English Essential Idioms: Learn Common Phrases and Their Meanings in English and German

Here is a table of 100 of the most common essential idioms in English, along with their explanations and their German equivalents:

#	Idiom	Explanation	German equivalent
1	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush	It is better to keep what you have than to risk losing it by trying to get something better.	Ein Vogel in der Hand ist besser als zehn auf dem Dach.
2	A penny for your thoughts	Asking someone what they are thinking about.	Ein Penny für deine Gedanken.
3	A taste of your own medicine	To experience something that you have inflicted on others.	Eine Kostprobe deiner eigenen Medizin.
4	Actions speak louder than words	What you do is more important than what you say.	Taten sagen mehr als Worte.
5	All’s fair in love and war	Rules and conventions can be disregarded in certain situations.	Alles ist erlaubt in der Liebe und im Krieg.
6	As cool as a cucumber	Calm and composed, especially in difficult situations.	Ruhig wie eine Gurke.
7	At the drop of a hat	To do something immediately without hesitation.	Sofort, ohne zu zögern.
8	Barking up the wrong tree	To pursue the wrong path or person.	Auf dem Holzweg sein.
9	Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about something directly.	Um den heißen Brei herumreden.
10	Better late than never	It’s better to do something late than not at all.	Besser spät als nie.
11	Bite off more than you can chew	To take on more than you can handle.	Sich übernehmen.
12	Blood is thicker than water	Family relationships are stronger than other types of relationships.	Blut ist dicker als Wasser.
13	Burn the candle at both ends	To overexert oneself by staying up late and waking up early.	Das Leben in vollen Zügen genießen.
14	Clean slate	A new beginning without any negative consequences or baggage from the past.	Ein Neuanfang.
15	Cross that bridge when we come to it	To deal with a problem only when it arises.	Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat.
16	Curiosity killed the cat	Being too curious can have negative consequences.	Neugier ist eine schlechte Eigenschaft.
17	Cut someone off	To stop communicating with someone.	Jemanden abschneiden.
18	Cut someone some slack	To be more lenient or forgiving towards someone.	Jemandem eine Chance geben.
19	Don’t cry over spilled milk	Don’t worry about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.	Was passiert ist, ist passiert.
20	Early bird gets the worm	Those who act quickly and decisively will be successful.	Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm.
21	Every cloud has a silver lining	Every negative situation has a positive aspect.	Jedes Unglück hat auch sein Gutes.
22	Every dog has its day	Everyone will have their moment of success or triumph.	Jeder hat einmal Glück im Leben.

23	Haste makes waste	Rushing or hurrying can lead to mistakes or inefficiency.	Eile mit Weile.
24	Hit the hay	To go to bed or go to sleep.	Ins Bett gehen.
25	Hit the nail on the head	To be correct or accurate.	Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen.
26	If the shoe fits, wear it	If something applies to you, accept it.	Wer den Schuh passt, soll ihn tragen.
27	Keep your chin up	To stay positive and optimistic, especially in difficult situations.	Kopf hoch!
28	Keep your eyes peeled	To pay close attention or watch carefully.	Augen aufhalten.
29	Kill two birds with one stone	To accomplish two things at once.	Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen.
30	Know which way the wind is blowing	To understand the situation or be aware of what is happening.	Den Windrichtung kennen.
31	Let bygones be bygones	To forget about past conflicts or disagreements and move on.	Was geschehen ist, ist geschehen.
32	Let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid stirring up old or potentially contentious issues.	Schlafende Hunde soll man nicht wecken.

