BBC 6分钟英语 你的配偶值多少钱？

English from BBC, learning English. Hello, and welcome to Six Minute English.

I'm Alice, and I'm Neil. Hello, hello, neil.

Now tell me, do you usually go Dutch when you take someone out to dinner?

Now, go Dutch means to share the cost of something, e.g.

a meal in a restaurant. Uh, well, alice, no, I

usually expect my date to pay.

Actually, I hope you're joking, neal, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Personally, I think it's a nice gesture to offer to pay for the meal when you're on a date.

Yeah, but it can depend on the situation.

Some people might be offended if you offered to pay for everything.

Well, yes, true. Clearly you're not going to offend those people.

Neil, though, are you? And I won't be going to dinner with you anytime soon.

Well, I didn't ask. So calm down, alice.

Actually, money matters can cause relationship problems in couples, and that's the subject of the show.

Here's today's quiz question Based on a UK survey.

Ready Alice I am indeed what percentage of married couples don't know exactly what their spouse earns?

Is it A 4 %? B 14% or C 44 %?

Mm Well, gosh, um, I think B 14 %.

Yes, that sounds about right to me.

Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on.

Now, it seems important that couples are honest about their finances, because it can have an impact on their future financial options together.

Yes, that's right. If you're buying a house together, and then find out later that your spouse, your husband or wife, is thousands of pounds in debt, then the chances are you won't be able to get a mortgage to be in debt, by the way, means to owe money to someone.

Good point. A mortgage is where a bank lends you money to buy a house.

Let's listen now to what Arabella Russell, a relationship therapist, has to say about this.

The fact of the matter is, it's very difficult.

It can be very difficult to talk about money.

Often when we talk about money, it's emotions very close to us.

There's guilt, the shame of what have we done in the past to start those conversations is complicated.

Money can be about how we value ourselves, how we feel valued.

It's not just a simple case of talking about hark cash.

Arabella talks about hard cash. Now, what does that mean?

Well, we say hard cash when we talk about physical money, the coins and bank notes, as opposed to other types of payment.

And why do we find it so difficult to talk about cash?

Alice Well, because we get emotional about it.

Arabella talks about feelings of guilt and shame.

And for many of us, money isn't simply money.

It can be about how we value ourselves or feel valued, right?

So if I were to buy you a cheap engagement ring, you would feel undervalued.

Nice example, neil, you can't be a cheap skate when it comes to engagement rings.

So how much would you spend on our engagement ring?

Neil Well, I didn't know we were getting married, but, um, if I was buying an engagement ring for you Alice, I think definitely I would spend about, you know, around in the region of, ah, sorry, now, I-I didn't quite catch that thing.

Yeah, pounds. All right, hmmm. Are you calling me a cheapscake?

I certainly am neil. Cheapscake means someone who doesn't like spending money.

By the way, moving on, let's hear more from Arabella about how people have different attitudes towards money, except the fact that in your relationship, you might do money differently.

There might be a spender, there might be a savor.

It's very tempting if your partner does things differently to say they're wrong.

They might do it differently because they see money differently, do it differently, but have a budget, of course.

Be honest about each other, but recognize that you might just have a different view of money.

Now, that sounds like excellent advice to me.

I'm a saver, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

Why waste money on an expensive engagement ring?

Engagements don't always last. You might drop the ring down the kitchen sink or hows ready?

Man, you know, you might meet someone else indeed.

Now, I know I shouldn't say you're wrong, but you're wrong.

You'd have to invest in a relationship if you want it to work.

Calm down. I see money differently to you.

I'm a savor and you're a spender, and that's all there is to it.

Now, a budget means the money you have available for something and a plan for how to use it.

Hmm, well, we'll have to agree to differ.

And that means except that we have different opinions on this one.

Can we have the answer to today's quiz question then?

Please, yes, we can. I asked, what percentage of married couples don't know exactly what their spouse earns?

Is it A 4 %? B 14% or C 44 %?

And I said B 14 %? And Mhm, you are absolutely and completely wrong.

The correct answer is 44 %. Now, that's according to new research conducted by the U-K Credit Report Service

Model, who also found that an astonishing million married couples actively tried to keep their finances secret from their partners.

Gosh, what a lot of people.

Can we have today's words again, then Neil, please we can.

Here they are. Go Dutch spouse to be in debt, mortgage, hard cash, cheap skate budget agreed to differ.

Well, that brings us to the end of today's six minute English.

We hope you thought today's program was good value, and please join us again soon.

See you then. Good Bye. Bye.

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