By Robby

If you lot are new hither delight read this first.

12 English phrases meaning something completely different

Improve Spoken English

I often impact upon the subject of English idiomatic expressions on this weblog for the simple reason that by and large  our every-solar day speech consists of such and similar  discussion combinations and it's making our speech so much more easier !

Just look at the above paragraph – it's stuffed with various idiomatic expressions and collocations, and the one mutual trait they all share is that you have to learn the Exact way they're used so that you tin can learn them off by heart and so use them in your own conversations.

Then at that place are proper English idioms you can't even understand unless you actually know what they mean – such as "It'south no skin off my nose" or "Until the cows come home".

There are, yet, certain English language phrases that may at first sound as if they don't accept any double-meanings AT ALL, yet they mean something completely different!

If you're an advanced English speaker and you lot've been communicating with existent people in real life for years, this list volition probably reveal nothing new to you lot.

If you're someone who'due south just starting off in an English speaking country, for case, the post-obit phrases might plough out to be an eye-opener for you lot! 😉

You don't want to do that!

If y'all take this phrase literally, it sounds every bit if someone is making a statement that you don't want to do something (in which case it doesn't really make an awful lot of sense – I mean, how can someone else possibly know what I do or what I don't desire to do?!)

In reality though, this phrase is used when advising someone not to do something, so the real message behind this expression is "Y'all shouldn't do it!"

Why do English speaking people say "Yous don't desire to practice that!" instead of simply saying that i SHOULDN'T exercise it?

Well – it'southward simply the mode conversational English language goes! Don't ask WHY – just accept that it's the mode native English speakers speak, and life is going to be a whole lot easier for you.

Another version of the same phrase – "You don't desire to be doing that!" – is used simply similar the original one, and once again – don't ask WHY there are ii different versions of this phrase in use.

Just take it and utilise whichever one you want to use! 😀

He can't aid himself

When I heard the English verb "to aid" used in this context for the first time, I idea the person in question must be physically handicapped once they tin can't help themselves.

I hateful – the word "to help" is quite unproblematic and straightforward, so when someone can't help themselves, they quite literally can't aid themselves with performing certain tasks, isn't that right?

Turns out information technology's not the case!

When someone says about another person that they can't assistance themselves, information technology means the person in question can't RESIST doing something, they're too weak to say NO to themselves

Let's say, you lot're eating as well much chocolate on a daily basis, and your work colleague asks y'all one 24-hour interval why you're eating so much chocolate every day. Yous tin merely respond by saying "I simply can't help myself!" which means that it's a habit then strong yous can't resist it.

Shut up!

When someone tells yous to shut up, it'southward quite clear what they want to tell you, isn't that correct?

They're telling yous to shut your rima oris, and needless to say, it'south quite rude to be talking to someone like that.

Sometimes, all the same, the phrase "Shut upward!" can be used to limited something completely different – namely, your amazement at something the other person is telling you almost.

And so if you're speaking with an English speaking person and they answer to you lot by saying "Shut up! I can't believe it!", it doesn't necessarily mean they want you to shut your mouth and stop talking to them. Information technology simply means they're and so surprised at what you just said that they're using the phrase "Shut upwards!" as ways of expressing they disbelief or excitement.

Sure enough, you'll be able to read the truthful meaning of those words off the other person's face and tone of voice – the function of trunk language can't be underestimated, afterward all.

At that place might be some occasions, however, when you'd retrieve the other person is existence rude to you lot while in reality there's no harm intended, and so please acquit in mind that the expression "Shut up!" can likewise have a pretty harmless meaning!

Go abroad!

I don't know about yous, but where I live (Ireland) this phrase is used the aforementioned style as the one above ("Shut up!") when expressing your surprise at something the other person has simply said.

Basically information technology's just another way of proverb "Really?!", and when they say "Go away!", nobody ways it literally. It' simply a way of letting the other person know that you lot're shocked to hear it, and you may too start using this phrase in your ain daily English language conversations.

I see!

This is a very, very uncomplicated English phrase, but when an average beginner English student sees it, on 9 times out of ten they'll think information technology means that someone is saying that they SEE something.