33	Money doesn’t grow on trees	Money is not easily obtained or readily available.	Das Geld wächst nicht auf Bäumen.
34	No pain, no gain	To achieve something, one must put in effort and endure hardship.	Ohne Fleiß kein Preis.
35	On cloud nine	To be very happy or ecstatic.	Im siebten Himmel sein.
36	Once in a blue moon	Something that happens very rarely or infrequently.	Einmal in einem blauen Mond.
37	Play it by ear	To improvise or make decisions as events unfold.	Das Ganze auf sich zukommen lassen.
38	Pull oneself together	To regain composure or control of one’s emotions.	Sich zusammenreißen.
39	Pull someone’s leg	To joke or tease someone in a playful way.	Jemanden auf den Arm nehmen.
40	Put all one’s cards on the table	To be completely honest or upfront about one’s intentions or plans.	Mit offenen Karten spielen.
41	Put your money where your mouth is	To back up one’s words with action or financial investment.	Taten statt Worte.
42	Rome wasn’t built in a day	Good things take time and effort to achieve.	Rom wurde auch nicht an einem Tag erbaut.

#	Idiom	Explanation	German equivalent
43	See eye to eye	To agree or have the same opinion.	Auf einer Wellenlänge sein.
44	Take a stab at something	To attempt something, often with little preparation or experience.	Etwas ausprobieren.
45	Take the bull by the horns	To confront a problem or challenge directly and with determination.	Den Stier bei den Hörnern packen.
46	The ball is in your court	It is someone’s turn to take action or make a decision.	Der Ball liegt in deinem Feld.
47	The devil is in the details	Small, often overlooked details can cause major problems or complications.	Der Teufel steckt im Detail.
48	The early bird catches the worm	Those who act quickly and decisively will be successful.	Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm.
49	The grass is always greener on the other side	People tend to believe that others have it better than they do.	Das Gras ist immer grüner auf der anderen Seite.
50	The proof is in the pudding	The true value or effectiveness of something can only be determined by putting it to the test.	Probieren geht über Studieren.
51	The whole nine yards	Everything or all the details.	Das volle Programm.
52	To each their own	Everyone is entitled to their own preferences or opinions.	Jeder nach seinem Geschmack.
53	Time is money	Time is a valuable resource that should be used efficiently.	Zeit ist Geld.
54	Turn a blind eye	To ignore or pretend not to notice something.	Ein Auge zudrücken.
55	Turn over a new leaf	To start fresh or make a positive change in one’s life.	Ein neues Kapitel aufschlagen.
56	Two heads are better than one	Collaborating with others can lead to better ideas and outcomes.	Zwei Köpfe sind besser als einer.
57	Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve	To openly express one’s emotions or feelings.	Das Herz auf der Zunge tragen.
58	When in Rome, do as the Romans do	To follow local customs and practices when traveling or living in a foreign place.	Andere Länder, andere Sitten.
59	When the going gets tough, the tough get going	In difficult or challenging situations, strong and determined people become even more motivated to succeed.	Wenn’s hart auf hart kommt, kommen die Harten in den Garten.
60	You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink	You can provide someone with an opportunity, but you cannot force them to take advantage of it.	Man kann einen Esel zum Wasser führen, aber nicht zum Trinken zwingen.
61	You can’t have your cake and eat it too	You cannot have or enjoy two things that are mutually exclusive.	Man kann nicht auf zwei Hochzeiten tanzen.
62	You can’t judge a book by its cover	You cannot determine the true value or nature of something based solely on its appearance.	Der Schein trügt.

63	You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs	Achieving something often requires sacrifices or negative consequences.	Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne.
64	You can’t teach an old dog new tricks	It is difficult to teach or change someone who is set in their ways.	Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr.
65	You reap what you sow	One’s actions will have consequences, either positive or negative.	Wer Wind sät, wird Sturm ernten.
66	Your guess is as good as mine	Neither person knows the answer.	Ich habe keine Ahnung.
67	A blessing in disguise	Something that appears to be negative or bad, but is actually beneficial.	Ein Segen in Verkleidung.
68	A chip on one’s shoulder	A grudge or resentment towards others.	Eine Wut im Bauch haben.
69	A dime a dozen	Something that is common or easily obtained.	Wie Sand am Meer.
70	A picture is worth a thousand words	Visual images can convey a lot of information or emotion.	Ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Worte.
71	All ears	To be fully attentive and interested in what someone is saying.	Ganz Ohr sein.
72	All thumbs	To be clumsy or inept.	Zwei linke Hände haben.

