Topic 05 · 9 lessons · every one with a quiz
Common Phrases
What people really say: everyday English phrases, what they mean and when to use them.
Lucky dip Take a random phrase
Start here
New to common phrases? Begin with these three.All common phrases
Newest first
The guide
About common phrases
Welcome to FunkyEnglish’s collection of common phrases — the everyday expressions that don’t quite fit into “idiom” or “slang” but that you’ll hear constantly in real conversation.
What Counts as a Common Phrase?
These are the fixed expressions native speakers reach for automatically — polite ways to soften bad news, casual ways to talk about everyday topics, or phrases that have simply become standard enough to be their own vocabulary item.
Why They’re Useful
Because they’re so frequent, common phrases give you an outsized return for the effort of learning them — a handful of these will noticeably smooth out your everyday conversation.
A Few to Start With
- Different Ways To Say Thank You — beyond the basic “thanks”
- It Is What It Is — accepting something you cannot change
- Man’s Best Friend — a familiar phrase explained
- We Need To Talk — what this phrase really signals
New phrases are added regularly.
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Idioms, slang and vocab grouped by subject61 lessonsAnimals61 lessonsProper British43 lessonsBody43 lessonsFood & Drink28 lessonsWeather & Nature28 lessonsWork & Jobs22 lessonsSport & Games21 lessonsLove & Friends20 lessonsFeelings20 lessonsTalk & Secrets17 lessonsTravel & Transport15 lessonsSchool & Study13 lessonsTime & Hurry12 lessonsMoney12 lessonsTechnology11 lessonsColours
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01IdiomsRaining cats and dogs — and why02SlangChuffed, knackered, gutted03Phrasal VerbsGet on, get over, get by04GrammarTenses without the tears05Common PhrasesWhat people really say06British CultureQueues, tea and ‘you alright?’07Photo VocabWords you can actually see08ProverbsOld wisdom, still handy09LessonsThemed deep dives10In the NewsEnglish from the headlines