5 Useful American Phrases That Will Easily Transform The Way You Speak

In this article, You’ll learn five useful American Phrases that you can use in your daily life. You will also learn how to pronounce them with an American Accent in a way that is clear and understandable.

English is a tricky language full of pitfalls for non-native speakers. Studying grammar and vocabulary are not easy tasks on themselves, but the real challenge is when we study pronunciation. Just when you think you have mastered all the language skills and are ready to speak English fluently, you come across another obstacle.

One of the reasons why English can be difficult is the fact that it’s spoken almost everywhere in the world. As a result, each region develops the language in their own way, resulting in different expressions and idioms.

Americans also have their own cultural norms affecting their language; therefore, you need to understand their cultural context to be able to use their unique expressions and idioms.

Do you often feel confused when you speak with a native and they use some expressions you’ve never heard of before? These expressions can make no sense to you at first, but once you figure out their usage and importance in different contexts, you’ll add a natural flare to your conversations and sound like a native speaker!

Studying American English expressions and phrases is a must to sound more natural, but it’s not enough. You also need to know how to say them; that is, their pronunciation. You can use an expression that fits in the context perfectly, but if you don’t know how to pronounce them clearly, you may not be understood.

Do you want to know how to use American English expressions and their pronunciation in a short period of time? In this article, you’re going to learn both. ChatterFox is always here to help you master your American pronunciation skills and achieve fluency in English. What follows is our third list of the Common American Phrases that Americans use a lot in their daily lives. (Be sure to read part 1 & 2 for more!)

Common American Phrases

Drop-dead gorgeous (1st Common American Phrases)

Our first phrase can be a good alternative for saying “very beautiful/pretty”. For example, when you talk about a celebrity you like a lot, you can say:

  • “I really love her, she’s drop-dead gorgeous!”

Gung ho (2nd Common American Phrases)

Here is an interesting phrase: if you say someone is gung ho about something, you actually mean that they’re super enthusiastic about it. For instance, you can say:

  • She is really gung ho about that marathon she’s running. (She’s training very hard and really excited about it.)

Heads up (3rd Common American Phrases)

Heads up is an alternative for saying “warning” and used to show alertness about something. When you say this phrase, make sure you pronounce the z sound at the end of the word heads. Let’s practice this phrase with an example:

  • I wanted to give you a head[z] up, I think the CEO is coming to the office tomorrow. (I wanted to give you a warning…)

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Have a hissy fit (4th Common American Phrases)

To have a hissy fit means “to have an angry outburst”, usually when someone gets super upset about something and reacts childishly. For instance, you can say:

  • She had a hissy fit when she got a parking ticket. (She had a sudden burst of anger when she got a parking ticket.)

Filthy rich (5th Common American Phrases)

Our last phrase filthy rich is used for people who are more than just rich. So, you can say filthy rich instead of saying “very wealthy”. For example:

  • Jeff Bezos is not rich, he’s filthy rich! (He is more than just rich.)

Great job!

Bottom Line

Learning American English has its own challenges, and improving your speaking and pronunciation skills is one of them. But don’t let them scare you, as long as you practice daily and with determination, you can master these skills sooner than you actually think.

If you want to learn more American English expressions and practice regularly, you need to visit ChatterFox and join our accent reduction class. There are lots of blog posts, videos, accent coaches and online pronunciation courses waiting for you to help you speak even better than a native!

 

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