Idioms and proverbs

English idioms: how to understand them and know when to use them

You can't translate an idiom word by word: it's raining cats and dogs has nothing to do with pets, and nobody who says break a leg wants you hurt. There's another trap: many idioms resemble images from other languages, and it's tempting to carry the picture over unchanged. The harder question, though, is where an idiom fits. What sounds lively in conversation looks forced in an essay or a work email, and a list of meanings says nothing about that.

Learn an idiom as a small scene. Read the example and work out who says it and in what situation. Cover the meaning and try to recall the expression from the idea alone. Then invent a situation of your own where it fits, and write it down. The section is organised by topic: feelings, time, money, food, animals and more. Each idiom comes with a plain-English meaning, a note on where it fits, a common mistake and an exercise.

The ready-made idiom set in LetsWords is a good starting point, and you can add expressions from books and TV shows to your own collection. You recall the idiom, write a sentence with it and get your mistakes explained, along with a more natural way to say it. The feedback takes your goal into account, whether that's exam prep or everyday conversation. Spaced repetition brings the idiom back in later sessions. Start now, and piece of cake will become your expression, not someone else's.