Essential English phrases to blend in like a local on your holiday

A woman stood in a square, holding a map looking around
Reading time: 5 minutes

Summer has arrived and you might be gearing up for a holiday soon. Knowing some of the local language is always helpful, but to genuinely speak like a native English speaker, you must grasp and use common phrases and idioms that locals employ in daily conversations. Native English speakers have a natural command of these phrases, whereas non-fluent speakers often need to study and practice them to achieve fluency.

In this blog post, we¡¯ll delve into essential English phrases that will help you sound more like a local and less like a tourist.

Phrases to help you speak English like a local
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ɫèAV can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Common English idioms and phrases you should know

Depending on where you go, the language will be vastly different, but quite often, certain English phrases overlap, so you might hear some common phrases being used in more than one country.

"It's all gone pear-shaped" (UK)

This quirky phrase means that something has gone wrong or not as planned. For example, if your holiday plans fall apart due to bad weather, you could say, ¡°Our trip to the coast has gone all pear-shaped.¡± In other words, it¡¯s bad news for our vacation.

"No worries, mate!" (Australia/UK)

In Australia, you¡¯ll often hear the phrase ¡°No worries, mate!¡± used to convey that everything is fine or that there¡¯s no problem. It¡¯s a versatile expression of reassurance and friendliness. For instance, if you apologize for bumping into someone on a busy street, you might receive a cheerful ¡°No worries, mate!¡± in response.

"Fill your boots" (Canada)

This phrase is an invitation to help yourself to as much of something as you want. For example, if you¡¯re at a buffet and someone says, ¡°Fill your boots,¡± they¡¯re encouraging you to enjoy as much food as you like. It¡¯s a welcoming expression that showcases generosity and hospitality.

"Fair dinkum" (Australia)

This expression is used to affirm the truth or genuineness of something. It can be equated to saying ¡°really¡± or ¡°honestly¡± in other English dialects. For example, if someone tells you a surprising fact about the local wildlife, you might respond with ¡°Fair dinkum?¡± to confirm that it is indeed true.

"Chock-a-block" (UK)

This phrase means that something is full to capacity. For instance, if a pub or restaurant is very crowded, you might hear someone say, ¡°The pub is chock-a-block tonight.¡± It¡¯s an evocative way to describe a situation where space is limited or an area is very busy.

"Double-double" (Canada)

In Canada, especially when discussing coffee, a ¡°double-double¡± refers to a coffee with two creams and two sugars. For example, if you¡¯re at a cafe and want a coffee with two creams and two sugars, you would say, ¡°I¡¯ll have a double-double, please.¡± This phrase will make you sound like a fluent English speaker.

"I'm knackered" (UK)

Feeling extremely tired? Then you¡¯re ¡°knackered.¡± This phrase is commonly used in the UK to express exhaustion. After a long day of sightseeing, you might say, ¡°I¡¯m completely knackered!¡± If you only feel this tired once in a blue moon, you¡¯re lucky! This is a common way to express tiredness in everyday conversation in the UK.

"It's not my cup of tea" (UK)

If something isn¡¯t to your liking, you might say, ¡°It¡¯s not my cup of tea.¡± This phrase is a polite way of expressing disinterest or dislike. For example, you might say, ¡°Horror films are not my cup of tea.¡± Even if English is not your native language, using phrases like ¡°It¡¯s not my cup of tea¡± can help you sound more natural.

"A bit miffed" (UK)

If you find yourself slightly annoyed or irritated, you might use the phrase ¡°a bit miffed.¡± It¡¯s a mild way to express discontent. For example, if you¡¯ve been waiting a long time in a queue and someone cuts in front of you, you might say, ¡°I was a bit miffed when they pushed in.¡± If you think cutting in line will get you served faster, you¡¯re . Fluent English speakers often use ¡°a bit miffed¡± to express mild irritation politely.

"What's up?" (US)

A common greeting in the United States, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± is a casual way to ask someone how they are or what they are doing. It¡¯s extremely common and often used among friends and acquaintances. For instance, when meeting a friend, you might say, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± to start a conversation.

Another casual greeting you might hear is ¡°How¡¯s life?¡± which is used to check in on someone¡¯s well-being.

