Essential English Expressions and Idioms

Posted on Mar 23, 2025 in Spanish

Common English Phrases and Idioms

Prepositional Phrases

  • Have an effect on something: To have an impact on something.
  • Arrive in (country, city, continent, island): To reach a destination.
  • Arrive at (town, decision, airport, small place): To reach a destination.
  • Have something left: To still possess something.
  • Take something for granted (assume): To accept something without question or appreciation.
  • Be determined to do something: To have a strong intention to do something.
  • Give oneself a special treat: To allow oneself something enjoyable.
  • Become the talk of the town: To be widely discussed.
  • Ban somebody from doing something: To prohibit someone from doing something.
  • Keep a project going: To maintain a project’s progress.
  • Be good at (doing) something: To have skill in a particular area.
  • Lead a happy/sad, etc. life: To experience a particular kind of life.
  • Keep in touch with somebody: To maintain contact with someone.
  • Be worried about (doing) something/somebody (to worry about something/somebody): To feel anxious about something or someone.
  • Take somebody for somebody else: To mistake someone for another person.
  • Take the law into one’s hands: To act outside the legal system to achieve justice.
  • Find it easy/difficult to do something: To perceive something as easy or hard.
  • Stop somebody from doing something: To prevent someone from doing something.
  • Apologize to somebody for doing something: To express regret to someone for an action.
  • Have a feeling that…: To have an intuition that…
  • Come across somebody/something: To encounter someone or something unexpectedly.
  • Alone = on one’s own = by oneself: Without other people.
  • (Un)able to do something = (in)capable of doing something: Having the (in)ability to do something.
  • Intended for: Designed or meant for.
  • Have difficulty in doing something = have trouble doing something: To experience problems while doing something.
  • Be fed up with (doing) something = bored with (doing) something/somebody: To be tired and annoyed by something/someone.
  • Enable somebody to do something = allow somebody to do something = let somebody do something: To make it possible for someone to do something.
  • Can’t help doing something: To be unable to stop oneself from doing something.
  • Try one’s best to get something = do one’s best to get something: To make a maximum effort to achieve something.
  • Have a reputation for (doing) something: To be known for a particular characteristic or action.
  • Regard something/somebody as something else: To consider something/somebody to be something.
  • Devote one’s life to (doing) something: To dedicate one’s life to something.
  • Be in one’s early/mid/late fifties, sixties, etc.: To be in a specific age range.
  • Exploit natural resources: To use natural resources, often in a way that is considered excessive.
  • Do something for a living: To perform an activity to earn money.
  • Prove somebody right: To demonstrate that someone is correct.
  • Have a degree in politics: To have completed a university course in politics.
  • Be fluent in a language: To be able to speak a language easily and well.
  • Follow in one’s footsteps: To do the same work or achieve the same things as someone else before you.
  • Look back on one’s childhood: To remember one’s childhood.
  • Look forward to doing something: To anticipate something with pleasure.
  • Get engaged: To formally agree to marry.
  • Make somebody redundant = to sack somebody: To dismiss someone from their job.
  • Be socially acceptable: To be considered appropriate by society.
  • Have the time of one’s life: To have a very enjoyable experience.
  • Approve of (behavior, decision, attitude): To agree with something.
  • Keep an eye on somebody: To watch someone carefully.
  • Do something on a shoestring: To do something with very little money.
  • Prove somebody wrong: To demonstrate that someone is incorrect.
  • To outweigh: To be more important or significant than something else.
  • Look down on somebody: To consider someone inferior.
  • Do you happen to know?: A polite way of asking if someone knows something.
  • Smoking-related illnesses: Diseases caused by smoking.
  • Resemble somebody = to look like somebody: To have a similar appearance to someone.
  • Come to the conclusion that: To decide something after consideration.
  • Make somebody aware of something: To inform someone about something.
  • First-hand experience: Direct personal experience.
  • Prospective = potential = would-be: Likely to become something in the future.
  • To jump to conclusions: To make a judgment quickly without sufficient evidence.
  • To judge by appearances: To form an opinion based on how someone or something looks.
  • To run a business single-handed: To manage a business without help.
  • To hesitate to do something: To be slow or uncertain in doing something.
  • Be on somebody’s side: To support someone in an argument or disagreement.
  • It’s a nuisance: It’s an annoyance.
  • Pass out with excitement: To faint due to excitement.
  • As far as I can see: In my opinion.
  • Be related to = have to do with: To be connected to.
  • Have had enough of something = be fed up with something: To be tired of something.
  • To socialize with somebody = to relate to somebody: To interact with others.
  • To lose touch with somebody: To stop communicating with someone.
  • Ruin one’s holiday: To spoil someone’s vacation.
  • There’s more to life than: Indicating that something is not the only important aspect of life.
  • Be unwilling/reluctant to do something: To be hesitant or not wanting to do something.
  • Go to one’s head: To make someone arrogant.
  • Go red with embarrassment: To blush due to embarrassment.
  • Burning issue: A critical and urgent topic.

Colloquialisms and Idioms

  • Disgusting = revolting = horrible: Extremely unpleasant.
  • Off-licence: *British* A shop that sells alcoholic drinks to be consumed elsewhere.
  • Boom: To experience rapid economic growth or prosperity.
  • What’s wrong with somebody/something?: Asking about a problem.
  • Be out of this world = be delicious (food): Extremely good.