How to learn english idioms

Idioms & Phrases: How Can I Learn & Use Them?

“And here I thought Past Perfect was tough to learn. It was before I tried using various phrases and idioms…” And we feel for you. Trying to find out what idioms mean is difficult, and so is knowing how often to use phrasal verbs and deciding which the most important phrasal verbs are.

Sometimes, you really do need to find the best English language school in California and start taking lessons. However, at other times, all you need is some clarification, and we can provide that, no problem.

Contact us online and get a quote today or call us via WhatsApp!

Do I have to learn all the idioms?

No, you do not have to learn all the idioms. There are so many of them that it would be nearly impossible to learn them all.

That being said, you’re probably wondering if not all, then how many should you learn? Well, it’s kind of individual, not like there’s a set number of idioms to know proscribed by the University of California Department of Linguistics.

Our advice is to learn the ones that you can use in everyday conversation. Don’t try to learn some idioms and expressions only because they sound cool if you’re going to be without a situation to use them in.

That means you can freely stay far away from “to go pear-shaped”, and embrace the “pieces of cake” and the “cold shoulders”. Idioms are supposed to be useful besides sounding good, and you should guide yourself by that rule.

How can I learn idioms and phrases in English?

When it comes to learning some idioms and phrases in the English language, we advise a simple, yet effective three-pronged approach everyone can employ on a daily basis:

How do you memorize idioms and phrases easily?

Even though it would seem that some phrases and idioms are quite tricky to memorize, it doesn’t always have to be so. There are some tricks that can help you learn them quickly and easily and here are the best of them:

“What is the best English language school to attend in California for learning idioms?”

Как учить английские идиомы и нужно ли их изучать

При любом уровне знания языка учить английские идиомы весьма непросто. Дело тут и в культурных различиях, и в кажущейся странности этих выражений. Однако основная причина — незнание специальных приемов, облегчающих их изучение. Давайте выясним, нужно ли учить идиомы и как запомнить их быстро и надолго.

Нужно ли учить английские идиомы

Хотите выучить английские идиомы? Освойте несколько простых приемов. Напомним, идиома или фразеологизм — яркое выражение, которое нельзя перевести дословно без потери смысла. Как раз невозможность прямого перевода и делает идиомы сложными для изучения. Возникает вопрос: «А нужно ли учить английские идиомы? Быть может, можно обойтись и без них?»

Конечно, очень хочется услышать в ответ: «Идиомы учить необязательно, ведь вы всегда можете заменить их другими словами, перефразировать предложение». Однако на деле оказывается, что без идиом обойтись довольно трудно. Свою речь действительно можно скорректировать, но чужую понять сложно, а иногда и вовсе невозможно, не зная таких фраз. Дело в том, что идиомы часто используются не только в художественных произведениях, но и в обычной устной речи англичан. Эти выражения делают речь живой, яркой, точной. Поэтому если вы хотите знать английский на довольно высоком уровне и говорить, как носитель языка, нужно уделить время изучению фразеологизмов. Кроме того, идиомы дают нам представление об образе мышления, культуре англоязычных граждан, их менталитете.

Как учить английские идиомы правильно

Обычные слова английского языка учить, конечно, намного легче, чем идиомы, особенно если вы воспользуетесь рекомендациями из статьи «10 полезных советов, которые помогут вам увеличить словарный запас». Однако не так страшны идиомы, как их малюют. Мы предлагаем вам несколько простых приемов, которые помогут быстрее изучить идиомы и закрепить их в памяти.

1. Учите идиомы, разбивая их по тематикам

Если вы решили выучить несколько идиом, лучше всего выбрать группу выражений одной тематики, например: о еде, об одежде, о транспорте и т. п. Ведь когда мы хотим расширить словарный запас, тоже берем группу слов из одной темы — так запоминать информацию намного проще. Рекомендуем вам воспользоваться ресурсом idiomconnection.com или learn-english-today.html. На этих сайтах выражения уже разбиты по темам, также есть пояснения на английском языке и примеры использования.

2. Находите аналогии в родном языке

Все английские идиомы можно условно разделить на два типа:

3. Изучайте английские идиомы в контексте

Мы уже говорили, что новые слова лучше всего изучаются в контексте. Идиомы же без контекста не учатся вовсе. Вам нужно понимать и почувствовать, КАК и КОГДА уместно использовать то или иное выражение. Поэтому не тратьте время на изучение самого выражения без примеров.

