Idioms help you communicate in new ways, they add emotion to your speech, and they help English speakers connect with you on a deeper level.

Are you ready to level up your English and use English like a first language speaker? We hope so! Let’s learn 10 new English idioms that you can use in your daily life…

Idioms are very important when speaking English.

Many English speakers adopt idioms from their parents and teachers while growing up, so they are very familiar with these idioms and connect emotionally to them.

In the comments, try to explain what each one of these idioms mean.

10 useful English idioms to use in your daily life

Idiom 1:

Under the weather

Idiom 2:

To make matters worse

Idiom 3:

It takes one to know one

Idiom 4:

Actions speak louder than words

Idiom 5:

A dime a dozen

Idiom 6:

Weather the storm

Idiom 7:

Take a rain check

Idiom 8:

Bolt from the blue

Idiom 9:

He’s sitting on the fence

Idiom 10:

Shape up or ship out

There you have it! Time to put your idioms to use and impress your friends, teachers or colleagues!

If you already know these phrases and would like some more help, we recommend looking through other phrases articles, mixing-and-matching phrases, and working together with private tutors.

[Need some extra help with this or want to practise your new idioms with a teacher? Check out a service called EnglishScore Tutors, British Council’s online English tutoring service. We highly recommend them for quality and comfort. Sign up today using our link and get your first session for $1]