Really Useful English Idioms

Enjoy learning some of the most common English idioms and their meanings. These are modern idiomatic expressions are widely used in social and business situations and the media.  Listen, read and learn them here on English-e.com.

• Examples in short texts, conversations and funny cartoons.
• Clear definitions help you to understand the phrases.
• Interactive quizes help you remember them.

Choose from these topics:

Everyday Life Work and Business
People
Social situations
Love & romance
Responding to opinions
A funny story
More idioms (ebook) >>
Office humour
Trouble at work
Businesses ‘feeling the pinch’
Business success
A new job
More idioms (ebook) >>

And enjoy the video! CLICK TO PLAY.

What exactly is an idiom?

It’s a fixed phrase with a special meaning. So, when you see or hear an idiom, you may know all the words but fail to understand the whole phrase. For example, you may know the English word ‘moon’, but if someone says ‘I’m over the moon about it‘, what do they mean? This idiom means ‘I’m very pleased and excited about it.’

Why are idioms important?

English native speakers use idiomatic expressions a lot in daily life – in social and business conversations, on television and in films. A typical conversation includes 3 idioms per minute! Idioms are used in written English too, in books and newspapers. So it’s really useful to understand the most common English idioms and their meanings and learn how to use them.