General Expressions Flashcards
you’re right on time!
llegas justo a tiempo!
‘I didn’t catch that’
I didn’t hear that.
Give me a buzz later
ring me (call me on the phone) later
Please hold
I have to leave the call for a moment, please
Hang on
wait for a moment
Hang up
end the telephone call.
Someone’s nose is runny
Saying that someone’s nose is “runny” means that there’s liquid coming out of it. The slang word for this liquid is “snot”, and the formal word is “mucus”. This happens when someone has a cold.
You can either say that a person’s nose is “runny” (an adjective) or “running” (a verb)
e. g. Your son has a runny nose. He’s playing a few meters away from you:
- Your nose is runny. Come here and let me wipe it.
not give __ a second thought
Not worry about something at all.
Example: “would you put your baby in the freezing cold for their lunchtime nap? Most Nordic parents wouldn’t give it a second thought. For them it’s part of their daily routine”.
Thanks a bunch
= Thanks a heap
muchas gracias, un montón de gracias
to keep an eye out
Means that you’ll look for something.
“I’ll keep an eye out for it”.
Happen to (do something)
Use the phrase “happen to ___” to talk about something that doesn’t seem very likely. One way this is useful is for asking questions, even though you don’t think the listener will know the answer:
“Do you happen to know a guy by the name of Fred Breedlove?”
(someone) by the name of (a name)
Talk about a person this way when you think that your listener probably doesn’t know who the person is.
so far
hasta ahora (up until now) hasta aquí (to a limited extent), hasta cierto punto.
“So far so good” - Hasta aquí todo bien, por ahora todo bien, bien hasta ahora (all is well up to this point)
It gives me the creep
me da escalofríos, mala espina…
Frown Upon
Disapprove of, To disagree with something.
desaprovar, no ver con buenos ojos, estar mal visto.
example: “Laughing at your own joke is generally frowned upon” (reir tus propios chistes es generalmente mal visto)
To go about
To deal with something.
“The only way to go about it, is to laugh it out”.
“It’s kind of hit-or-miss.”
(something) is hit-or-miss
When something is good sometimes, but not-so-good other times, you can describe it as “hit-or-miss”.
Example: You’ve been watching a comedy TV show. A friend asks what you think of it. Some episodes are good and others are bad, so you describe it this way: “It’s kind of hit-or-miss”.
It’s dirt cheap
Es baratísimo.
It blows (one’s) mind
When something is amazing and unbelievable, you can say that “it blows your mind”. Examples:
- Whenever I think about how many people live there, it blows my mind.
- It blows my mind how talented Katie is at such a young age.
Sometimes people use this phrase to talk about something that’s surprising in a negative way:
- It blows my mind how some people can just lie right to your face.
You can also use this expression in the past tense:
A: How was the exhibit?
B: Oh, it absolutely blew my mind!
(someone) doesn’t go for (something)
I don’t go for ___” means “I don’t enjoy ___.” For example:
- I don’t go for all that fancy stuff. I like a good, old-fashioned meal.
- I don’t go for action movies.
You can also use this phrase to explain that someone doesn’t accept something. For example:
- You’d better be prepared when you go in to talk to Marjorie; she doesn’t go for excuses.
(someone) is leaving money on the table
his means to not get as much money as you could.
You use this phrase to talk about negotiations, finance, and buying and selling things. For example: “If you just blindly accept whatever they decide to offer, you’re definitely leaving money on the table”.
The “table” in this expression comes from poker: when you don’t play intelligently, you’re leaving your money on the poker table.
sit around (doing something)
To “sit around ___ing” means to do something lazily. Here are some of the best examples:
“sit around watching TV”
“sit around on the Internet”
“sit around talking to your friends” (when you’re supposed to be working or studying)
“sit around waiting for something”
This is a negative phrase. You usually use it when you’re complaining about someone who seems lazy.
Example: Your roommate broke up with his girlfriend two weeks ago. Since then, he’s been at home every day and seems depressed. You don’t want to see him being depressed any longer, so you’re trying to encourage him to go out and have fun with other people. You say:
-“You can’t just sit around feeling sorry for yourself forever”.
Your (pay check, career, etc.) are At Stake
Tu (sueldo, carrera) está en juego.
Tone it Down
“Toning it down” means doing less of something, or making something less extreme.
