English Idioms and Expressions: Mastering Everyday Language

Common English Idioms and Expressions

Work and Pressure

• Employees/Staff: (empleados,staff)
• To be very busy/Under pressure: to be rushed off their feet, to be up to their ears, to be breaking their backs

Opinions and Descriptions

• Food critic: (critica de comida,food critic)
• Write up/Describe: (describir,write up)

Time and Sequence

• Beforehand: (antes de algo,beforehand)
• Afterwards: (despues de algo,afterwards)

Emotions and Feelings

• Relaxed/Thanked God: relieved
• Being nervous/Concerned: have butterflies in your tummy

Livelihood and Relationships

• Make a living/Earn a living: so means of support (ganarse la vida-make a living,earn a living,so means of support)
• Be dating/Going out: (be dating-going out)
• Homosexual/Gay: (homosexual-gay)
• Heterosexual/Straight: (heterosexual-straight)

Change and Commitment

• Got restless: (cansarse de algo por miedo a algo-got restless)
• Be afraid: (tener miedo-be afraid)
• Make a commitment: (comprometerse-make a committment)
• Settle down: (asentar la cabez-settle down)
• Free spirit: (espiritu libre-free spirit)

Courage and Support

• Got up the nerve to/Be brave enough to/Have the courage to: (atreverse a*got up the nerve to*be brave enought to*have the courage to)
• Shoulder to cry on: (hombro donde llorar-shoulder to cry on)
• To see each other through everything: (estar juntos en todo-to see each other through everything)
• Soulmates/Kindred spirits: (almas gemelas-soulmates,kindred spirits)

Promises and Actions

• Razor: (cuchilla de afeitar-razor)
• Swore: (jurar-swore)
• Oath/Promise: (juramento promesa-oath,promise)
• Propose a toast: (proponer un brindis-propose a toast)
• Carry out a promise: (cumplir una promesa-carry out a promise)

Time and Sleep

• Crack of dawn: (very early-crack of dawn)
• Wide awake: (not sleep-wide awake)
• Over and over again: (una y otra vez-over and over again)
• Take a day off: (tomarse un dia libre-take a day off)

Relationships and Wealth

• Fiancee/Someone you are engaged to: (prometida-fiancee,someone you are engage to)
• Rich/Wealthy/Well-off/Rolling in it/Billionaire: (rico-rich,wealthy,well-off,rolling in it,billonaire)
• Wonderful people/Salt of the earth: (wonderful people-salt of the earth)
• Be all wrong for so/Be like chalk of cheese: (no tener nada en comun-be all wrong for so,be like chalk of cheese)

Worry and Doubt

• Worried sick/Freak out/Frightened out of so wits: (preocupado en exceso*worried sick-freak out*frightered out of so wits)
• Get cold feet: (tener dudas-get cold feet)

Movement and Problems

• Headed for/Made for: (went to-headed for,made for)
• Crop up: (surgir un problema-crop up)
• Come up: (enfrentarse a un problema-come up)
• Work out a solution: (buscar solucion-work out a solution)
• Sort sth out/Resolve the problem: (sort sth out-resolver el problema)

Understanding and Interference

• Have a clue: (tener una pista-have a clue)
• Break up a wedding: (impedir una boda-break up a wedding)
• Steal the groom: (steal the groom-robar el novio)

Physical Interactions

• Bump into: (chocar contra alguien-bump into)
• Shake a hand: (dar la mano-shake a hand)
• Hug: (abrazar-hug)

Annoyance and Roles

• Get into someone's nerves: (poner nervioso-get into someone nerves)
• Annoy someone: (molestar a alguien-annoy someone)
• Maid of honour: (dama de honor-maid of honour)

Injuries and Obstinacy

• Shattered her pelvis: (destrozarse la pelvis-shattered her pelvis)
• Reluctant/Not eager to do sth/To be unwilling: (terco-reluctant,not eager to do sth,to be unwilling)

Negative Characters and Actions

• Vengeful sluts: (puta vengativa-vengeful sluts)
• Tore sth/Rip sth: (rasgar tela-tore sth,rip sth)

Clothing and Control

• Tight: (apretado-tight)
• Loose: (suelto-loose)
• Pull yourself together/Control yourself: (controlarte-pull yourself together,control yourself)

Appearance and Opportunities

• Stark naked/Nude: (desnuda-stark naked,nude)
• Miss a step/Miss the opportunity/Miss the chance: (dejar pasar la oportunidad-miss a step,miss the oportunity,miss the chance)

