au fait

IPA/ˌəʊ ˈfeɪ/
IPA/ˌəʊ ˈfeɪ/

au fait — 形容詞

1. knowing a lot about a particular subject or activity because you have learned ab

1.形容詞C1
釋義

熟悉；精通

對某事物有深入認識

knowing a lot about a particular subject or activity because you have learned about it or have recent direct experience of it

例句

Baraka was completely au fait with the new accounting system after just two days.

Baraka 只花了兩天，就完全熟悉了新的會計系統。

collocation: completely au fait with [system]

The investment team needs someone au fait with current market trends in Asia.

投資團隊需要一位熟悉亞洲當前市場趨勢的人。

register: formal; pattern: au fait with [topic]

同義詞
  • familiar with

    more common and less formal; works in everyday conversation

  • conversant with

    equally formal; common in professional writing

  • well-versed in

    stronger emphasis on deep understanding through study or practice

反義詞

文法句型

be + au fait + with + noun phrase

stay + au fait + with + noun phrase

用法筆記

Always used as a predicative adjective after 'be,' 'become,' 'keep,' or 'stay.' Never placed before a noun — you cannot say 'an au fait expert.' The preposition that follows is always 'with,' never 'about' or 'of.'

常見錯誤

❌She is au fait about the project.
✅She is au fait with the project.
💡The correct preposition after 'au fait' is 'with,' not 'about' or 'of.'
❌He is an au fait lawyer.
✅He is au fait with corporate law.
💡'Au fait' cannot go before a noun; it only works after a linking verb like 'be' or 'stay.'

2. showing polished social behaviour and good manners, as if you know exactly how t

2.形容詞C2
釋義

得體；老練

社交場合中舉止合宜

showing polished social behaviour and good manners, as if you know exactly how to act in formal or elegant situations

例句

The young diplomat was perfectly au fait, charming everyone at the ambassador's dinner party.

那位年輕的外交官非常得體，在大使的晚宴上令每一個人印象深刻。

old-fashioned use; register: formal; collocation: perfectly au fait

Talia's grandmother taught her to be au fait at formal dinners, from manners to conversation.

Talia 的祖母教導她在正式晚宴中要表現得體，從舉止到談吐都得宜。

同義詞
反義詞
  • awkward

    neutral opposite focusing on social clumsiness

  • gauche

    formal French loanword with a similar register

文法句型

be + au fait

用法筆記

This sense is now quite old-fashioned and rarely used in modern English. The 'familiar with' sense (sense 1) is the only common use today. When you encounter this social-competence meaning, it is typically in historical fiction or descriptions of upper-class etiquette.