Least affordable

在香港置業的確艱難！瑞銀報告顯示，若想在香港的市區置業，一名專業人士至少都要不吃不喝18年半，置業負擔能力乃全球18個城市中最低（Hong Kong has the least affordable housing among 18 cities in the world）。

動詞afford解「支付得起、有足夠的……做某事情」，常說「能否」買得起、承受得起，所以常配搭be able to、can和could連用。例句：We can't afford to pay such a price for a car.（我們付不起這樣高昂的車價。）I was so busy today that I could barely afford the time to go to the toilet.（我今天忙得連上廁所的時間都沒有。）

形容詞affordable即是able to afford（能夠買得起），描述物品是否便宜、價錢合理，使人負擔得起。相反詞可以用unaffordable或加上not或least等負面字眼。例句：This shop sells nice clothes at a very affordable price.（這家商店出售漂亮但價格非常實惠的衣服。）Yes this flat is bigger and newer, but it is also even more expensive and unaffordable.（這間屋的確更大更新，但它亦更昂貴、更負擔不起。）

（本欄逢周一、三、五刊登）