Jen: Guess what?
Jason: What?
Jen: I found a really good hotel in the heart of New York. It’s very close to Times Square! Plus, the hotel rates are so cheap!
Jason: Awesome! A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in New York these days.
Jen: You’re right. It’s hard to come by. I got lucky!

본문에서 제가 “Guess what? 있잖아 그거 알아?”라고 하자 Jason이 “What? 뭔데?”라고 묻습니다. 그러자 제가 “I found a really good hotel in the heart of New York. It’s very close to Times Square! Plus, the hotel rates are so cheap! 내가 뉴욕 한복판에 정말 좋은 호텔을 찾았어. 타임 스퀘어랑 아주 가깝고 숙박비도 싸!”라고 말합니다.

Jason은 “Awesome! A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in New York these days. 대단해! 뉴욕에서 좋고 저렴한 호텔을 구하기가 힘든데.”라고 말했습니다. 그러자 저도 “You’re right. It’s hard to come by. I got lucky! 맞아. 그런 호텔은 구하기 힘들지. 이번에는 운이 좋았어”라고 합니다.

Now keep today’s expression ‘hard to come by” in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jen: Guess what?
Jason: What?
Jen: I found a really good hotel in the heart of New York. It’s very close to Times Square! Plus, the hotel rates are so cheap!
Jason: Awesome! A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in New York these days.
Jen: You’re right. It’s hard to come by. I got lucky!

Today’s expression is hard to come by. If something is hard to come by, it is difficult to find. Hard to come by는 ‘무엇을 구하기 힘들다, 얻기 어렵다’ 또는 ‘어떤 일은 드물다’라는 의미입니다.

오늘 본문에서 제가 Jason에게 뉴욕 타임스퀘어 근처에 좋고 값이 싼 호텔을 찾았다고 하니까, Jason이 요즘은 그런 호텔을 구하기 힘들다고 했죠. “Awesome! A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in New York these days.”라고요.

Now let me give you an example sentence using today’s expression. 그럼 예문을 통해 오늘 표현을 더 자세히 알아보겠습니다. “A reliable and dedicated staff is hard to come by these days.”라면, “요즘 믿을 수 있고 헌신적인 직원을 구하기가 힘들어요.” 라는 뜻이 되겠죠.

‘Hard to come by’라는 표현 잘 기억하시고요. 마지막으로 오늘의 대화를 들어보겠습니다. Now that you know what today’s expression means, let’s listen to the conversation for the last time.

Jen: Guess what?
Jason: What?
Jen: I found a really good hotel in the heart of New York. It’s very close to Times Square! Plus, the hotel rates are so cheap!
Jason: Awesome! A good cheap hotel is hard to come by in New York these days.
Jen: You’re right. It’s hard to come by. I got lucky!

Let’s review. If something is hard to come by, it is difficult to find. ‘무엇을 구하기 힘들다, 얻기 어렵다’ 또는 ‘어떤 일은 드물다.’ HARD TO COME BY. Now try using this expression on your own.