Many teachers tell you NOT to learn idioms because they can be difficult to understand. So if you use them, there’s a risk that other people won’t understand you.
But I think they’re important to learn. Here’s why!
Idioms are very common
We use idioms all the time in conversations. But you also see idioms in news stories and social media posts. You’ll see them everywhere in advertising. In fact, I recently saw one on the side of a bus in the UK.
So learning idioms will help you understand conversations better, and will help you understand what you read.
Idioms are fun to learn
Idioms are often funny. They give you a ‘mental picture’ that can make you laugh.
Someone who’s “a sandwich short of a picnic” is someone who isn’t very intelligent. If you have a picnic without enough sandwiches, it isn’t a complete picnic.
If you “go bananas” you go crazy for something (or you get very angry). I don’t know why bananas make people crazy, but it’s a funny idiom.
Idioms help you to express your ideas in a few words
Idioms are like “codes”. They help you to express your opinion or feelings in a few words. So if I say “my boss has lost the plot today” it’s quicker than saying “my boss is very confused and acting in very strange ways because he just can’t cope with the situation”.
Idioms help you to understand English-speaking culture
British English idioms can be quite ironic, because they reflect our sense of humour. A “bright spark” doesn’t mean an intelligent person, but someone who has done something stupid. For example, “Some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to leave the ice cream out of the freezer all night.”
A lot of our idioms are about traditional food, as well. If something “isn’t my cup of tea” I don’t like it very much. If something is “cheap as chips”, it’s very cheap!
Idioms help you learn more natural vocabulary
There are a lot of idioms in English. Some people say that there are even 25,000 idioms. (The same size as the average English speaker’s vocabulary!) You don’t need to learn them all, but learning a few will help you to increase your vocabulary. And because they are so common in conversations, you’ll also sound more natural when you use them.
How to learn idioms?
Learning a list of idioms is hard. So that’s why I’ve created a spreadsheet with 500+ English idioms organised by theme. You can see the idiom, the meaning and an example sentence side-by-side for easier understanding.
Here’s a quick video to show you:
You can use the spreadsheet to look up an idiom that you’ve heard or seen, or you can use it to systematically learn idioms by theme.
The 500+ English idioms spreadsheet is exclusive to members of the English Fluency Club. This is a place where you can speak English regularly with other people to get fluent and confident. You also get lots of extra resources, like the 500+ English Idioms spreadsheet!
Click the button below to find out more.