When painters say acrylics, they mean acrylic paints: the bright, fast-drying colours that come in tubes or pots. The colour sits in a kind of plastic mixed with water, so you can thin them with water while you work, but when they dry they turn into a thin, tough skin that water will not wash off.

When painters say acrylics當畫家說acrylics時， they mean acrylic paints指的是壓克力顏料： the bright, fast-drying colours that come in tubes or pots裝在軟管或罐子裡、色彩鮮豔、乾得很快的顏料。 The colour sits in a kind of plastic mixed with water顏料是混在一種塑膠裡再加水調的， so you can thin them with water while you work所以你作畫時可以用水稀釋它們， but when they dry they turn into a thin, tough skin但乾了之後會變成一層薄卻堅韌的膜， that water will not wash off水沖不掉。

Artists use the plural the same way they say oils or watercolours — not one tube, but the whole kind of paint. You hear it in art class and in the shop: a set of acrylics, work in acrylics.

Artists use the plural the same way they say oils or watercolours畫家用複數形的方式，跟說oils（油畫顏料）或watercolours（水彩）一樣—— not one tube, but the whole kind of paint不是指一條顏料，而是指整個種類的顏料。 You hear it in art class and in the shop你在美術課和顏料店都會聽到： a set of acrylics, work in acrylicsa set of acrylics一組壓克力顏料、work in acrylics用壓克力顏料創作。

People also say acrylic paint; acrylics is the easy, painter’s-shop way to talk about them as a group. Though actually, acrylic by itself can also mean the clear hard plastic (a display stand, a phone case, a false nail), and in a salon acrylics often means those nails. In a studio, with brushes and water nearby, acrylics almost always means the paints.

People also say acrylic paint大家也會說acrylic paint； acrylics is the easy, painter's-shop way to talk about them as a groupacrylics是畫材行裡通稱它們的簡便說法。 Though actually, acrylic by itself can also mean the clear hard plastic不過其實，acrylic單獨使用時也可以指透明硬塑膠 (a display stand, a phone case, a false nail)（展示架、手機殼、假指甲）， and in a salon acrylics often means those nails在美甲沙龍裡，acrylics常常指的就是那種指甲。 In a studio, with brushes and water nearby但在畫室裡，旁邊擺著畫筆和水， acrylics almost always means the paintsacrylics幾乎都是指顏料。