4. Найдите живые примеры использования

Чтобы точнее прочувствовать, в каком случае нужно употреблять ту или иную идиому, воспользуйтесь следующим приемом. Напечатайте идиому в поисковую строку Google (лучше взять выражение в кавычки) и посмотрите первые 10-20 результатов выдачи. Вы увидите естественные современные варианты использования изучаемого выражения. Идиома может прозвучать из уст политика или телезвезды, может встретиться в журнальной статье или научном опусе — полезно будет ознакомиться со всеми примерами употребления.

5. Придумывайте свои примеры использования идиомы

После того, как изучили идиому в контексте, придумайте свои примеры ее использования. Составьте несколько предложений или небольшой текст. При этом лучше «примерять» идиому на себя: говорите от первого лица. Записывайте предложения с идиомами, чтобы запомнить написание фразы и задействовать механическую память.

6. Тестируйте полученные знания

Тесты помогут вам выявить пробелы в знаниях. Рекомендуем пройти тесты на знание идиом различной тематики на ресурсе englishclub.com. Если вам незнакомо какое-то выражение, можно посмотреть его значение тут же на сайте.

Еще один полезный ресурс с упражнениями elt.oup.com. На нем вы найдете идиомы с историей их возникновения, а также упражнения на отработку полученных знаний.

7. Узнайте историю возникновения идиомы

Некоторые идиомы кажутся неанглоязычным студентам нелогичными, непонятными. Отсюда возникают трудности с запоминанием. Например, почему a white elephant — «дорогая ненужная и неудобная вещь»? Причем тут слон, да еще и белый? Все станет логичным и понятным, когда вы прочтете занимательную историю возникновения этой идиомы. В Рунете найти такую информацию сложно, а на англоязычных сайтах мало удобных подборок по темам для изучающих английский язык. Поэтому мы предлагаем вам ознакомиться со следующими статьями:

После прочтения этих необычных историй у вас уже не возникнет мысли о нелогичности и странности идиом, а сами выражения станут понятными и запомнятся легче.

8. Смотрите специальные видеоролики

Видеоряд станет отличным подспорьем для изучения идиом, ведь благодаря ему возникают ассоциативные связи определенных выражений и зрительных образов. Предлагаем вам смотреть замечательные видео производства BBC “The teacher” на ресурсе bbc.co.uk. Чем интересен этот сайт? Вы найдете на нем короткие увлекательные видеоролики. В каждом из них рассматриваются и поясняются 3 идиомы. Все это сопровождается соответствующим видеосюжетом. Для тех, кому сложно понимать английский на слух, есть текст к видео, вы можете открыть его и читать (заодно поработаете над навыком аудирования).

Еще один отличный ресурс для изучения идиом при помощи видео — engvid.com. Здесь представлено много видеороликов для изучающих английский язык. Тематика их различна, поэтому наберите “idiom” в поле поиска и наслаждайтесь забавными и полезными видео от носителей языка.

Если вас интересует американский вариант английского языка, рекомендуем зайти на сайт learningenglish.voanews.com и в разделе “Video” выбрать подраздел “English in a minute”. В коротких минутных видео носители языка рассказывают, что означает та или иная идиома, как она возникла и каким образом ее можно использовать. Попробуйте, видео простые, без спецэффектов, зато очень наглядные.

9. Используйте полезные приложения

Смартфон есть почти у каждого, поэтому нельзя не упомянуть о замечательных приложениях, облегчающих изучение английских идиом. Для iPhone подойдет приложение Idiom in Use, а для Android можно выбрать English Idioms Dictionary и English Idioms Free. Все перечисленные приложения просты в использовании. Достаточно заниматься 15-20 минут в день, чтобы изучать новые выражения.

10. Употребляйте идиомы в речи

Хотите научиться говорить красиво? Используйте в речи английские идиомы. Чтобы ваши знания не испарились бесследно через месяц-другой, активно применяйте их на практике. Найдите себе собеседника и разговаривайте с ним на английском языке, выстраивая предложения таким образом, чтобы использовать в речи изученные идиомы. Так вы закрепите пройденный материал в памяти.

Мы думаем, после прочтения статьи вам стало понятно, как учить английские идиомы. Это не такая уж сложная задача, если подойти к ней с умом и правильными «инструментами». Применяйте наши советы на практике, и даже самые «странные и нелогичные» выражения закрепятся у вас в памяти.

