A:You told me that John likes to boast about his capability.
你告訴我約翰喜歡自吹自擂。
B: Yes. He always talks about things that are beyond his reach.
是的，他總是談論他辦不到的事情。
A: But when I went to ask him to help me, he kept on poor-mouthing himself.
但是我去叫他幫我，他卻很“謙虛”。



發音講解
boast about /bəʊs dəˈbaʊt/
talks about /'tɔ:k səˈbaʊt/
When I /we naɪ/
kept on /kep dɑ:n/



對話解析
boast /bəʊst/ 自吹自擂；以有...而自豪
解釋：If someone boasts about something that they have done or that they own,they talk about it very proudly,in a way that other people may find irritating or offensive.
He's boasting about how much money he has made.
他在吹噓自己賺了多少錢。
She is always boasting about how wonderful her children are.
她總是在夸耀她孩子多么出色。
I don't want to boast,but I can actually speak six languages.
我不是吹噓，但是我確實會說六種語言。

poor-mouth 裝窮酸；哭窮
Don't poor-mouth to me,I have your number.
不要向我哭窮，我知道你的底細。
（這里的number不是指號碼；在非正式用法下，number有“對某人心中有數，摸透某人底”的意思，“Judy had always had his number”,朱迪總是能看透他）。

beyond one's reach
力所不及；無法達到；超出..的能力范圍
I'm sorry,but it's really beyond my reach,I can't help you.
很抱歉，這真的在我能力范圍以外，我幫不了你。
My mother used to keep the kitchen utensils beyond my reach when I was a little child.
在我還小的時候，母親總是把炊具放在我夠不著的地方。
（utensil/ju:ˈtensl/，表示（家庭）用具；器皿。比如碗，蒸鍋，平底鍋等）。
I find salemanship is beyond my reach.
我發現推銷超過我的能力范圍。