Idiomy wzbogacają i urozmaicają język. Sprawiają, iż wypowiedź brzmi lekko. Używają ich zazwyczaj osoby, które z łatwością porozumiewają się w danym języku i są świadome jego znaczeniowych niuansów. Jeśli jednak twój angielski nie jest wystarczająco płynny, możesz czasami odebrać usłyszany idiom dosłownie i tym samym nie zrozumieć jego faktycznego znaczenia. Dlatego na naszym blogu prezentujemy 10 najpopularniejszych angielskich idiomów.
Co to jest idiom?
Zacznijmy od wyjaśnienia definicji - idiomy to stałe, typowe dla danego języka, utarte związki wyrazowe. Zwykle nie można ich dosłownie przetłumaczyć na inny język. Idiomy i wyrażenia idiomatyczne są ważną i chętnie używaną formą wypowiedzi zarówno w języku polskim, jak i angielskim. Mogą składać się z kilku słów, których całościowe znaczenie jest inne niż dosłowne znaczenie każdego z nich. Idiomów nie tłumaczymy nigdy słowo po słowie, zwykle są też nieprzetłumaczalne na inne języki.
Idioms are what make each language sound rich. However, if your English is not so fluent, then you may not understand the actual meaning of idioms. Also, you would take them literally.
If you ever had a chance to talk to an American, you may notice that they may sometimes use idioms in their speech.
In this post, you will learn about the 10 most popular American English Idioms.
What is an idiom in English?
Basically, an idiom is a phrase or an expression that has a specific meaning that is different from its literal meaning.
For example, an idiom "a piece of cake" (we'll talk about it later on) has a completely different meaning. It has nothing to do with an actual piece of cake.
Idioms exist in all languages, especially in English.
To help you understand better how idioms work, let's go over some of them. That way you will learn English in more depth.
1. In your dreams!
Do you know anyone who likes to brag or tell stories that are just made up, or they are just not true? If your answer is "yes", then you may find this idiom relevant.
You would say "in your dreams" if you don't believe someone if you don't believe in what they're saying.
Let's make it more clear by looking at an example.
Peter: Last month I made about $200 000.
Bob: No way, Pete!
Peter: I'm serious! I made this much within a month.
Bob: In your dreams! There's no way you can make that much money within a month working this job.
2. A piece of cake
This is definitely one of the most popular idioms in the American English language. If you ever lived in the States and/or have friends from there, I bet you've heard this idiom more than once for sure.
A piece of cake is a task that is easy for someone to complete.
Now, let's use this idiom in an example, so you have a better idea.
Christine: Mark, can you please clean the floors in the storage room?
Mark: Just in the storage room?
Christine: Yes.
Mark: Sure! That's a piece of cake.
3. An apple of my eye
This is one of my favorite idioms.
Let's say you find someone extremely attractive, someone, who stands out among other people in the crowd. This person would be an apple of your eye.
Now, let's take a look at an example conversation, where that idiom can be used.
Paul: Emily is a new student in our class. I heard that you like her, Matt.
Matt: Yeah, I do, Paul. She is an apple of my eye.
4. With child
Believe it or not, but this idiom is quite self-explanatory. Simply put, the idiom "with child" is another way to say that someone is pregnant.
I'll give you an example of a conversation where that idiom can be used:
Walter: I heard that Monica is with child.
Jane: Wow! Do you know what month is she on?
Walter: As far as I know this is her sixth month.
5. Raining cats and dogs
This idiom is another way to describe heavy rain. So don't expect actual cats or dogs falling from the sky.
Let's use this expression is an example:
James: Look at that dark cloud over there! I think it's moving towards us.
Bill: Yeah, the weather broadcast promised us a thunderstorm today. It's going to rain cats and dogs!
6. To keep/have fingers crossed
To have fingers crossed in the United States means to hope for the best. This expression can be used anywhere: at work, at home, and anywhere else.
Now let's use this phrase in an example.
"Let's have our fingers crossed that the economic crisis won't lead to unemployment."
7. Break a leg!
An idiom "Break a leg" means "good luck." This phrase is used to wish someone good luck in something that they're planning to do.
Here's a good example to look at:
Patrick: Today is my second exam, and I've heard that it is the worst one. I've never been so nervous before.
Josh: Well, break a leg, my friend!
I've heard this expression quite often at school when I was taking drama classes. When I was part of the final play, my friends wished me to "break a leg".
8. A Breath of fresh air
An expression "a breath of fresh air" means something new, something that changes things from the way they were before. This idiom can also mean something relieving.
For example, you quit a job that you just couldn't stand and you trade it for something that you enjoy doing. That is a change that you may see as a breath of fresh air for you.
Let's have another example to show you how to use this expression.
"James had a lot of school subjects that he hated on Tuesday. But Spanish was his last class for the day. James loves learning Spanish and taking this class feels like a breath of fresh air for him".
9. To burn bridges
To burn bridges means to say goodbye once and for all to something or someone.
Having that said, you can burn bridges with people that you don't like, place, or environment that you find unpleasant.
Here's an example of how this idiom can be used:
"Angelina worked a job that she dreaded at the company where nobody cared about her as a person. Later she decided to quit that job, burning bridges with everyone in that company."
But sometimes burning bridges may not be a good idea. What if you say no to something that may be helpful to you later?
10. Blow off steam
To blow off steam means to let go of all the negative energy: bad feelings, bad mood, and so on.
Let's have a look at an example.
"Josh had a very bad week. It felt like a nightmare. To blow off steam, Josh went to the gym on Friday night, and he was full of happiness during the weekends."
We all have our favorite ways to blow off some steam. For some people, it's doing exercise, like going to the gym. Some people like to listen to music. Personally, I like both.
How do you blow off steam after something bad?
Conclusion
These were the 10 most popular American idioms. Now you're becoming more fluent in English.
Of course, this is not a full list of idioms. There is a whole load of them, and we will talk about them in the next posts.
I am German and I was born in Russia in 1995. I spent 14 years in the English speaking environment, including 5 years in Canada from 2014 to 2019. I enjoy traveling and learning about foreign countries, cultures, and languages. I also enjoy blogging and perfecting my skills in it.
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