Tune into the latest Express to Impress Podcast episode to grow your English vocabulary. You’ll learn 5 American Idioms and Phrases like "to get at something.” 

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, Feeling Misunderstood? 5 Phrases to Use When Asking for Clarification. 

Learning to recognize and use phrases and idioms in English will allow you to communicate better with native English speakers. You won’t feel confused when you hear the phrases and idioms and will keep up with the conversation. 

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Episode originally published December 24, 2021.

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/american-idioms/

Join the Express to Impress community on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/express-to-impress/.

Learn how to use the Shadowing Technique at https://www.express-to-impress.com/english-learning/

Original theme music by Lucas Knutter

Express to Impress

To Get at Something and Other American Idioms and Phrases

「におい」は、いい時にも嫌な時にも使います。
「香り」は、いい時にだけ使います。


Natural Nihongo Chat

#3 「におい」と「香り」ってどう違うの？

Estar al loro’是一个有点幽默的西班牙语表达，因为我们在其中包含了一个动物，但它与动物世界无关。我现在告诉你所有的事。

西班牙语表达

Estar al loro

Describe an interesting neighbour - IELTS speaking part 2 and part 3






Describe an interesting neighbour


You should say-

Who this neighbour is
How long have you known him/her
What kind of person he/she is

And explain why you think this neighbour is interesting





“I’m extremely lucky to have a number of very good and helpful neighbours, but when it comes to an interesting neighbour, that would have to be Joe, who lives in the apartment right opposite mine.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Joe just over a year ago, very soon after I moved into the building, and thanked  my lucky stars the day I met him. It was during one of the Covid lockdowns, and it was impossible to go outside to buy groceries, which was making things quite difficult for me… being a foreigner.

I remember it was about 3 days into the lockdown when Joe knocked on my door and introduced himself to me. The first thing that caught my interest was his excellent use of English, and how he seemed to have a slight Australian accent. To cut a long story short, he told me how he guessed that being a foreigner I might need some help in buying food and other necessities during the lockdown, and had come to offer me some help, which really made my day.

After thanking him for his generous offer, I invited him into my apartment for a chat over a cup of coffee, and we spent the next few hours chatting and getting to know one another. He told me how he had spent a number of years living and travelling abroad, which explained his excellent level of English.

He had so many interesting stories of his travels, but the one that really stood out was his account of the time he travelled across the entire width of Australia, and lived to tell the tale.  As an avid traveller myself, I found all of this so fascinating and incredibly interesting, and we sat for hours swapping stories on our different adventures.


Thank you.”


IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe an interesting neighbour

我想今天下午去看电影，但是没有好电影。我就打电话给我的好朋友，想和她一起去运动，但是她说今天身体不舒服，我们只能去商场买东西了。我们看见一条漂亮的裙子，她喜欢白色，我喜欢黑色，但是黑色的裙子有点儿贵，所以我买了两条白色的，一条给自己，一条送给她。

 Pinyin: Wǒ  xiǎng  jīn tiān xiàwǔ qù kàn diànyǐng, dànshì méiyǒu hǎo diànyǐng. Wǒ jiù dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒ de hǎo péngyou, xiǎng hé tā yīqǐ qù yùndòng, dànshì tā shuō jīntiān shēntǐ bú shūfu, wǒmen zhǐ néng qù shāngchǎng mǎi dōngxi le. Wǒmen kànjiàn yītiáo piàoliang de qúnzi, tā xǐhuān báisè, wǒ xǐhuān hēisè, dànshì hēisè de qúnzi yǒudiǎnr guì, suǒyǐ wǒ mǎi le liǎng tiáo báisè de, yītiáo gěi zìjǐ, yītiáo sòng gěi tā.

但是 [dàn shì] but
就 [jiù] just, with regard to
打 [dǎ] make
电话 [diàn huà] phone call
给 [gěi] to
一起 [yī qǐ] together
运动 [yùn dòng] sports, movement
身体 [shēn tǐ] body
舒服 [shū fu] Comfortable
只 [zhǐ] only
商场 [shāng chǎng] the mall
条 [tiáo] (measure word)
裙子 [qún zi] skirt
白色 [bái sè] white
黑色 [hēi sè] black
有点儿 [yǒu diǎnr] kind of
贵 [guì] expensive
所以 [suǒ yǐ] so
两 [liǎng] Two
自己 [zì jǐ] oneself
送 [sòng] give (as a present)


Question: 为什么我没有买黑色的裙子？
                   wèi shén me wǒ méi yǒu mǎi hēi sè de qún zi?

Chinese story 中文故事

【Chinese Story 】one of my afternoons 我的一个下午

Taiwan Daphne

月下老人

Här berättar jag om en dag i mitt liv. Lyssna och lär. 

Just Started Learning Swedish/A1 Svenskan  

En Dag i Mitt Liv

In this story, a wax bowl of stinky tofu named Stinfu wants to transform into real food. How does he do it? This is Part 3 of 4. 

The night market had finished and all the satisfied customers had left. There was only the restaurant staff, working very quickly to pack up. They didn’t want to spend another minute around a kitchen. They wanted to get home to their warm houses and relax. 

Stinfu stayed where he was. From his view in the showcase, he couldn’t see any of the workers, but he could definitely hear them. He heard plates being washed and stacked; and he heard spray bottles used to clean tables. 

Then, right on time, just like every night, Stinfu was picked up and moved out onto the counter. A waiter then reached inside the showcase and wiped the glass. 
Stinfu looked out at the lonely, empty night market and wished for a miracle. 

I’ve done my service… I’ve attracted thousands of customers to eat stinky tofu… I’m done. I’m tired of living a fake life. I know I’m something real, something more than this wax figure. 

And with that thought, Stinfu saw the homeless man return. 

The homeless man creeped forward, trying to stay hidden from the restaurant workers. He crouched down behind a table and looked straight at Stinfu. The homeless man’s eyes said everything: I’m going to get that stinky tofu or die trying! 

Stinfu lit up with absolute joy and sung a little song in his mind. 

Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m ready. Eat me, eat me, eat me—I’m delicious! 

When the time was right, and the workers were nowhere to be seen, the homeless man ran forward to the counter and snatched Stinfu. 

Being a Cloud

Stinfu the Stinky Tofu 

En este episodio el protagonista es el cáncer de cuello uterino, también conocido como cáncer cervical. Exploraremos los factores de riesgo, los síntomas, los métodos de diagnóstico y las opciones de tratamiento disponibles para el cáncer de cuello uterino. Además, hablaremos sobre la importancia de la prevención y la vacunación contra el Virus del Papiloma Humano (VPH), una de las principales causas de este tipo de cáncer.