Take it easy, I've seen worse before

CONTINUED from last week's topic. A brief sentence may allow you to make unfortunate people feel better. Here are four more ways to respond to a friend's tale of woe:

1. It must be tough for you / hard on you. 那你肯定很难受吧/真是难为你了

- Both my grandmother and wife are in the hospital now. (我奶奶和妻子都住院了。)

- That must be tough for you. (那真是难为你了。)

2. Oh, poor thing / poor baby! 可怜的家伙/你真惨

Note: This is a little playful or motherly and is not used in really troubling situations.

- I got a C on that exam yesterday. Of course I hadn't studied for it. (我昨天考试得了个C。当然我也没认真学过。)

- Oh, you poor thing! (哦!真是可怜哪。)

3. I know how you feel. / I understand how you feel. 我理解你的心情

Note: Putting yourself in the other person's shoes or acting as if you can share the problem, even a serious one.

- My wife just left me, I don't know how to cope. (我老婆刚离开我了，真不知道怎么办。)

- I know how you feel, mine left me suddenly last year and I'm still dealing with it. (我了解你的感受，我老婆去年也突然离开了我，我到现在还难受着呢。)

4. It happens / could happen (to anyone). 这事也挺常见的/这种事谁都可能遇到

Note: This is encouragement for a friend facing something unexpected. You can also say "I've seen worse," but this doesn't sound quite sympathetic.

- I got my bag stolen in the pub. Money. Cellphone. Keys. All gone. I couldn't get in my room and had to spend the night outside. (我的包在酒吧被人偷了。钱、手机、钥匙，全丢了。我进不去屋，只能在外面过夜。）

- These things happen. And I've seen worse. One of my foreign friends once got his passport stolen. He had to spend the night in the police station because he couldn't prove his identity. (这种事常见着呢。我还见过更糟糕的。我有个外国朋友护照都被偷了。他在警察局呆了一晚，因为他没法证明自己的身份。）