Speak fluently: Learn English idioms today!
Idioms are important if you want to speak English fluently and naturally. Some are easy, some are more difficult. Some are clear in meaning, while some are hard to understand, but as a student, it’s vital to learn English idioms.
The best way to learn English idioms, firstly, is to use them – think about the answers to questions that use them, think about how you can use them in conversation.
We have a series of videos on English idioms to help you learn natural and authentic English. English in the real world is very different to English in a textbook, and learning English idioms can be done at your own time and pace.
See our videos here. We have new videos every week, all with natural English taken from a corpus of spoken English from people’s whose first language is English – native speakers.
Learn Natural English: Idioms & Metaphors on Youtube.
Remember that this is not a race. The nuance of idioms can be difficult to understand at first. Learn a new idiom every month, week, or even day!
You don’t have to learn each one perfectly, but study them and then notice how often they appear on TV and in film, in books, and in everyday conversation. Eventually you will be able to use English idioms correctly yourself.
Learn an idiom every day, and soon you will find yourself a fluent speaker of English!
Here’s an English idiom to learn now:
To take the wind out of someone’s sails
(hurt someone’s confidence)
(cause someone to lose motivation and energy)
Example 1:
“I used to think I was pretty good-looking, but I haven’t been able to get a date for over a year. It’s really taken the wind out of my sails.”
Example 2:
Tracy was the hardest worker in her office, so when she didn’t get a pay-rise at her annual review it took the wind out of her sails.
Questions:
Has anyone ever said something to you that really took the wind out of your sails?
Does English idioms boost your confidence, or has it taken the wind out of your sails?
So learn an idiom every day, don’t throw in the towel, and you’re sure to hit a homerun!
Learn more English idioms on our website! Study idioms to share happiness, English idioms from poetry, and more!