How to Teach Idioms to Teenagers

Using English idioms in everyday speech equips teens with a large and effective vocabulary to sound like a native speaker. Idioms are usually learnt through the course. But sometimes, when students are getting ready for their exams, which consist of a part dedicated to the English idioms, learning idioms becomes more difficult and frustrating. Here you can find some tips and ideas on how to teach and revise idioms with teenagers.

Tips and Tasks to Teach Idioms

Provide a picture that explains the context. This works best if you show an image which illustrates the literal meaning of the idiom. You can use flashcards and show them to your students. They must guess the meaning through the picture. The images may turn to be very funny, but the students will enjoy learning idioms through these silly and cynical pictures. Check out the following websites to print some images of idioms for your teens.

Learning idioms in plain English

Working on the Meaning

Working on the Form

For many students, it’s far more difficult to remember the form of the idiom than its meaning. Here you can find some games which will help your teens to concentrate on the form of the idiom with its components.

And of course, YouTube videos may be useful as well. Here is a list of productive ways of learning English idioms.

What tips would you recommend in teaching idioms?

How to Learn English Idioms

One way to improve your English is to learn English idioms – and then use them. Idioms add interest to what you say or write, and they make you sound more like a native speaker.

Take, for example, the idiom “water baby”. This is someone (often a child) who loves being in the water. When you hear or see the idiom, you get the idea of a child who sees the water almost like a second home. So you could say to someone “Her son loves being in the water” or you could use the idiom and say “Her son is such a water baby”.

Like other languages, English has thousands of idioms which you can use in many different situations, or to talk about your feelings and opinions. So how do you learn them?

1. Learn idioms in context or by theme

It’s difficult to learn vocabulary through lists. Instead, make sure you understand when you can use a particular idiom by learning it in context or by theme.

For example, on this site we have an Idioms section which is separated into different themed pages.

Make sure you have an example of how the idiom is used, whether it’s common or old-fashioned (English-speaking people rarely say “It’s raining cats and dogs,” for example) and in which situations you’ll hear it. This is important, because if you use the idiom in the wrong situation, it won’t sound natural.

2. Don’t try to learn too many at once

Idioms can be complicated. For that reason, don’t try to learn more than five at any one time. Don’t forget: you’ll need to practise your new idioms (like any new vocabulary) so limit what you try to do in any one study session.

3. Understand the feeling

We often use an idiom to convey a feeling or emotion. So for example, we say that someone has a “heart of gold”. Because gold is a precious metal, we can imagine that someone with a heart of gold is a good person. (In fact, it means that a person is very kind.)

Idioms can also give you an image or a mental picture. For example, imagine that a person (Joe) is “under someone’s thumb”. You get the mental picture that Joe is ruled or controlled by the other person.

4. Listen out for idioms

If you hear two words used together in an unusual way, it might well be a new idiom. Some of the time you can guess the meaning through understanding the feeling and the situation, but you might also need to make a note of it, or ask the person who has spoken it.

You can also check the meaning of idioms in the Free Dictionary.

Easy as Pie: Everything You’ve Gotta Know to Teach English Idioms Effectively

It’s easy as pie.

No, it’s a piece of cake.

Or maybe it’s impossible to make heads or tails out of them.

Idioms. They’re a lot of fun to teach and to learn, and they’ll make your students sound more like native speakers and become better listeners, more in tune to colloquial English.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Teaching Idioms Is Teaching Fluency

Colorful language and powerful imagery make idioms a lot of fun for ESL learners. When you throw cats and dogs in a scene where they are falling from the sky, it’s hard to know exactly what a phrase might mean. It’s almost like a code-breaking game, where students must learn that when certain words come together in a phrase, they can mean something very different.

It’s important to not only teach the meaning of idioms, but to also teach how to use them correctly and effectively. When a non-native speaker uses an idiom correctly, he or she will sound very fluent. But, on the other hand, if they bumble the phrase, they will sound the exact opposite.

Learning idioms is appropriate for intermediate to advanced students. If you teach an idiom lesson to beginners or low-intermediate learners, you may well be putting them in the bumbling category mentioned above. Teach idioms wisely and sparingly to ensure your students’ success.

Tips for Teaching English Idioms Wisely

Provide idioms in context, so students can fully understand the meaning. Be sure to provide a sample conversation around it. For example, take the following dialogue featuring the idiom “to be a chicken” when at a local amusement park.

