어 표현은Can’t put one’s finger on it입니다.

Have you ever heard this American English phrase ‘can’t put one’s finger on it’? This expression is very common in American English. Let’s find out what it means! 그럼 오늘의 대화를 들어보면서 ‘can’t put one’s finger on it’가 무슨 뜻인지 알아 보겠습니다. 잘 들어보세요.

Can’t put one’s finger on it

Jason: Now you’ve had a good look at it, what do you think about the new painting?
Jen: It’s beautiful, but something is missing.
Jason: What exactly do you think is missing?
Jen: Hmm, I can’t put a finger on it. Let me take another look later.
Jason: Sure

Jason이 제게 “Now you’ve had a good look at it, what do you think about the new painting? 새 그림 잘 봤지? 어떤 것 같아?”라고 묻자 제가 “It’s beautiful, but something is missing. 아름답긴 한데 무언가 좀 빠진 거 같아.”라고 답했습니다.

Jason이 “What exactly do you think is missing? 뭐가 빠진 거 같은지 정확히 말해줄래? 하자 저는 “Hmm, I can’t put a finger on it. Let me take another look. 딱 잘라 말하기가 힘들어. 나중에 다시 한번 볼게”라고 했습니다. Keep today’s phrase ‘can’t put one’s finger on it’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Can’t put one’s finger on it

Jason: Now you’ve had a good look at it, what do you think about the new painting?
Jen: It’s beautiful, but something is missing.
Jason: What exactly do you think is missing?
Jen: Hmm, I can’t put a finger on it. Let me take another look later.
Jason: Sure

오늘의 표현은 Can’t put one’s finger on it입니다. This phrase is used when you can’t find out the exact reason why a situation is the way it is, especially when something is wrong. It can also mean that you can’t recall or identify something. ‘Can’t put one’s finger on it’은 딱 잘라 말할 수 없다. 정확히 알아낼 수 없다, 또렷하게 생각해내기 힘들다 와 같은 뜻입니다. 본문에서 처럼 부족한 점이 있기는 한데 알아내기 어렵다거나 의사가 병의 원인을 정확히 찾아내기 힘든 경우에도 쓸 수 있는 표현입니다.

Let me give you two examples. 예문을 두 개 들어볼까요? 먼저 If your friend looks a little different today but you can’t seem to pin point why, 오늘따라 친구가 뭔가 다르게 보이는데 그게 뭔지 정확히 알 수 없을 때 you can say “You look a little different today, but I can’t put my finger on it. 너 오늘 좀 달라 보이는데 그게 뭔지 딱 잘라 말할 수가 없네.”라고 말할 수 있어요. 또 If you saw a childhood friend and suddenly can’t recall his name, 혹시 어린 시절 친구의 이름 생각나지 않으면 you can say “I know his name. I just can’t put a finger on it right now. 아~ 그 친구 이름 분명히 알았는데 기억이 안 나네.”라고 할 수 있습니다.

오늘의 표현, ‘can’t put a finger on it’ 꼭 기억하시고요. Now we’ll listen to this conversation for the last time.

Can’t put one’s finger on it
Jason: Now you’ve had a good look at it, what do you think about the new painting?
Jen: It’s beautiful, but something is missing.
Jason: What exactly do you think is missing?
Jen: Hmm, I can’t put a finger on it. Let me take another look later.
Jason: Sure

오늘 배우신 영어표현, ‘can’t put one’s finger on it’ 는 ‘딱 잘라 말할 수 없다. 정확히 알아낼 수 없다, 또렷하게 생각해내기 힘들다’ 이라는 뜻입니다. 다음 시간에 다시 뵙겠습니다. 지금까지 ENGLISH WITH YOO에 Jennifer Yoo입니다. Bye bye!