okay
okay — 感嘆詞
1. a word you say when someone asks you to do something or makes a suggestion and y
好的；行
表示同意或接受建議
a word you say when someone asks you to do something or makes a suggestion and you want to say yes
Okay, I'll pick you up from the station at six.
好的，我六點到車站接你。
exclamation showing agreement to a plan
Okay, you can borrow my bicycle for the afternoon.
好的，你下午可以借我的腳踏車。
Ari asked if he could leave early and Elena said okay.
Ari 問他可不可以早點走，Elena 說好。
When the captain suggested a detour, the crew replied, "Okay, let's do it!"
船長提議改變航線時，船員們回答：「好，就這麼辦！」
- no
direct refusal instead of agreement
用法筆記
Can be repeated ("Okay, okay, I'm coming!") to show slight impatience or urgency.
2. said to show that you have heard what someone told you and you understand it
了解；明白
表示聽懂對方的話
said to show that you have heard what someone told you and you understand it
Okay, I see what you mean about the design now.
好，我現在明白你對設計的想法了。
followed by confirmation of understanding
Okay, so you want me to email the report before noon — got it.
好，所以你要我在中午前寄出報告——收到了。
Feng explained the route twice before Megan finally said okay.
Feng 解釋了兩次路線，Megan 才終於說好，她懂了。
Okay, I realize now that I made a mistake on the invoice.
好，我現在發現我在發票上犯了錯。
用法筆記
Often followed by a restatement of what you understood, to confirm accuracy: 'Okay, so you mean…'
3. said to show that you are ready to start doing something or to move to the next
好了；那麼
表示準備開始做某事
said to show that you are ready to start doing something or to move to the next activity
Okay, let us begin the warm-up exercises before the coach arrives for training.
好了，我們在教練來訓練之前先開始暖身運動吧。
transition signal to start a new activity
Okay, everyone turn to page forty-two in your books.
好了，大家課本翻到第四十二頁。
Rafael clapped his hands and said, okay, time to clean up.
Rafael 拍手說：「好了，該打掃了。」
Okay, time to pack up the camping gear and head back to the site.
好了，把裝備收好，該回營地了。
用法筆記
Functions like a marker to shift from talking to doing. Common in classrooms, meetings, and group activities.
4. a word you say during a conversation when you need a moment to find the right wo
嗯；那個
說話時停頓思考的填充詞
a word you say during a conversation when you need a moment to find the right words to continue
I was thinking, okay, that maybe we should paint the kitchen yellow instead.
我在想，嗯，也許我們應該把廚房漆成黃色。
filler word mid-sentence while thinking
The plan is, okay, we drive to the lake and then rent a boat for the day.
計劃是，那個，我們開車到湖邊，然後租一艘船玩一天。
We could, okay, try a completely different approach to the problem.
我們可以，嗯，試試一個完全不同的方法來解決這個問題。
The real problem, okay, is that nobody told us about the deadline change.
真正的問題，那個，是根本沒人告訴團隊截止日期改了。
用法筆記
Does not carry meaning — it simply holds your place in a sentence while you gather your thoughts. More common in casual speech than in writing.
okay — 形容詞
1. something that everyone involved has accepted as fine or convenient
可行；沒問題
各方同意或接受的
something that everyone involved has accepted as fine or convenient
Is it okay if I open the window?
我可以開窗戶嗎？
question pattern: 'Is it okay if…'
It is okay with me if you want to leave before the end of the film.
如果你想在電影結束前離開，我沒問題。
pattern: 'okay with [person]'
Femi checked with Ziad to make sure Saturday afternoon was okay for the barbecue.
Femi 跟 Ziad 確認星期六下午辦烤肉是否方便。
Is it okay with your parents if we have the party at your house?
你爸媽同意我們在你家辦派對嗎？
- alright
interchangeable in British English
- fine
slightly more formal
- acceptable
more formal; used in official contexts
- unacceptable
formal opposite meaning 'not allowed'
用法筆記
Usually appears in questions ('Is it okay if…?', 'Is that okay with you?') or negative statements ('It's not okay to…'). Rarely used in affirmative statements about plans.
常見錯誤
2. in a good enough condition; working or happening as it should
還行；沒事
狀態或品質尚可接受
in a good enough condition; working or happening as it should
My computer is working okay again after the repair.