Jack: Ooh, wow. Look at that roller coaster, Jane! It goes upside-down!
Jane: My stomach aches just looking at it. I will not ride that.
Jack: Ah, come on. Don’t be a chicken!

Watching videos of native speakers conversing is a great way to give your students demonstrations on how idioms are used in the real world.

FluentU is one resource that can help you highlight the usage and context of the various idioms used to your students. FluentU has hundreds of native English videos like inspirational talks, funny commercials and movie quotes. Search for a phrase or an idiom and you might even find it being used in one of the many videos.

If not, FluentU lets you create flashcard decks so you can dedicate certain decks to common idioms. Or, students can watch videos and spot sayings that they like. With the support of contextual definitions from within the subtitles, students will have no trouble understanding the meaning of each word and phrase the way that it’s being used in that instance.

Your students can use FluentU on their iOS or Android devices, as well as in browsers.

Teach idioms in spoken form, not written, and explain to students how they are conversational, rather than formal. Have students practice the idioms in dialogue to help them understand they’re used in spoken colloquial English.

Be sure to explain how the individual words have different meanings from the whole idiom phrase. For example, how much does an arm and a leg actually cost? Who knows?

Don’t just hand out a long list of idioms. Be sure to provide a small selection of 5-10 idioms (or less!) and explain each one. If you provide too many examples, it’ll simply turn into an introduction of what an idiom is, rather than how to actually remember the meaning and use one effectively in dialogue.

That brings us to just how important it is to help your students understand idiom usage.

Easy as Pie: Everything You’ve Gotta Know to Teach English Idioms Effectively

4 Exercises to Help Your Students Understand Idioms

1. Teach idioms with pictures

Provide a picture to explain the context. This works best if you show an image that humorously illustrates the literal meaning of the idiom. It will make students laugh, but also help them understand or guess what a phrase means. Idioms are full of colorful imagery, perfect for a flashcard or photo. Show the picture to your students and have them guess the meaning of the idiom.

From there, give examples of when you would use it and how the words and the actual meaning of the idiom are different. Looking for a good resource? Check out this website for an example of great images to explain the meaning of idioms. And for some beautiful images depicting idioms, be sure to check out this site.

2. Use small groups to present dialogues

Break your class into small groups and have each group look up two idioms. Dave’s ESL Cafe has a great collection of idioms and their meanings for student reference.

Before they look them up, have the students make an educated guess on what the idiom means, and then let them search for the real meaning. Have students explain the meaning to the rest of the class and use the idiom in a short sample dialogue.

3. Introduce Amelia Bedelia

No, Amelia! You don’t actually throw the tent into the woods!

You don’t have to be a kid to adore Amelia Bedelia and her literal mind. She’s the perfect teacher for an idiom lesson. Visit the publisher’s website for activities, book excerpts, worksheets and games. While the material is oriented for children, it’s also a great way for older students to learn English idioms through a fun and quirky character!

4. Use a theme

A great way to teach idioms is to use a theme. For example, you could use all weather-related idioms (see this great worksheet!). Or teach sports-related idioms with this helpful worksheet. By using a common theme to teach idioms, it’s easier for students to grasp the meanings of the phrases, and see how similar words can mean very different things.

10 ESL Idioms Worth Repeating

As you can see, there are hundreds of great resources for teaching idioms. Where should you even start? Remember, it’s important to provide context around your idioms.

So to get you started, we’ve listed a few of our favorites with a sample dialogue and some helpful teaching tips.

1. (to be) A fish out of water

Meaning: to feel awkward or uncomfortable, usually in a new situation

Teaching tips: Start the lesson by talking to your students about feeling awkward. What makes them feel awkward? Give an example of what makes you feel awkward. Then, present the below dialogue.

Sample dialogue:

Sam: Gee, learning to rollerblade isn’t easy. I keep falling down!

Sarah: I know, it’s so hard! I feel like a fish out of water.

2. To be broke

Meaning: to be out of money, to have no money

Teaching tips: Provide the students with two images. One image should be of a broken item (such as a broken pencil) and one should be an image of a person with no money (this is a great one). Explain how both images mean “to be broke.” Then, present the following dialogue and have the students match the correct image to the meaning of the idiom.

Sample dialogue:

Sam: I really want to buy that cool hat. But I’m completely broke.

Sarah: Would you like to borrow some money?

Sam: That’d be great. I promise, I’ll pay you back later.