73	An arm and a leg	To be very expensive or cost a lot.	Ein Vermögen kosten.
74	Bite the bullet	To endure a difficult or painful situation.	In den sauren Apfel beißen.
75	Break a leg	A saying used to wish someone good luck, particularly before a performance.	Hals- und Beinbruch!
76	By the skin of one’s teeth	To narrowly avoid a dangerous or undesirable situation.	Mit Ach und Krach.
77	Cut corners	To take shortcuts or avoid proper procedures, often resulting in lower quality work.	Den Gürtel enger schnallen.
78	Devil’s advocate	To argue against a particular viewpoint for the sake of debate or to find potential flaws.	Den Teufel spielen.
79	Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Do not assume that something will happen before it actually does.	Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.
80	Don’t cry over spilt milk	Do not dwell on or regret something that cannot be changed.	Was geschehen ist, ist geschehen.
81	Don’t put all your eggs in one basket	To not rely solely on one thing or take unnecessary risks.	Nicht alles auf eine Karte setzen.
82	Everything but the kitchen sink	To include every possible item or option.	Alles außer der Küchenspüle.
83	Feeling under the weather	To be ill or not feeling well.	Sich schlapp fühlen.
84	Get a taste of your own medicine	To experience something that you have caused others to experience.	Gleiches mit Gleichem vergelten.
85	Get cold feet	To become nervous or hesitant before taking an important action.	Kalte Füße bekommen.
86	Get one’s act together	To become organized and focused, particularly when previously disorganized or unfocused.	Sich zusammenreißen.
87	Give the benefit of the doubt	To assume the best intentions of someone, particularly in the absence of evidence to the contrary.	Im Zweifel für den Angeklagten.
88	Go the extra mile	To make an additional effort beyond what is expected or required.	Sich besonders anstrengen.
89	Hit the jackpot	To be extremely fortunate or successful.	Den Jackpot knacken.
90	It takes two to tango	A problem or dispute often involves both parties, not just one.	Es gehören immer zwei dazu.
91	Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret or previously unknown information.	Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
92	Make a long story short	To summarize a lengthy explanation or story.	Um es kurz zu machen.
93	On the ball	To be alert, efficient, and quick to understand.	Auf Zack sein.
94	Piece of cake	Something that is very easy or simple.	Ein Kinderspiel.
95	Pull out all the stops	To use every possible resource or effort to achieve something.	Alle Register ziehen.

96	See the light	To suddenly understand or have a breakthrough in understanding.	Das Licht am Ende des Tunnels sehen.
97	Spill the beans	To reveal a secret or previously unknown information.	Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen.
98	Take it with a grain of salt	To be skeptical or not take something too seriously.	Etwas mit Vorsicht genießen.
99	Through thick and thin	To remain loyal and supportive through good times and bad.	In guten wie in schlechten Zeiten.
100	When all is said and done	In the end, after everything has been considered.	Am Ende des Tages.

Here is a vocabulary list for the 100 essential idioms in the table with English and translations in German, Turkish, Arabic, and Persian (Farsi):

English Vocabulary	German Vocabulary	Turkish Vocabulary	Arabic Vocabulary	Persian (Farsi) Vocabulary
bird	der Vogel	kuş	طائر	پرنده
hand	die Hand	el	اليد	دست
worth	der Wert	değer	القيمة	ارزش
two	zwei	iki	اثنان	دو
bush	der Busch	çalı	الشجيرة	بوته
blessing	der Segen	bereket	النعمة	برکت
disguise	die Verkleidung	kılık değiştirme	تنكر	مخفی کردن, پوشاندن
dime	der Zehncent	on sent	الدايم	سکه ۱۰ سنتی
dozen	das Dutzend	düzine	العشرات	دوجین
bite	beißen	ısırma	العضة	گاز گرفتن
bullet	die Kugel	kurşun	الرصاصة	گلوله
break	brechen	kırmak	كسر	شکست دادن
leg	das Bein	bacak	الساق	پایین
luck	das Glück	şans	الحظ	شانس
cold	kalt	soğuk	بارد	سرد
feet	die Füße	ayaklar	القدمين	پا
act	die Handlung	eylem	الفعل	عمل
extra	extra	ekstra	إضافي	اضافی
hit	treffen	vurmak	ضرب	زدن
jackpot	der Jackpot	büyük ikramiye	الجائزة الكبرى	جک پات
tango	der Tango	tango	تانغو	تانگو
cat	die Katze	kedi	القطة	گربه
spill	verschütten	dökmek	الانسكاب	ریختن
beans	die Bohnen	fasulye	الفاصوليا	لوبیا
grain	das Korn	tahıl	الحبة	دانه
doubt	der Zweifel	şüphe	الشك	شک
thick	dick	kalın	سميك	ضخيم
thin	dünn	ince	رقيق	نازک
loyal	treu	sadık	المخلص	وفادار
supportive	unterstützend	destekleyici	داعم	حمایت کننده