You can “tone down” a lot of different things. Here are some examples:
- If your children are playing really loudly, you can ask them to “tone it down”, meaning to play more quietly.
- If someone is playing a sport really aggressively even though it’s not a serious game, you can comment that this person should “tone it down”, meaning to play less aggressively.
- If your boyfriend usually likes to talk a lot about politics, you can ask him to “tone it down” when you bring him to have dinner with your parents.
Example: There’s a new employee at your job. He’s really energetic and tries to be helpful to everyone. It’s nice, but it’s also a little annoying. You complain about him to one of your close work friends.
“That new guy is so eager to please. I wish he’d tone it down a little”.
It’s the thought that counts.
This is a set phrase that English speakers use to talk about gifts. It means that it’s OK if a gift isn’t perfect; the purpose of giving someone a gift is just to show that you care about that person.
People say this when someone gets a gift which doesn’t match what they wanted.
Example: Your cousin sent you a birthday present. It was a book, but you’re actually not interested in reading that book at all. Even though you don’t like the gift, you’re happy that your cousin sent you something. You think this to yourself.
“Well, it’s the thought that counts”.
(La intención es lo que cuenta)
get back to (someone)
To “get back to” someone means to respond. You can “get back to” someone who sent you an e-mail or left a telephone message.
You can also use “get back to ___” to talk about answering someone’s question later:
“Please get back to me by the end of the day”. (por favor, contáctame (o contacta conmigo) a final del día)
(someone) is swamped
When someone is very busy at work (‘agobiado’), you can describe them as “swamped”.
A: Hey, do you want to go out for lunch?
B: I can’t today. I’m swamped.
Example II:
A professional contact calls you. He left a voicemail message for you last week, but you forgot to call him because you were so busy. After saying hello, you apologize and explain why you haven’t called him back.
“Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. I’ve been swamped”.
The word “swamp” means a big pool of mud. So when you’re “swamped” with work, it’s like being stuck in a pool of mud that you can’t get out of.
If someone is busy but not extremely busy, just use the word “busy” instead.
There’s (a contagious sickness) going around
When a lot of people are sick with a cold, a flu, etc., you can say that it “is going around”. For example:
- Be careful. There’s a flu going around.
- I’ve noticed a few people sniffling. I hope that there’s not something going around.
A bug:
You can call a slight illness like a cold, a flu, or a stomach virus a “bug”.
A: Are you OK?
B: I think I got some kind of stomach bug.
Example II: It’s winter. A lot of people that you work with are getting sick with colds and flus. You’re worried that you’re going to get sick too. You’re talking to your wife about it: “There’s some kind of bug going around”
The more common meaning of “bug” is insect, but when you use it this way, “bug” means a virus or bacterial infection.
What’s-(his/her/its)-name
When you can’t remember the name of someone, you can call him or her “What’s-his-name” or “What’s-her-name”:
- It stars What’s-his-name. You know, the guy from Titanic.
A: Where is it?
B: I gave it to What’s-her-name.
A: Isabelle?
B: Yeah, I think so.
In sentences like these, “What’s-his-name” replaces the person’s name.
This phrase can seem rude because it seems like you don’t care much about what the person’s name is. Or it can just seem like you’re forgetful and relaxed.
swing by (somewhere)
“Swinging by” a place means visiting it quickly before going somewhere else (dejarse caer por…). It’s very similar to “stopping by”: “Can we stop by an ATM on the way there?”
But when someone says “swing by”, it’s even more casual and the visit sounds even shorter. You can tell someone to “swing by” a place when you want the trip to sound short and easy.
drop off (something), (leave sb, sth somewhere - dejar a alguien o algo en algún sitio)
To “drop off” something means to leave it in a place. But you only use it for things that you leave on purpose, not by accident. For example:
- I need to swing by the office and drop off a few documents.
- Could you drop this off for me at the post office?
A hard nut to crack
Un hueso duro de roer
Examples:
“Johnny is a hard nut to crack. He’s so quiet, I can never tell what he’s thinking.”
“Journalism is a hard nut to crack. It’s very difficult to get published. There is a lot of competition.”
“My boss is a hard nut to crack. No matter what I do, he never says thank you. I can’t tell if he likes me or not.”
To live beyond (someone) means.
vivir por encima de las posibilidades.
“unfortunately people do live beyond their means most of the time”.
