Speak English With Vanessa
Free PDF Worksheet
Daily English Phrases You Need to Know
Dear English Learner,
Get ready to speak confidently! I recommend reading the worksheet out loud and using
the blank space on the last page to answer my challenge question. Click here to watch
the original video. Thanks so much for learning English with me!
Your teacher,
Vanessa
15 Daily English Phrases
To swing by: to make a short visit
*Same as: to drop by, to stop by
Maybe you can just swing by the park and pick me up?
I need to swing by the grocery store to grab some things for dinner.
We’ll see: this phrase means that someone will have to wait for the final answer;
sometimes people will say this to get out of answering a question directly
Are we going to the store later? -I need to finish up this work and then we’ll see.
Can we go get ice cream after the movie? –We’ll see.
I’ll get back to you: to talk to someone again, to give them information you didn’t have
before
Can I come over for dinner tonight? -I’m not at home right now, but I’ll get back
to you this afternoon.
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I would love to help you out this weekend, but I need to check my schedule and
make sure I’m free. I’ll get back to you.
Let’s go for it! /I’m so glad we went for it: to enthusiastically strive to do or achieve
something
I just have a good feeling about it. Let’s go for it!
We weren’t sure about skydiving but I’m so glad we went for it–it was so much
fun!
To take a breather: to pause or take a break
Going to the river was a good choice. It was nice to take a breather.
Whew! This hike is harder than I thought it would be. I need to take a breather.
I’ll do it in a sec: a short period of time (sec = second)
Can we listen to some music? -Yeah, I’ll do it in a sec when we get to a stop.
Don’t worry about the laundry, I’ll do it in a sec when I am done with my work.
Just the three of us: a way of saying “all of us, but there’s only three of us”
Are any of our friends coming? -No, it’s just the three of us.
Why are we sitting at this huge table? It’s just the three of us, we don’t need all
this room.
Off they went: someone or something left suddenly
It didn’t matter that he hadn’t seen those friends for a few weeks. When we got to
the park, off they went!
The dogs saw the squirrel and off they went, running and barking.
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Show me how it’s done: to show someone how to do something
I was going to do a yoga video, but my kids wanted to show me how it’s done.
Oh, you think you can dance? Well, then show me how it’s done.
A new phase in life: when you experience a change in life, something you have to
adjust to
With Theo in kindergarten, it’s just a new phase in life.
Moving into a new house and new jobs is just a new phase in life–you’ll get
used to it in no time!
To your heart’s content: as much as you want
*The grammar of this phrase is a little odd: just substitute “as much as you want”
You can pick apples to your heart’s content!
In the summer, all I want to do is eat watermelon to my heart’s content.
You never know: you can never be certain, it’s impossible to predict
Did that squirrel pick those for me? -You never know…
You should always be kind to strangers because you never know what they’re
going through.
Take it easy: to do something calmly or to relax
It’s been a busy week. Let’s just take it easy this weekend.
I hurt my foot, so the doctor told me to take it easy until it heals.
I thought it was a good idea: in this example, the emphasis means that you thought
something was a good idea, but it really wasn’t
*This is an example of how emphasis can show the real meaning.
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I thought it was a good idea to walk to the concert, but it was so dark on the
way home. I scared myself!
I thought it was a good idea to buy Christmas presents early. But then I forgot
about them and bought way too many presents!
To save the rest for later: to prevent waste or loss of something by keeping it
Let’s eat a little piece tonight and save the rest for later.
I got $100 for my birthday. I bought myself some jewelry I wanted but I think I’ll
save the rest of the money for later, when I really want something.
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Vanessa’s Challenge Question
Use the space below to write a few sentences answering this question: Tell me about
your week using at least three of the phrases above.
Sample answer: I thought it was a good idea to go on a hike with my friend over the
weekend. I thought it would be an easy, relaxing time in nature. Well, she decided she
would show me how it’s done, and we did a really hard hike. I ended up hurting myself,
so now I have to take it easy for a couple of weeks while I heal.
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