我的電腦修好之後又能正常運作了。
describes condition: 'working okay'
The children are okay — they just have a mild cold.
孩子們沒事——只是有點小感冒。
Élise checked on her grandmother and said everything was okay.
Élise 去探望祖母，說她一切都好。
Eitan checked the tyre pressure and said everything was okay for the long drive.
Eitan 檢查了輪胎，說長途開車沒問題。
用法筆記
Frequently used in questions to check on someone's wellbeing: 'Are you okay?' Also common in negative form ('not okay') to mean 'not in a good state.'
3. good enough for a particular purpose but not especially good or impressive
還過得去
不差但不算出色
good enough for a particular purpose but not especially good or impressive
The film was okay, but I would not pay to watch it again.
這部電影還可以，但我不會花錢再看一次。
concessive pattern: 'okay but [not great]'
Leo thought the pizza was okay but preferred the pasta dish.
Leo 覺得披薩還行，但他更喜歡義大利麵。
Her first draft was okay, nothing special, so she rewrote it.
她的初稿還過得去，沒什麼特別的，所以她重寫了一遍。
The weather was okay for a picnic, even though the sky looked cloudy.
天氣還算適合野餐，雖然天空有點陰。
用法筆記
Sounds lukewarm or slightly disappointed. If someone asks 'How was the concert?' and you say 'It was okay,' you imply it was not great.
常見錯誤
okay — 副詞
1. in a way that is good enough but not excellent
順利；不錯
以令人滿意但不突出的方式
in a way that is good enough but not excellent
The engine runs okay now that the mechanic has replaced the spark plugs.
引擎在技師換了火星塞之後運轉得還算順暢。
adverb after verb: 'runs okay'
Faisal played okay in the match but missed two easy shots.
Faisal 比賽打得還不錯，但錯失了兩個簡單的機會。
The children slept okay despite the thunderstorm outside.
孩子們雖然外面打雷，但睡得還可以。
The old radio works okay if you adjust the antenna properly.
這台舊收音機調整天線後還能用。
- satisfactorily
more formal; means the same
- adequately
more formal; suggests bare minimum
- alright
interchangeable in informal British English
- badly
opposite meaning — poorly done
用法筆記
Modifies verbs describing performance, functioning, or behaviour. Cannot be used before adjectives (do not say 'okay good').
常見錯誤
okay — 動詞
1. to give your official agreement or permission for a plan, request, or action to
批准；核准
正式同意或允許
to give your official agreement or permission for a plan, request, or action to go ahead
The manager okayed our request for new office chairs.
經理批准了我們申請新辦公椅的要求。
past tense: okayed
Has the school board okayed the new timetable for next term?
學校董事會核准下學期的新時間表了嗎？
Christopher okayed the final design before the team sent it to the printer.
Christopher 核定了最終設計稿，團隊才送去印刷。
The landlord okayed the changes we wanted to make to the kitchen.
房東同意了我們想改動廚房的要求。
- approve
more formal; used in official procedures
- authorize
formal; implies official permission with authority
- greenlight
informal; means the same, often used in media and business
文法句型
okay + noun phrase
用法筆記
The past tense is usually spelled 'okayed' (or sometimes 'OK'd'). Used mostly in workplace and administrative contexts. More informal than 'approve' or 'authorize.'
常見錯誤
okay — 名詞
1. permission or agreement for something to happen or be done
許可
對某事的允許或同意
permission or agreement for something to happen or be done
We need to get the okay from the supervisor before we order new supplies.
我們在訂購新用品之前需要獲得主管的許可。
pattern: 'get the okay from [someone]'
Ilan received the okay to book the flights for the team.
Ilan 獲得許可，可以為團隊預訂機票。
The committee gave their okay to the fundraising proposal.
委員會批准了募款提案。
Soraya is waiting for the okay from her university before she books the flight.
Soraya 正在等大學的許可，才能訂機票。
- approval
more formal; used in official contexts
- go-ahead
informal; means the same, common in business
- green light
idiomatic; means permission to proceed
用法筆記
Always used with a determiner ('the okay', 'an okay', 'their okay'). Common in workplace and travel contexts. More informal than 'approval' or 'authorization.'