Adam
Alex
Benjamin
Emma
Gill
Jade
James
Rebecca
Ronnie
10 English Expressions with meanings you can’t guess
Native English speakers say some strange things, like“Bob’s your uncle” and “Elvis has left the building”. But what if you don’t have an uncle named Bob? How will you understand what this person is saying? In this class, you’ll learn ten expressions that native speakers commonly use that have meanings you can’t figure out from the words themselves. You need to learn what the expression means and when it’s used. So, bite the bullet and watch the class.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.Levels
Lesson Topics
26 COMMENTS
it’s bad
good one!
Hi! Could you please tell me the difference between ‘in-laws’ and ‘relatives’? Many thanks.
Alona
Hi Alona,
In-laws are family that you get when you get married. In other words, it’s your spouse’s family that now is now also yours. They are then also relatives, but not by blood.
Relatives refers to all family, both blood relatives and in-laws.
Does this help?
Dear Adam, idioms are always useful for foreign learners. Some sound funnily like “Bob´s your uncle”.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Adam!
Thank you so much I really apreciate the lesson and I believe that my English is improving day after Day. Thanks James and Adam. A big hug from Angola, South East África.
“bury the hatchet” in french we do have a rather similar expresion “enterrer la hache de guerre”
Thanks for letting us all know. I’m sure it sounds great in French :)
Thank you very much Adam. All the teachers at Engvid seem nice, but you more than the others ;-).
Thanks Aladup :)
I am proud of you and me because the quiz was perfect after listening to your explanations just once. Thanks Adam.
A pat on each of our backs :)
Thanks Beernaard
Great ,I started learning yesterday and I got 8/10 in yesterday lesson ,but I got 9/10 in today’s lesson.
10/10 tomorrow then :)
Good work, Sakeenah
7 out of 10
its great one. thank you teacher
HI ADAM, I HOPE YOU ARE OK. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY SOME PEOPLE USE THE EXPRESSION “I CAN`T HELP EATING” AND THE VERB CAN MEANS PARAR IN THIS SENTENCE. ESPERO ME PUEDAS ENTENDER. GRACIAS.
Hi Dulce,
‘can’t help’ means that you want to stop doing something or you don’t want to do something, but you do it anyway. You have no self-control over the action.
It doesn’t have to be about eating:
I can’t help feeling sorry for him. (you say this about someone you don’t like but you feel bad anyway when something bad happens to him).
I can’t help looking at it, even though it’s disgusting.
I can’t help thinking she likes me (though I have no reason to think that).
Does this help?
Thanks everyone :)
7/10
anyways thanks sir….
10 out of 10. Thanks, Adam, for this lesson!
Hi Adam. I hope you are ok. I want to ask whether idiom ‘ Pay the piper’ has a similar meaning to ‘face the music’ or not?
Hi Behrouz,
Excellent question.
Yes, they have a similar connotation. Both suggest dealing with difficult consequences.
Pay the piper has a slightly deeper idea of having to lose something or do something you don’t like (as a punishment or payment) whereas face the music simply means dealing with what the result may be.
Hope this helps.
Adam, thank you very much!
why does people use this ‘ in english.