15 espressioni idiomatiche e frasi inglesi comuni

Ecco 15 espressioni idiomatiche, modi di dire e frasi inglesi comuni che arricchiranno il tuo inglese e ti faranno sembrare un madrelingua in pochissimo tempo.

1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – significa che puoi godere di due opportunità nello stesso momento.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed to get the best of both worlds.”

2. ‘Speak of the devil’ – significa che la persona di cui stai parlando arriva proprio in quel momento.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”

3. ‘See eye to eye’ – significa che sei d’accordo con qualcuno.
“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”

4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – un evento che non capita frequentemente.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”

5. ‘When pigs fly’ – qualcosa che non capiterà mai.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”

6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’ – qualcosa molto costoso.
“Fuel these days costs an arm and a leg.”

7. ‘A piece of cake’ – qualcosa molto facile.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”

8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – rivelare un segreto accidentalmente.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”

9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – non sentirsi bene.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”

10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – risolvere due problemi contemporaneamente.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away but also spend time with him.”

11. ‘To cut corners’ – fare qualcosa male o grossolanamente.
“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”

12. ‘To add insult to injury’ – peggiorare una situazione.
**“**To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off my bike.”

13. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – non giudicare qualcuno o qualcosa basandosi solo sull’apparenza.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

14. ‘Break a leg’ – significa ‘buona fortuna’ (detto spesso agli attori prima che salgano sul palcoscenico).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”

15. ‘To hit the nail on the head’ – descrivere esattamente quello che ha provocato una situazione o un problema.
**“**He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR support.”

Per verificare la tua competenza appena acquisita, ecco qualche espressione con cui fare pratica di inglese. Riempi gli spazi!

A) I can’t afford this purse! It _______. I won’t be able to pay my rent!
B) His birthday was supposed to be a surprise! I can’t believe you _____. Now he knows!
C) Ha! John has been promising to paint the house for five years…. Maybe when _______.
D) Yeah, it’ll _______. I need to sign some papers at Jenny’s school anyway so i’ll pick her up for you too.
E) I don’t really like going out to bars anymore. I only go _______.
F) I’m sorry I can’t come into work today. I’m ________. I have a sore throat and runny nose.
G) They tried ________ when installing the pipes for the house and now we have leaks only one month after purchasing it!
H) We missed our flight to Paris because the connecting flight was late and to ______ they made us pay for a new ticket as if it was our fault!
I) I can’t wait to see you perform on stage tonight! ______!
J) Jane is just never on time to work, it’s really annoying. O wow, ______ here she comes…
K) So we’re going to London, then Munich, then we will fly out of Athens, right? Great. I’m so glad to be traveling with someone I _______ with.
L) Wow, she found her dream man and has now landed an amazing job. She really does have ______.
M) OK, she might not be the most attractive but _________. I’m sure she is a sweetheart.
N) I have been trying to figure this out for ages. Thanks so much, you’re right. You _______.
O) I can’t believe that was our test. I think it was easier than some of our homework! It was a ______.

Allora, com’è andata? Non dimenticare di provare a usare queste espressioni quando comunichi in inglese coi tuoi amici o con il tuo insegnante madrelingua inglese. Se hai bisogno di ulteriori chiarimenti sulle espressioni idiomatiche lasciando un commento qui sotto o chiedi al tuo insegante durante la tua prossima lezione di inglese online.

_Risposte:
_6, 8, 5, 10, 4, 9, 11, 12, 14, 2, 3, 1, 13, 15, 7