imagine

imagine — 動詞

1. to create a picture or scene in your mind, often of something you have never see

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

想像；設想

在腦中形成圖像或概念

to create a picture or scene in your mind, often of something you have never seen or experienced

例句

Élise closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the old castle looked like before it fell into ruin.

Élise 閉上眼睛，試著想像那座古堡在倒塌前是什麼模樣。

imagine + wh-clause for mental scenes

Can you imagine living in a house with twelve bedrooms and a pool in the garden?

你能想像住在一棟有十二間臥室和花園泳池的房子裡是什麼感覺嗎？

imagine + -ing for hypothetical situations

同義詞
  • picture

    more informal; suggests a clearer, more detailed mental image

  • visualise

    more formal and specific; used when the mental image is very vivid

  • envision

    more formal; often used for future possibilities or plans

反義詞
  • forget

    to lose the mental image or memory of something

文法句型

imagine + noun phrase

imagine + -ing verb

imagine + that-clause

imagine + wh-clause

用法筆記

Often used with forms of 'can' or 'could' to express the ability to picture something: 'I can imagine…' / 'I couldn't imagine…'. The gerund (-ing form) is required after 'imagine', never the to-infinitive.

常見錯誤

❌I imagined to fly like a bird.
✅I imagined flying like a bird.
💡imagine must be followed by a gerund, not a to-infinitive.
❌I can't imagine to live without my phone.
✅I can't imagine living without my phone.
💡the verb after imagine takes the -ing form.

2. to have a guess that something is true, basing your view on signs rather than so

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

猜想；認為

相信某事很可能為真但非完全確定

to have a guess that something is true, basing your view on signs rather than solid proof

例句

I imagine the train will be late because of the heavy snow on the railway tracks.

我猜想火車會因為鐵軌上積雪深厚而誤點。

imagine + that-clause for supposition

The restaurant looks very busy tonight, so I imagine we will have to wait for a table.

餐廳今晚看起來很忙，所以我想我們得等位子。

同義詞
  • suppose

    very close in meaning; slightly more tentative

  • guess

    more informal; implies less evidence or thought behind the opinion

  • assume

    more formal; suggests taking something for granted as a basis for reasoning

反義詞
  • know

    to be certain of the facts rather than guessing

文法句型

imagine + (that) + clause

用法筆記

Frequently takes a that-clause. In informal speech, the conjunction 'that' is often dropped: 'I imagine you are tired.'

常見錯誤

❌I imagine it's raining outside' (when you can see through the window that it is raining).
✅I think it's raining outside.
💡imagine suggests uncertainty or inference, not a direct observation.

3. to be under the wrong impression that something is real, even though it does not

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

誤以為；幻想

以為某事為真但其實並非如此

to be under the wrong impression that something is real, even though it does not actually exist or is not true

例句

The hiker imagined he saw a bear in the fog, but it was only a large grey rock.

那名登山客在霧中誤以為自己看見了一隻熊，但那只是一塊灰色的大岩石。

imagine + that-clause for false perception

Young children sometimes imagine there is a monster hiding under the bed at night.

小孩子有時會幻想床底下躲著一隻怪物。

同義詞
  • fancy

    more literary and dated; suggests an unrealistic or whimsical belief

  • fantasise

    suggests imagining pleasant but unlikely or impossible things

文法句型

imagine + (that) + clause

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about deliberately creating a mental picture for enjoyment or planning, whereas sense 3 is about mistakenly believing something false. The context often makes the falseness clear through a contrasting statement.

常見錯誤

❌I imagined a beautiful beach' (when you meant the creative sense).
✅Reserve this sense for situations where the belief turns out to be false or unreal.

4. used to show that you are very surprised or shocked by something, especially som

4.動詞不及物B2
釋義

真想不到

表示震驚或驚訝的感嘆用法

used to show that you are very surprised or shocked by something, especially someone's actions or behaviour

例句

Imagine! Eitan quit his job without finding another one first.

真想不到！Eitan 還沒找到下一份工作就辭職了。

imperative exclamation: Imagine!

Imagine forgetting your own child's birthday — how could any parent do such a thing?

真想不到有人會忘記自己小孩的生日——哪個父母做得出這種事？

同義詞
  • would you believe

    more conversational; implies the listener may find it hard to accept

  • can you believe

    similar function but used as a question rather than an exclamation

文法句型

Imagine! + clause or phrase

用法筆記

This is an exclamatory use, often standing alone at the start of a sentence or as its own utterance. It conveys disbelief or moral shock, not a request to picture something. Common in informal speech and writing.

常見錯誤

❌Using this sense in formal writing.
✅Reserve it for informal or conversational contexts where the shock is genuine.

5. used in negative sentences to emphasise that something is very difficult to beli

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

無法想像

用否定形式強調難以置信

used in negative sentences to emphasise that something is very difficult to believe, accept, or understand

例句

I cannot imagine why anyone would climb that dangerous mountain without proper equipment.

我無法想像為什麼有人會想在沒有適當裝備的情況下去爬那座危險的山。

can't imagine + wh-clause for emphasis

You can imagine how upset Folake was when she lost the only photograph of her grandmother.

你可以想像 Folake 弄丟祖母唯一一張照片時有多沮喪。

同義詞
  • believe

    used similarly in negatives: 'I can't believe…' but expresses stronger disbelief

  • conceive

    more formal; 'I cannot conceive of…' implies an inability to grasp something even as a possibility

文法句型

can't + imagine + wh-clause

cannot + imagine + that-clause

用法筆記

Nearly always appears in negative constructions with 'can't', 'cannot', or 'could not'. The positive form ('I imagine…') belongs to sense 2. The pattern 'you can imagine' (positive but open to interpretation) serves as a rhetorical appeal to the listener's understanding.

常見錯誤

❌I imagine you are upset' (when you mean to emphasise disbelief).
✅I can't imagine you being upset about that.
💡use the negative form for emphasis.