1) 作为及物动词，直接宾语是人，意义很简单明确，就是“干扰”、“麻烦”。

• Does my smoking bother you?我吸烟打扰您吗？
• Sorry to bother you.对不起，打扰您一下。
• He always bothers me for money.他老是缠着我要钱。
• What bothers you?您有什么烦心事儿呀？
• She can do what she likes, it doesn't bother me.她爱做什么就做什么，我不介意。

2) bother oneself to inf., bother oneself + -ing, bother oneself about + -ing 都是“麻烦自己去做某事”，通常用否定（即“懒得去做某事”）。

• He doesn't bother himself to cook. / He doesn't bother himself cooking. / He doesn't bother himself about cooking.他懒得做烧饭这件麻烦事。

注意：在这里，否定的范围一直贯彻到句末，不能误解为“做某事不觉麻烦”。

3) bother oneself to inf., bother oneself + -ing 与 bother oneself about + -ing 三个否定语态用法，oneself 都可以省略。

• I didn't bother to get washed as I knew I would be working on the farm.我知道我的工作地点是农场，也就懒得洗刷一番了。
• No one bothered to visit him / No one bothered visiting him / No one bothered about visiting him.谁都懒得去探望他。