In fact, the phrase "I see!" is used conversationally all the fourth dimension when people desire to say that they get it, that they UNDERSTAND information technology, and this is actually something that a lot of foreign English speakers should learn pretty early in their lives.

On way too many occasions my fellow foreigners say "I empathise" while the phrase they should exist using is "I see"!

You see, "I sympathise" sounds manner besides formal when used during your daily conversations, so I warmly suggest you start using the much more friendlier version of information technology "I encounter!" instead.

Run across where I'thou coming from?

If someone asks you if yous see where they're coming from, yous may assume they mean it quite literally, in which instance y'all may be thinking "How on Earth am I supposed to know where they're coming from?!"

When people enquire you this question, what they actually mean to say is "Practise you lot empathize the reasons why I'one thousand proverb this?"

Basically the conversation would get something similar this:

"I recollect we should bandy this auto for the other one considering the production output is much lower at present that the busy season is over."

You: ???

"You see where I'1000 coming from?" (Practise you understand why I'm suggesting nosotros should swap the machines on the production line?)

Yous: "I oasis't got a clue what you're talking about! Can yous explain everything to me step-by-step delight?"

You may want to…

This phrase may seem a bit confusing at first. You lot may… You want… Why "You MAY WANT" then? Why are the two words grouped together? Does it hateful you're giving the other person a permission to practice something as in "Y'all may do information technology"?

What this phrase really means is quite the reverse to giving someone a permission to do something – it'due south all almost giving the other person a proposition that they should probably choose to do whatever it is yous're telling them to do!

Why not simply say "You should…" instead?

Well, you see – "You may desire to…" is a very polite fashion of letting someone know as to what would be the correct course of action while "You should…" might actually sound like a command rather than a suggestion!

I don't buy information technology!

This English phrase has null to practise with buying stuff, it's all well-nigh BELIEVING what yous're told! 😉

If someone makes an empty promise to y'all or you're told some news you don't believe, you can reply with proverb "I don't buy it!" in which example you're simply making it articulate you lot don't believe what you're told.

I'm looking forward to…

As a beginner English student y'all may think this phrase ways to exist looking directly alee of y'all (every bit opposed to be looking backwards or sideways, for case).

In conversational English language and also in English in general, yet, this phrase has a completely different meaning – information technology but means to exist expecting something, to be really waiting on something to happen!

I think when I'd just started living in Republic of ireland 11 years ago, my supervisor asked me at work if I was looking forward to my holidays, to which I didn't really know what to say because the sentence didn't brand a lot of sense to me.

At present I know just as well well that it means to be expecting something, and in instance you didn't know it – it's almost time to add this English language phrase onto your vocabulary!

Tell me about information technology!

"Tell me about it!" doesn't mean "TELL me ABOUT it".

It means "Yep, I know exactly what you're talking about – I accept the aforementioned feel!"

Here's a situation to describe exactly what I'm talking almost here:

Yous: "My footling sister is real nightmare – she constantly makes demands to our mom and cries if she doesn't go what she wants!"

Your friend: "Tell me about it!"

What your friends is telling you lot is – "Yep, I tin completely relate to that considering I too have a little sister who's behaving that way!"

Then now that you know what this phrase means, you wouldn't start telling your friend More than Virtually it. Yous'd but understand your friend is going through a similar experience!

It doesn't injure to…

When someone tells yous that it doesn't hurt to do something, they don't literally mean that it's not going to be painful.

What they hateful to tell you is that the activity in question is going to result is something actually beneficial to yous, so it's definitely worth doing information technology!

How exercise you find this…?

I remember someone asked me how I institute my job to which I started telling them almost the recruitment agency who helped me to land my job with the company…

What that person really meant was – "What do y'all Think ABOUT your job?" – then in this case the English verb "to find" has another meaning on meridian of the about mutual one which is to actually discover something after yous've been looking for information technology!

* * *

Now, did y'all find this article interesting?

Did you learn a few new English phrases yous didn't know existed?

If and so – let your friends know about them by using the social sharing tool below!

Thanks for reading,

Robby 😉

P.Southward. Would you like to find out why I'm highlighting some of the text in crimson? Read this article and you'll acquire why information technology's so of import to learn idiomatic expressions and how it will help you lot to amend your spoken English!

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