3. Rule of thumb

Meaning: an unwritten but generally accepted guideline, policy or method of doing something

Teaching tips: Talk with your students about laws of society. Which ones are actual legal laws? Which ones are social norms or generally accepted rules? Make a list of each. Then, introduce the “rule of thumb” idiom. Practice with the below dialogue.

Sample dialogue:

Sam: These potato chips are so delicious. Want some?

Sarah: Sure, thanks.

Sam: Ooh, sorry! I dropped that handful. Well, it’s the 5-second rule. They were on the ground less than 5 seconds, so it’s still okay to eat them.

Sarah: What? Yuck. That doesn’t sound like a good rule of thumb. Give me some that haven’t dropped on the ground, please!

4. (to be) Up in the air

Meaning: undecided or indefinite, usually because often because other matters should be decided first

Teaching tips: Present this image, featuring the idiom “up in the air.” Talk to the students about what it means, and then present the following dialogue. Afterward, talk about what your students are currently up in the air about. Then, have them come up with their own sample dialogue.

Sample dialogue:

Sarah: Hey, Sam! Remember, you need to let us know by tomorrow if you’re going to go on the class trip with us.

Sam: That’s right. I’m still up in the air. I need to figure out my work schedule first and see if they’ll let me have a few days off work.

Sarah: I see. Well, let us know. I hope you can come!

5. (to be the) Devil’s advocate

Meaning: to present a counter argument

Teaching tips: After explaining the meaning of this idiom and practicing the following dialogue, present the class with a debate exercise. Split the class into two groups, and have each side come up with a different argument to the same issue. (Choose an issue you think might be relevant to your students). Have them debate the issue, using the idiom when appropriate.

Sample dialogue:

Sam: I just can’t understand why healthcare is so expensive in the United States. It just doesn’t seem right.

Sarah: Tell me about it. But, to be the devil’s advocate, doctors get paid more in the US than any other country. And so that attracts the best doctors in the world who possibly provide some of the best care in the world.

Sam: Well, maybe. But it still shouldn’t be so expensive.

6. (to) Give someone the cold shoulder

Meaning: to no interest in someone or something, to ignore

Teaching tips: Provide the sample image and have the students guess what they think the idiom means. Ask the students if they’ve ever given someone the cold shoulder. Or, if they’ve ever received the cold shoulder. Practice below dialogue.

Sample dialogue:

Sarah: I ran into Sallie yesterday and we had a nice conversation at the coffee shop, catching up with each other.

Sam: Oh, really? Last time I saw her, she gave me the cold shoulder. I couldn’t figure out what I had done to make her angry.

Sarah: Well, it probably doesn’t help that you are dating her best friend.

7. Happy camper

Meaning: a person who is happy and cheerful

Teaching tips: Explain the idiom and practice the sample dialogue. Ask your students what makes them happy. Also, practice using the idiom in the negative. Such as, “I’m not a happy camper today.”

Sample dialogue:

Sam: Sarah, why are you so happy today?

Sam: Wow, congratulations!

8. (to) Sit tight

Meaning: to stay where you are

Teaching tips: Explain the definition of the idiom and practice the dialogue below. Have the students come up with scenarios where they could use this idiom in context.

Sample dialogue:

Sarah: Sam, are you okay? What happened?!

Sam: I fell down the stairs and now my leg really hurts.

Sarah: Sit tight! I’ll go call 9-1-1.

9. (to be) Head over heels (in love)

Meaning: to be really or completely in love with someone

Teaching tips: Show this image explaining the idiom. Talk to the students about being in love. Ask which students are currently in love (guaranteed to elicit a few giggles from your students!). Practice the below dialogue.

Sample dialogue:

Sarah: Sam, what are you writing?

Sam: I’m writing a letter to my new girlfriend.

Sarah: Ooh, really? You just wrote to her yesterday. You must be head over heels!

Sam: I really am. I want to marry her.

10. (to) Get the ball rolling

Meaning: to get started

Teaching tips: Write the idiom on the board in front of class. Have the students make guesses on what it means. Then, practice the below dialogue and have them guess again.

Sample dialogue:

Sam: Have you started the English class project yet?

Sarah: No, not yet. I need to ask the teacher a few more questions first.

Sam: You better get the ball rolling! The project is due next week!

Sarah: Don’t worry about me. I’ll get it done.

Now, get your idiom ball rolling. And don’t beat around the bush!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)