By Robby

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12 English phrases meaning something completely different

Improve Spoken English

I often touch upon the subject of English idiomatic expressions on this blog for the simple reason that more than oftentimes than not  our every-twenty-four hour period voice communication consists of such and like  discussion combinations and it's making our speech so much more than easier !

Only look at the higher up paragraph – it'southward stuffed with various idiomatic expressions and collocations, and the one common trait they all share is that yous take to larn the EXACT way they're used so that you can learn them off past heart and so use them in your ain conversations.

Then there are proper English idioms you can't even sympathize unless y'all actually know what they mean – such every bit "Information technology'due south no skin off my nose" or "Until the cows come home".

There are, however, certain English phrases that may at first sound as if they don't have any double-meanings AT ALL, yet they hateful something completely unlike!

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

If you're someone who'south only starting off in an English speaking country, for example, the following phrases might turn out to be an center-opener for yous! 😉

You don't want to do that!

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

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

Why practise English language speaking people say "You don't want to exercise that!" instead of simply saying that ane SHOULDN'T practice it?

Well – it's just the manner conversational English goes! Don't ask WHY – but accept that it's the way native English speakers speak, and life is going to be a whole lot easier for yous.

Some other version of the aforementioned phrase – "You don't want to be doing that!" – is used just like the original one, and once once more – don't ask WHY in that location are 2 dissimilar versions of this phrase in use.

Just accept it and use whichever one you want to use! 😀

He tin can't help himself

When I heard the English language verb "to help" used in this context for the first time, I thought the person in question must exist physically handicapped in one case they can't assistance themselves.

I mean – the give-and-take "to aid" is quite simple and straightforward, then when someone can't help themselves, they quite literally can't aid themselves with performing certain tasks, isn't that right?

Turns out it's not the case!

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

Let'southward say, you're eating too much chocolate on a daily footing, and your work colleague asks you one twenty-four hour period why you're eating and so much chocolate every day. You tin can simply respond by saying "I just can't help myself!" which ways that it's a habit so strong you can't resist information technology.

Close upward!

When someone tells yous to close upwardly, it's quite clear what they want to tell y'all, isn't that right?

They're telling you to close your mouth, and needless to say, it's quite rude to be talking to someone like that.

Sometimes, yet, the phrase "Shut upwardly!" can be used to limited something completely different – namely, your amazement at something the other person is telling you well-nigh.

And so if yous're speaking with an English speaking person and they respond to y'all by saying "Shut up! I tin't believe information technology!", it doesn't necessarily mean they desire you to shut your mouth and stop talking to them. It merely means they're so surprised at what you merely said that they're using the phrase "Shut upward!" as means of expressing they disbelief or excitement.

Sure plenty, you'll exist able to read the true significant of those words off the other person's face and tone of voice – the role of body language can't be underestimated, after all.

In that location might exist some occasions, however, when you'd retrieve the other person is being rude to you while in reality there's no damage intended, so please bear in heed that the expression "Shut upwardly!" tin can also have a pretty harmless pregnant!

Go away!

I don't know almost you, but where I alive (Ireland) this phrase is used the same way equally the one in a higher place ("Shut up!") when expressing your surprise at something the other person has just said.

Basically it's just another fashion of saying "Really?!", and when they say "Go away!", nobody means it literally. It' but a way of letting the other person know that you're shocked to hear it, and you may as well start using this phrase in your own daily English conversations.

I see!

This is a very, very uncomplicated English phrase, simply when an average beginner English student sees information technology, on ix 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 time when people desire to say that they get it, that they UNDERSTAND it, and this is really something that a lot of strange English language speakers should learn pretty early in their lives.

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

You see, "I understand" sounds style also formal when used during your daily conversations, then I warmly suggest you commencement using the much more friendlier version of information technology "I run into!" instead.

See where I'thou coming from?

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

When people enquire you lot this question, what they really mean to say is "Do you sympathise the reasons why I'yard saying this?"

Basically the conversation would become something similar this:

"I remember nosotros should swap this automobile for the other one because the production output is much lower now that the busy season is over."

You: ???

"You lot see where I'm coming from?" (Do you understand why I'm suggesting we should swap the machines on the production line?)

Y'all: "I haven't got a clue what you lot're talking about! Can you lot explicate everything to me step-by-pace please?"

You may want to…

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

What this phrase actually means is quite the opposite to giving someone a permission to do something – it's all about giving the other person a suggestion that they should probably cull to exercise whatever it is you're telling them to do!

Why not simply say "You should…" instead?

Well, you lot see – "You may want to…" is a very polite way 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 language phrase has nothing to do with buying stuff, it's all about Assertive what you're told! 😉

If someone makes an empty promise to you or you're told some news you don't believe, you lot tin can answer with maxim "I don't buy information technology!" in which case you're simply making information technology clear you don't believe what you're told.

I'one thousand looking forward to…

As a beginner English language student you may think this phrase ways to be looking straight ahead of you (as opposed to be looking backwards or sideways, for example).

In conversational English language and as well in English in general, however, this phrase has a completely dissimilar pregnant – it just means to exist expecting something, to be really waiting on something to happen!

I retrieve when I'd just started living in Ireland 11 years agone, my supervisor asked me at work if I was looking forward to my holidays, to which I didn't actually know what to say because the judgement didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Now I know only too well that it means to be expecting something, and in example you lot didn't know it – information technology'due south nearly time to add together this English language phrase onto your vocabulary!

Tell me most it!

"Tell me most it!" doesn't hateful "TELL me About it".

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

Hither's a situation to describe exactly what I'k talking about hither:

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

Your friend: "Tell me near it!"

What your friends is telling you is – "Yeah, I can completely relate to that because I also have a trivial sis who's behaving that fashion!"

So now that you know what this phrase means, yous wouldn't start telling your friend More Almost information technology. Y'all'd simply understand your friend is going through a similar experience!

It doesn't injure to…

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

What they mean to tell y'all is that the activity in question is going to result is something actually benign to yous, so it's definitely worth doing it!

How do you find this…?

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

What that person actually meant was – "What do you lot THINK ABOUT your job?" – so in this instance the English verb "to detect" has another significant on top of the almost mutual one which is to actually notice something after you've been looking for it!

* * *

Now, did you discover this article interesting?

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

If and then – allow your friends know nearly them by using the social sharing tool beneath!

Thanks for reading,

Robby 😉

P.Southward. Would you like to observe out why I'm highlighting some of the text in crimson? Read this commodity and yous'll learn why it'south so important to learn idiomatic expressions and how it will help you to improve your spoken English!

P.South.S. Are you serious almost your spoken English comeback? Check out my English language Harmony System HERE!

English Harmony System

P.S. Are you serious near your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony Organisation HERE!

English Harmony System