Unit 05
Should I get a prenup?
新知思想/自我提升
New Knowledge/Self-Development
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
What do you think is a prenup agreement all about?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. prenup (n.) 婚前協定
I want to get a prenup agreement.
我想得到一個婚前協議。
2. premarital (adj.) 婚前的
How much are your total premarital assets?
您的婚前總資產是多少？
3. inheritances (n.) 繼承;遺產
I receive a great sum from my inheritances.
我從遺產中得到了一筆可觀的收入。
4. ambivalent (adj.) （心情）矛盾的;模棱兩可的
Josh is still ambivalent about the wedding.
喬希對婚禮仍然曖昧不清。
5. grudges (v.) 怨恨;積怨
Do not hold any grudges and forgive him.
不要懷有任何怨恨並原諒他。
6. friction (n.) 摩擦，不和
I don’t want to create a friction between us.
我不想在我們之間造成摩擦。
7. accumulated (adj.) 積累;積聚;積攢
I accumulated a great amount of wealth.
我積累了很多財富。
8. ramifications (n.) 可能的後果;衍生結果;派生影響
He didn’t think through the ramifications of what he had said.
他沒有想明白自己的話的後果。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
Hey, Matt. I might add Tom’s name to my house before we get married. If so, should I get a prenup?
嗨，Matt。 結婚前，我可能會在房產證上加上Tom的名字。 如果這樣的話，我需要簽一份婚前協定嗎？
Definitely. Gotta preserve your premarital assets and inheritances.
當然需要。 這樣可以保護你的婚前財產還有遺產。
I’m still ambivalent about it. We’re planning a wedding, not a divorce. Tom is the one, not the next one!
我還在猶豫。 我們是要結婚，不是離婚。 Tom是我的唯一，不是”之一”。
Then you have nothing to lose. It’s like car insurance; hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.
那這樣的話，你怎麼都不虧呀。 這就像給車上保險一樣，抱最好的希望，作最壞的打算。
I just don’t want it to cause grudges or friction. And I thought it was only for rich people.
我只是不想為此彼此心生怨恨，引起摩擦。 而且我以為只有有錢人才會簽。個圈子裡。
It’s popular with millennials since they’re getting married after they’ve accumulated some wealth.
這在千禧一代很普遍，因為他們在婚前已經積累了一定的財富。
Well, heaven forbid, we get divorced. If that happened, we’d divvy up our things amicably. Jeff Bezos did that. I trust Tom to do the same.
好吧，但願我們不會離婚。 如果真的發生這種情況，我們會和平處理財產分割。 Jeff Bezos能做到，我相信Tom也可以。
That’s good in theory, but people change. Also, it doesn’t just protect your assets; it protects you from liabilities.
話是這麼說，但人是會變的。 婚前協議不僅可以保護你的資產，還能讓你遠離債務風險。
I suppose it’s better than hoping for a good postnup.
我想這應該比之後爭取婚後補償要更好。
Yeah, don’t forget that marriage is a legal contract with legal ramifications.
是的，不要忘記婚姻是具有法律後果的合法契約。
I guess we’d better bite the bullet and get one.
我想我們還是硬著頭皮簽一份吧。
Grammar
heaven forbid
In today’s lesson, the speaker uses the phrase “heaven forbid” to express that she really doesn’t want something to happen: getting divorced. It’s used for emphasizing that you hope something will not happen. It’s a variant of “God forbid.” It’s most commonly used in these three ways:
1.As a first conditional:
If, heaven forbid, I get fired, I’ll find another job. (“if” is optional)
2. Before a clause:
Heaven forbid, I get fired! (comma is optional)
3. As an exclamation:
A: I hope I don’t get fired. B: Heaven forbid!
Grammatically, this phrase is flexible. You may also see the following occurrences:
1. In the subjunctive mood:
If, heaven forbid, I got fired, I’d find another job.
2. With a “that” conjunction:
Heaven forbid that I get fired!
3. With an “if” conjunction:
Heaven forbid if I get fired!
Just be careful not to pluralize “forbid.” It’s always “heaven forbid.”
1. Heaven forbid, we lose the deal. We’ll have to find another supplier.
2. If, heaven forbid, you were in a horrific accident, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
3. A: It looks like it might rain on my wedding day. B: Heaven forbid!
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.Would you also have a prenup agreement in the future? Why or why not
