These expressions are used to describe learning, speaking, and understanding languages.
Language Expressions
- Pick up a language
- Meaning: Learn a language naturally.
- Example: She picked up Spanish during her travels.
- Brush up on
- Meaning: Review or improve skills.
- Example: He brushed up on his French.
- Speak fluently
- Meaning: Speak a language smoothly and easily.
- Example: She speaks German fluently.
- Get the hang of
- Meaning: Understand and master something.
- Example: He finally got the hang of Russian.
- Break down
- Meaning: Simplify a complex concept.
- Example: She broke down grammar rules for beginners.
- Translate into
- Meaning: Convert from one language to another.
- Example: Please translate this document into French.
- Talk the talk
- Meaning: Speak confidently using specific jargon.
- Example: She talks the talk when discussing linguistics.
- Come across
- Meaning: Be understood or perceived in a certain way.
- Example: His accent comes across clearly.
- Switch languages
- Meaning: Change from one language to another.
- Example: They switch languages effortlessly in conversation.
- Master a language
- Meaning: Learn and use a language perfectly.
- Example: He’s mastered Japanese in five years.
- Get by in
- Meaning: Have basic skills to communicate.
- Example: I can get by in Italian.
- Converse in
- Meaning: Hold conversations using a particular language.
- Example: She can converse in Spanish fluently.
- Talk over someone’s head
- Meaning: Use language too complex to understand.
- Example: His technical jargon goes over my head.
- Pick out
- Meaning: Identify or recognize specific words.
- Example: She can pick out familiar vocabulary.
- Make out
- Meaning: Understand with difficulty.
- Example: I could barely make out their accent.
- Phrase in
- Meaning: Express something using specific words.
- Example: Please phrase your question in English.
- Put across
- Meaning: Convey ideas or meanings clearly.
- Example: She puts her point across effectively.
- Hit the nail on the head
- Meaning: Say something accurately or precisely.
- Example: His translation hit the nail on the head.
- Chew over
- Meaning: Discuss or think deeply about.
- Example: Let’s chew over the meaning of this idiom.
- Spell out
- Meaning: Make something very clear.
- Example: He spelled out the language rules.