"In a jiffy" (UK)

If you hear someone use this phrase, ¡°in a jiffy,¡± it means they will do it very quickly. It¡¯s a phrase used to indicate promptness or immediacy. For example, if you¡¯re waiting for your meal at a restaurant and the server says, ¡°It¡¯ll be ready in a jiffy,¡± you can expect it to arrive shortly.

"Hit the sack" (US)

If you¡¯re ready to go to bed or sleep, you can use the phrase ¡°hit the sack.¡± It¡¯s a casual way of saying that you are going to sleep. After a long day of activities, you might tell your friends, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, I think I¡¯ll hit the sack.¡± When speaking English, using phrases like ¡°hit the sack¡± can make your conversations sound more natural.

"Raining cats and dogs" (UK)

Brits love talking about the weather, so it's no surprise this idiom is weather-related. The idiom is a colorful way to describe heavy rain. Using this idiom not only conveys the severity of the rain but also adds a touch of humor to your conversation. If you visit during its rainy seasons (which is more often than you think), you'll have plenty of opportunities to use this phrase.

Conclusion

Incorporating these common English phrases into your conversations will not only help you blend in better but also make your interactions more engaging and authentic. Remember, language learning is an ongoing process, so don¡¯t be afraid to make mistakes. Expanding your spoken English vocabulary will also help you feel more confident in your interactions.

The more you practice, the more confident you¡¯ll become. The more you practice, the more you will sound like a fluent English speaker. If you can, consulting a native speaker can help you understand such idioms and use them correctly. Native speakers often talk quickly and use complex vocabulary, so don¡¯t hesitate to ask them to speak slower or provide examples to improve your understanding.

Read our blog post 'English words and slang terms you should know'

?

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A teacher leaning on a table where students are working on various activities

    6 tips for planning your first English classes

    By Nicole Kyriacou

    You are nervous, yet excited. You want to appear relaxed and fun, but still be taken seriously. Most of all, you are keen to make an excellent first impression.

    With all that in mind - planning your first English classes of the year can be a daunting experience.

    Here are six things to consider when planning your first classes:

    1. Set clear aims

    Whether you are teaching young learners, teenagers or adults, it¡¯s important you discuss the aims and objectives of the course from day one. You¡¯ll need to learn more about your students' needs to do this. Why are they learning English? Do they want to prepare for an official exam? What activities do they enjoy? What things do they need to improve the most?

    The way you do this will depend on the age of your learners. For example, with adults and teens, you could get them to interview each other and write a report about what they found out. With younger children, do a survey they can complete using smiley faces.

    2. Find out students¡¯ interests

    Although you should understand your students' needs and why they want to learn English - to help make your classes relevant and engaging - you should also discover what they enjoy doing outside of class.

    To do this, get students to write mini bios you can stick around the classroom. Or have them prepare presentations where they share something they are passionate about with the rest of the class - using coursebooks. As a class, go through the contents page, vote on which topics students find most interesting, and start with those.

    3. Break the ice

    You want your first class to be fun so that students are motivated, and associate English language learning with something they can enjoy. Ice-breakers can also be an excellent way to get to know each other and learn about your students' current level of English.

    Activities where students have to ask each other questions work well.

    4. Provide a comfortable environment

    Young learners and teenagers tend to be shy at the start of a course - especially if they don¡¯t know each other. Develop a rapport and break down boundaries by including team-building activities in your first class.?Your aim is to have all the students feeling more comfortable with each other before the end of the lesson so that there are no awkward silences in future lessons.

    5. Manage expectations

    Managing expectations is an essential part of a teacher's job. Make sure in the first class you are clear about what you expect from your students and what they can expect from you.

    Have students brainstorm the rules for the class and then make a big poster or ¡®class contract¡¯ which all students have to sign. Display the poster on the wall so you can always refer to it if someone misbehaves.

    Try to keep the rules as positive as possible. Instead of writing: 'Don¡¯t speak your first language', write: 'Try to always speak English and ask if you don¡¯t know a word'. If you are feeling really brave, you can even get your students to devise a list of rules for you which you can display on the wall next to theirs.

    6. Make it challenging

    It¡¯s great making your first lesson fun - but there¡¯s nothing more motivating than leaving a new class and feeling like you¡¯ve made a good decision and you are going to learn lots (and you aren¡¯t wasting your time or money). This is especially important for adult learners.

    So, as well as getting to know each other and finding out their needs, teach them something new. This could be 10 new pieces of vocabulary, how to structure a letter or report, or a list of resources they can use at home to practice their English.