Well, while I am preparing the return of the Focus on Learning English, I want to leave a link that my teacher Rachel (thank you very much from here!) sent me about idioms in English.
I've found it very interesting. Here it is: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/english-idioms-6/
And what are idioms in English?
Idioms are colourful phrases or expressions in a language that convey meaning beyond the literal meaning of the individual words. In other words, you cannot understand the true meaning of an idiom simply by looking up the definitions of the words that make it up. Idioms are fixed expressions that have a unique meaning as a whole, rather than the sum of their parts.
Here are some examples of common English idioms, along with their Spanish equivalents (only in some cases, sorry!):
"No big deal" - "No es para tanto".
"Take it easy" - "Tomar las cosas con calma".
"Long time no see!"
"Call it a day!"
"Hold your horses" - "Calm down!"
"Long story short" - "To sum it up, in a nutshell"
"Make someone's day"
And here are some more examples of idiomatic expressions from ThoughtCo:
"24/7" - Twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week; all the time; constantly. Example: "My little sister irritates me 24/7!"
"A short fuse" - A quick temper. Example: "Jamie is known for his short fuse; just a few days ago he yelled at his coach for not letting him play".
"A taste of your own medicine" - Bad treatment deserved for treating other people badly.
Example: "After being constantly teased, Julian decided to give John a taste of his own medicine and ordered twenty-seven pizzas to be delivered to John's house".
"Butterflies in my stomach" - To be nervous. Example: "Liam had butterflies in his stomach before he went on stage to play the violin".
Mastering the most common English idioms enriches your understanding of the language and improves your conversational skills. Idioms allow us to express nuances that would be difficult to convey in literal language. For native English speakers, these phrases are part of everyday communication, but for non-native speakers, mastering them can be a challenge. Incorporating these expressions into your use of English will give you that extra edge that will make you sound more like a native speaker.
Sources
- www.otosection.com/common-expressions-in-everyday-english-phrases-spoken/
- quizlet.com/512105795/elementary-common-idioms-flash-cards/
