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 |
|---|---|---|
| what do you do? | Asking about someone's job or occupation. | What do you do for a living? |
| What do you have? | Asking what someone possesses or offers. | What do you have in your bag? It looks heavy. |
| What do you recommend? | Asking for a suggestion or advice. | I can't decide; what do you recommend? |
| What do you study? | What subject are you learning at school? | What do you study? I study biology. |
| What do you think? | Asking for someone's opinion. | I'm thinking of painting the room blue. What do you think? |
| What do you want to buy? | Asking someone what they intend to purchase. | What do you want to buy at the store? |
| What do you want to do? | What activity would you like to do? | What do you want to do this weekend? |
| What does this mean? | Asking for the meaning of something. | What does this mean? I don't understand the symbol. |
| What does this say? | Asking for the written content to be read or explained. | What does this say? I can't read the handwriting. |
| What does this word mean? | Asking for the definition of a specific word. | What does this word mean? I've never seen it before. |
| what else | What other things are there? | We have pizza and salad. What else do you want? |
| what for | Why; for what reason. | You need money? What for? |
| What happened? | Asking about an event or incident. | I heard a loud noise. What happened? |
| What is it? | Asking for identification or explanation. | You have something on your mind. What is it? |
| What is that? | Asking about an object or thing. | What is that strange device on the table? |
| What is the area code? | What is the telephone code for a region? | To call New York, what is the area code? |
| What is today's date? | Asking for the current date. | What is today's date? I need to write it down. |
| What kind of music do you like? | What genre of music do you enjoy? | What kind of music do you like? I love jazz. |
| What school did you go to? | Which school did you attend? | What school did you go to? I went to Lincoln High. |
| what should i do? | Asking for advice. | What should I do? I'm lost. |
| What should I wear? | Asking for clothing advice. | It's cold outside. What should I wear? |
| What size? | Asking for the size of clothing or shoes. | What size do you need? Small or medium? |
| What time are they arriving? | Asking about the expected arrival time of some people. | What time are they arriving? I need to pick them up. |
| What time are you going to the bus station? | Asking about the time of departure to the bus station. | What time are you going to the bus station? I need a ride. |
| What time did you get up? | Asking what time someone woke up and got out of bed. | What time did you get up this morning? |