Tolerance and Sleep

• Put up with/Face up to/Tolerate: (tolerar-put up with,face up to,tolerate)
• Snor: (roncar-snor)
• Earplugs: (tapones para oidos-earplugs)

Places and Abilities

• Swamp: (cienaga-swamp)
• Can't carry a tune/Sing out of tune: (cantar sin entonar-cant carry a tune,sing out of tune)

Fears and Reactions

• Claustrophobic: (claustrofobica-claustrophobic)
• Panic: (panico-panic)
• Hysterical: (histerico-hysterical)
• Swallow: (tragar-swollow)
• Be scared to death/Scared stiff: (estar asustado-be scared to death,scared stiff)
• Fell off the bed: (caerse de la cama-fell of the bed)
• Choked/Taken aback/Let down/Disappointed: (sorprendida pa mal-chocked,taken aback,let down disappointed)

Luck and Rarity

• Mercifully/Luckily/Thankfully/Fortunately: (afortunadamente*mercifully*luckily*thankfully*fortunatelly)
• Not very many/Few and far between: (ser pocos-not very many,few and for between)

Hidden Talents and Feelings

• A dark horse: (sb with hidden habilities-a dark horse)
• To be a cold fish: (not to show your feelings-to be a cold fish)

Actions and Intentions

• Pulled away: (empujar,apartar-pulled away)
• On purpose/Deliberately: (a proposito-on purpose,deliberately)

Negative Traits and Reactions

• Mean/Wicked/Evil/As cunning as a fox: (malvada-mean,wicked,evil,as cunning as a fox)
• Booed: (abuchear-booed)
• To suck: (to suck-apestar)
• Keep a straight face: (estar serio-keep straight face)
• Speechless/Dumbfounded: (sorprendido,sin palabras-speechless,dumbfounded)

Positive Reactions and Preferences

• Clapping: (dar palmas-clapping)
• Cheering: (animar-cheering)
• Take to someone: (star liking sb-take to someone)
• Gaze: (mirar enamorado-gaze)

Final Straw and Deception

• To be the final straw: (gota que colmo el vaso-to be the final straw)
• Babysit: (niñera-babysit)
• Realise/To do down on her: (darse cuenta-realise,to do down on her)
• Fishy: (malo-fishy)
• Going on: (llevar a cabo,pasando-going on)
• Smell a rat/See through: (dawn on sb-smell a rat,see through)
• Taking in: (engañada-taking in)
• A wolf in sheep's clothing: (lobo con piel de oveja-a wolf in sheep's clothing)
• Deception: (engaño-deception)

Success and Failure

• To work out/To come off: (to be successful-to work out,to come off)
• To fall through: (to fail-to fall through)

Mockery and Work

• Make fun of: (laugh at-make fun of)
• Grow-up job: (trabajo serio-grow-up job)
• Low in cone/Low paid/Earn peanuts: (mal pagado el trabajo-low in cone,low paid,earn peanuts)

Anger and Rejection

• Saw red/Hit the roof: (get angry-saw red,hit the roof)
• Turned sth down/Rejected the offer: (rechazar la oferta-turned sth down,rejected the offer)
• Bad mood: (mal humor-bad mood)
• Make sb blood boil: (poner de mal humor-make sb blood boil)

Apologies and Emotions

• Apologize: (pedir perdon-apologize)
• Beg: (rogar-beg)
• Cry/Weep/Burst into tears/Sob: (llorar-cry,weep,burst into tears,sob)

Time and Respect

• To be run out of time: (no time left-to be run out of time)
• Zero-respect job: (trabajo no respetado-zero-respect job)

Education and Intoxication

• Quit school/Drop out of school: (dejar colegio-quit school,drop out of school)
• Hangover: (resaca-hangover)
• Drunk/Tipsy/Merry/Legless: (borracho-drunck,tipsy,merry,legless)
• Go out like a light: (caer en cama y dormirse-go out like a light)

Health and Arrangement

• Fell under the weather/Off colour: (encontrarse mal-fell under the weather,off colour)
• Sth is scattered/Spread out: (algo desperdigado-sth is scatted,spread out)

Vocalizations and Preferences

• Scream/Yell/Shriek/Scream sb head off: (gritar-scream,yell,shriek,scream sb head off)
• Grow on sb: (gustar alguien empezar-grow on sb)
• To be ruthless: (not worried about other people's feelings-to be ruthless)