Real English doesn’t move one word at a time — it flows in ready-made chunks that native speakers grab without thinking. This collection of around 1,200 phrases and expressions covers the everyday combos you’ll hear in casual chats, work emails, and weekend plans. No dusty textbook lists, just the real stuff that helps you sound more natural from day one.
Each entry in the interactive table gives you a clear meaning, a realistic example sentence, and easy-to-read US IPA so you can nail the pronunciation. There’s a play button right next to every phrase — tap it to hear the audio, because your ears need training too. When you’re ready to study offline, a free PDF download button sits below the table.
Words are handy, but phrases are what you actually say out loud. Our free chunk‑based English lessons help you speak in whole expressions — start with Lesson 1 — First Greetings and see how quickly conversations click.
- English Vocabulary hub
- Learn English guide
- Most Common Phrasal Verbs
- Cambridge Dictionary — phrasal verbs & phrases
English Phrases Quiz
Think you’ve already got a handle on common phrases? Try the quick quiz below to see how many you really know.
Common English Phrases and Expressions
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let me think about it. | I need time to consider. | Let me think about it before I decide. |
| let's discuss it later. | Postpone the discussion. | Let's discuss it later when we have more time. |
| Let's go have a look. | Let's go see something together. | Let's go have a look at the new store. |
| Let's go. | We should leave now. | Let's go, we are late. |
| Let's meet in front of the hotel. | Suggesting a meeting place outside the hotel. | Let's meet in front of the hotel at 8 PM. |
| Let's practice English. | Let's improve our English by using it. | Let's practice English together every day. |
| Let's share. | Suggesting to divide something together. | Let's share the pizza so we both get some. |
| let’s call it a day | Stop working for the rest of the day. | We've finished everything, so let's call it a day. |
| let’s do this | Encouragement to start something with energy. | The game is about to begin — let's do this! |
| let’s go | Encouragement to start moving or doing something. | The movie starts in five minutes, let's go. |
| let’s see | Used when thinking or considering something. | Let's see, I think the answer is 42. |
| long story short | Summarizing a long explanation briefly. | Long story short, we missed the flight. |
| long time no see. | Said when you haven't seen someone for a while. | Long time no see! How have you been? |
| look out | Be careful; watch for danger. | Look out! There's a car coming. |
| look who it is | Expression of surprise when seeing someone. | Look who it is — my old friend from college! |
| make yourself at home | Feel comfortable and act as if in your own home. | Come in and make yourself at home. |
| makes sense | Is logical or understandable. | Your explanation makes sense now. |
| Male or female? | Is it a man or a woman? | When booking, please specify male or female. |
| mark my words | Listen carefully; what I say will happen. | Mark my words, he will win the competition. |
| may i sit here? | Polite request to take a seat. | May I sit here? Is this seat taken? |
| May I speak to [name] please? | Use this pattern to ask to talk to someone on the phone. | May I speak to Mr. Smith please? |
| Maybe. | Possibly, but not sure. | Maybe I will come to the party. |
| merry christmas! | Christmas greeting. | Friends exchanged "Merry Christmas!" and hugged. |
| More than (number) miles. | States a distance greater than a given number of miles. | More than five miles. |
| More than that. | Indicates there is additional information or quantity beyond what was mentioned. | I have five dollars, but I need more than that to buy the book. |
