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Hi there!
嗨，你好啊！
This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between “mandatory,” “compulsory,” and “obligatory.”
本周《名师答疑》，我们回答mandatory、compulsory、obligatory有什么区别的问题。
Hello. My name is Nelson, and I’m from Nicaragua.
你好，我叫尼尔森，来自尼加拉瓜。
Can you help me to understand the difference between “compulsory,” “mandatory” and “obligatory?”
你能帮我理解一下mandatory、compulsory、obligatory有什么区别吗？
Thank you in advance, Nelson.
提前谢谢你，尼尔森。
This is a great question, Nelson.
这是个很好的问题，尼尔森。
These three adjectives have the same meaning, so they are synonyms.
这三个形容词意思相同，所以它们是同义词。
They share a basic definition of “required.”
它们有一个共同的基本定义，就是“被要求的”。
But there are some slight differences in how often we use each.
但在使用频率上有一些细微的不同。
Let’s start with the most common, “mandatory.”
让我们从最常见的mandatory开始。
Mandatory comes from the word “mandate,” which means to give authority to act or as a noun means an official order.
这个词来源于mandate，mandate的意思是给予行动的权力，或者作为名词，意思是官方命令。
Something that is “mandatory” is the result of that action or order.
有强制性的事物是该行动或命令的结果。
It usually comes from a law or rule.
它通常来自法律或规定。
This is the most common of the three words in question because it is often used in everyday conversations.
这是这三个词中最常用的一个，因为在日常对话中也经常使用。
We use it to describe something that is required by a mandate, law, or rule.
我们用mandatory来描述命令、法律或规定所要求的东西。
In most public high schools, there is mandatory testing every year.
在大多数公立高中，每年都有强制性考试。
Seatbelts are mandatory in the U.S. If you do not wear a seatbelt, you are breaking the law.
安全带在美国是强制性的。如果你不系安全带，你就违反了法律。
“Compulsory” is the second most common adjective out of the three, so it is used less often than “mandatory.”
在这三个形容词中，compulsory是第二常见的形容词，它的使用频率低于mandatory。
It also means required by law.
它也表示法律规定的。
We often use it to describe education and military service.
我们经常用compulsory来形容教育和服兵役。
Many countries in the world have compulsory military service like Ukraine, South Korea, and Egypt.
世界上许多国家都有强制服兵役制度，如乌克兰、韩国和埃及。
Massachusetts became the first place in the United States to have compulsory schooling for children in the year 1642.
1642年，马萨诸塞州成为美国第一个对儿童实行义务教育的地方。
The least common adjective is “obligatory,” but it is the most formal of the three.
最不常用的形容词是obligatory，但它是三个词中最正式的。
It means the same as “mandatory” and “compulsory,” but also has other meanings.
它的意思与mandatory和compulsory相同，但也有其他意思。
We use “obligatory” not just for laws or rules, but we use it to describe obligations that are based on moral or social instances.
obligatory不仅用来描述法律或规定，也用来描述基于道德或社会情况的义务。
Social media is now the obligatory way to message friends because young people do not like to talk on the phone.
现在给朋友发消息必须用社交媒体，因为年轻人不喜欢打电话。
Another way we use obligatory is when we are talking about something that people have stereotypically used but is not really needed.
obligatory还可以表示刻板印象认为人们使用某些东西，但这个东西人们并不真正需要。
Many movies for young people feature obligatory dance scenes at the end of the film.
许多面向年轻人的电影在片尾都有必备的舞蹈场面。
The obligatory two-week notice before you quit your job is common in the U.S. but not required by law.
辞职前两周必须通知公司，这在美国很常见，但法律没有规定。
Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Nelson.
请让我们知道这些解释和例子是否对你有帮助，尼尔森。
And that’s Ask a Teacher. I’m Faith Pirlo.
以上就是《名师答疑》。我是费思·皮尔洛。