(someone) is saddled with (debt)
A creative way to say that someone owes a lot of money is to describe them as “saddled with debt”.
A “saddle” is a seat that you put on a horse’s back so that a person can ride the horse. So being “saddled” with debt is like having something heavy on your back. It sounds tiring.
Jump to conclusions
“Jumping to conclusions” means accepting an explanation too quickly. For example, if a coworker is late for work, you might think that she overslept. However, this would be “jumping to conclusions” because there are other possible explanations for why she’s late: she might have gotten in a car accident, for example.
“Jumping to conclusions” is a bad habit. You often hear this phrase used in the sentence:
Don’t jump to conclusions.
What was (someone’s) name again?
If you’ve been told someone’s name before, but have forgotten it, you should ask for that person’s name again this way: What was your husband’s name again?
This expression shows that you remember hearing the person’s name once before.
On Behalf of (a group of people)
(‘En nombre de…, en representación de…”) Use this phrase when you want to formally make an announcement that expresses the feelings of a group of people. For example, in a written “Thank You” card, you can write:
- “On behalf of Tina and myself, thank you so much for agreeing to come speak on such short notice. We and the entire audience really appreciated it”.
“On behalf of ___” is a fairly (fairly-bastante) formal phrase.
In your behalf - En tu nombre.
Going-Away Party
Fiesta de despedida
- “I’m going to organize a going-away party at a restaurant for my friend who’s moving to another area of the country.
Get to Work
This means to begin working. It gives the impression that there is some work that needs to be done, and you need to start on it. Of course, these same words can also mean “get to (the place where I) work”.
Example: You’re leading a group of people that is decorating for a wedding. You discuss the plans with the group and tell each person what to do. Now it’s time to break up (dividirse) and start doing the work, so you say: “All right – let’s get to work”.
Block someone’s View
“Blocking someone’s view” means putting something in the way and preventing a person from seeing something that they want to see.
For example, if you want to look out of your window and see your neighborhood, but there’s a tree growing in front of the window, you can say that the tree is “blocking your view”.
Could Use a little help
when you’re struggling with something, and there’s someone nearby who isn’t helping you, you can say: “I could use a little help”.
Example:
You’re cleaning your house because you’re having guests over this weekend. Your husband isn’t helping you. You’re annoyed, so you ask for help this way: “Excuse me, I could use a little help…”
(something) Is Down to (a number of something)
When there used to be more of something, but now there’s less of it, you can use the phrase “down to ___” (lit: bajado a… / = que: ‘nos hemos quedado en…’)
Examples:
- We sold the van, so we’re down to two vehicles now.
- We’re down to half a bag of rice.
Usually you say the number of things that you are down to, but you can also list what’s left like this: - Now it’s down to just me, Brad, and Gbenga.
Notice that it’s common to include “now” somewhere in the sentence.
Fire Away
slang (begin asking questions)
Adelante. Pregúntame lo que quieras.
Dispara.
I’m on it
The phrase “I’m on it” means “I will deal with this” or “I will handle the problem.” You can use it in work situations.
“I’m on it” sounds helpful and positive. When you say this, it makes it seem like you’ve already started to work on the problem.
Make a Left/Right
When you’re giving someone driving instructions, you can tell them where to turn using the phrases “make a right” or “make a left”. This is a little more casual than telling someone to “turn right” or “turn left”.
Example: You’re riding in a car with your friend. Your friend is driving but she’s never been to the store that you’re going to. You tell her where to turn: “Make a right at the next light”.
(some time) sharp
When you’re making plans for a specific time, and don’t want people to be late, you can use the word “sharp” after the time:
- Be there at 8 o’clock sharp.
- We start at 9:30 sharp. Don’t be late!
Adding “sharp” to the time makes you seem strict, but not rude or unfriendly.
A Running Joke
Una broma recurrente.
A RUNNING JOKE is something that happens on a regular basis in TV shows and programs, for instance, and a typical example of that would be Kenny being killed in each and every single one of the South Park episodes.
It Stands to Reason
( = it is logical)
tener sentido, ‘parece lógico’
- “The company isn’t profitable: it stands to reason that the owners will sell it”. (La compañía no genera ganancias: tiene sentido que los dueños quieran venderla).
A Run-In With
quarrel with (informal)
tener una pelotera con…, tener un roce con…
Example: I had a run-in with my brother yesterday over whose turn it was to borrow the car.
