ネイティブでない人から、"You had better do it." って言葉をよく聞きます。このフレーズは、ネイティブにとっては、「脅し」にも聞こえます。
better が前向きな、肯定的な単語だとするなら、you had better + verb は、なぜ怖く感じるのでしょうか？
"better" は、bigger, stronger, faster 等と同様に比較を表現する単語です。今回の場合、もし、あることをするならば、あなたの状況は良くなるけれど、そうしないならば、何か悪いことが起こる、とネイティブには聞こえます。
Here are a few examples:
- A member of the Yakuza might say, "You had better pay us." Because if you don't, something bad will certainly happen.
- Your boss might say, "You had better finish this by tomorrow." If so, maybe she's thinking about reporting to her boss that you are under-performing, or maybe she's even thinking about firing you.
- My friend might say, "You had better come!" So if you don't come, he may be angry or sad; maybe he'll unfriend you on Facebook.
Those previous three examples are rare, you might never hear them (especially the first one, I hope!). However, native English speakers will often say, "I'd better...." This is acceptable because we can use strong language for ourselves and because we know the consequences of our actions. Here are a couple examples:
- I'd better study English (or I won't improve!).
- I'd better go now, the last train is leaving in just a few minutes (and I don't want to miss it).
Instead of using "you'd better," in general, just use "should." Your friend will probably say, "You should come!" In the above-mentioned case of the boss, she might be more likely to say, "Please finish this by tomorrow."
So, next time you hear someone say, "you'd better," I think you'd better be careful!
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unfriend— a modern verb, used for Facebook when a person is removed from one's Friend list. It can also be used positively, to friend a person.
under-performing— a verb meaning that one's performance is not up to a certain standard.