Welcome to Easyworld! Whether we’re aware of it or not, professional communication in English includes lots of idiomatic expressions called «idioms». We love them. It’s like a very creative dance move that immediately proves you have a good understanding and command of English.
If you are a business professional who uses English at work, this is for you. We’re delighted to share how our very own dynamic, native-speaking English teachers find creative ways to teach you outside of the classroom. Here you’ll find a variety of asynchronous videos, activities, and creative descriptions to help you best understand, practice, and internalize common expressions.
You will improve your understanding of idiomatic expressions used in business settings, and thus your professional communication. This page is tailored to English language learners in Spain who want to excel in a professional environment.
Content Structure
For each idiomatic expression, you will find the following in text and video format:
-The definition of the idiom.
-Its origin.
-A Spanish translation.
-How to use it in a sentence.
At the end of each page, you’ll have a prompt where you’ll have the opportunity to use it in a sentence.
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to contact us.
We encourage you to participate, but most importantly, have fun!
#welovemistakes
Let’s start learning business English idioms!
"Learn the Ropes"
"To go the extra mile"
"To be on the same page"
Watch our very own Jessica explain in this short video HERE!
EN ESPAÑOL
«on the same page» se puede traducir como «en la misma línea», «estar de acuerdo», «en sintonía» o «alineados»
ORIGIN
The origin of the idiom on the same page is sometimes attributed to choral singing where all singers needed to be on the same page. It’s actually much more likely that this term can be attributed to classes and business meetings when copies of a single item are used by all members and that all need to be reading from the same page in order to understand what is being discussed.
EXAMPLES
«Let’s go over the contract details once more to make sure we’re all on the same page.»
«Before we make any decisions today, I’d like to make sure that everyone is on the same page.»
YOU CAN DO IT!
Now it’s your turn. Get out there and show everyone how agreeable you are. 🙂
"The elephant in the room"
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Watch our very own Jessica explain in this short video HERE!
It happens a lot in business. There may be something very big and very important that needs to be discussed, but it hurts to talk about. Or it might cause problems, so we refer to this as the elephant in the room.
This is your idiom of the month.
This month’s idiom is the elephant in the room.
ORIGIN
It was used in 1814 by Yvonne Krylov, a Russian poet and fabulist.
He wrote a little fable called the Inquisitive Man, which talks about the story of a man who goes to a museum and notices all sorts of tiny things but fails to notice an elephant in the room.
EXAMPLES IN A SENTENCE
«When Jeff arrived in the meeting yesterday, he had a huge black eye. He gave us no explanation and nobody dared to ask him about it. So we sat there for the whole meeting with this elephant in the room.»
Another example:
«That was the elephant in the room. Everyone knew, but no one said anything.»
"To twist someone's arm"
TO TWIST SOMEONE’S ARM
Watch our very own Jessica explain in this 60 second video HERE!
Do you have to convince someone to do something? Do you want to joke about how your boss convinces you to do something? Then this idiom of the month is just for you.
This month’s idiom is «to twist someone’s arm». It could be that «you are twisting my arm» or that «your boss is twisting your arm».
DEFINITION
This literally means to convince someone to do something they do not want to do.
ORIGIN
This phrase originated in the mid-1900s and refers to using physical force by twisting someone’s arm to get something done.
Let’s use it in a sentence.
Ex. 1: My boss thought the budget was a little high. So I had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.
Ex. 2: I really didn’t want to go to the scary movie, but my friend twisted my arm and now I’m having nightmares now.
Now it’s your turn
Can you use it in a sentence below?
Get out there and show everyone how reluctant you are to do certain things!