end	das Ende	son	النهاية	پایان
everything	alles	her şey	كل شيء	همه چیز
feeling	das Gefühl	his	الشعور	احساس
medicine	die Medizin	ilaç	الدواء	دارو
fortune	das Glück	şans	الحظ	شانس
fortunate	glücklich	şanslı	محظوظ	خوش شانس
experience	die Erfahrung	deneyim	الخبرة	تجربه
cold feet	kalte Füße	tereddüt etmek	الأقدام الباردة	ناامیدی
effort	die Anstrengung	çaba	الجهد	تلاش
argue	streiten	tartışmak	يتحدث بشكل معارض	مخالفت کردن
viewpoint	der Standpunkt	görüş	وجهة النظر	دیدگاه
flaw	der Fehler	hata	الخطأ	خطا
loyal	treu	sadık	المخلص	وفادار
efficient	effizient	etkili	فعال	کارآمد
quick	schnell	hızlı	سريع	سریع
include	einschließen	dahil etmek	تتضمن	شامل کردن
possible	möglich	mümkün	ممكن	ممکن
option	die Option	seçenek	الخيار	گزینه
sick	krank	hasta	مريض	بیمار
ill	krank	hasta	مريض	بیمار
organized	organisiert	düzenli	منظم	سازمان یافته
focused	fokussiert	odaklanmış	تركيز	متمرکز
evidence	der Beweis	kanıt	الدليل	شواهد
best intentions	besten Absichten	en iyi niyetler	أفضل النوايا	بهترین نیت‌ها
absence	die Abwesenheit	yokluk	الغياب	عدم حضور
extra effort	zusätzlicher Aufwand	ekstra çaba	مجهود إضافي	تلاش اضافی
fortunate	glücklich	şanslı	محظوظ	خوش شانس
successful	erfolgreich	başarılı	ناجح	موفق
problem	das Problem	sorun	المشكلة	مشکل
dispute	die Auseinandersetzung	anlaşmazlık	النزاع	ا

English Vocabulary	German Vocabulary	Turkish Vocabulary	Arabic Vocabulary	Persian (Farsi) Vocabulary
upset	aufgeregt	üzgün	يحبط	ناراحت
bother	stören	rahatsız etmek	إزعاج	دردسر ساز شدن
nervous	nervös	gergin	متوتر	عصبی
curious	neugierig	meraklı	فضولي	کنجکاو
easy-going	entspannt	uyumlu	مريح	آرام
anxious	besorgt	endişeli	متوتر	نگران
thrilled	begeistert	heyecanlı	متحمس	هیجان زده
exhausted	erschöpft	yorgun	متعب	خسته
determined	entschlossen	kararlı	مصمم	مصمم
overwhelmed	überwältigt	bunalmış	مضغوط	سرخورده
frustrated	frustriert	hayal kırıklığına uğramış	محبط	ناامید
satisfied	zufrieden	memnun	راض	راضی
regretful	bedauerlich	pişman	مؤسف	پشیمان
accomplished	erreicht	başarı	محقق	انجام شده
confident	zuversichtlich	güvenli	واثق	مطمئن
disappointed	enttäuscht	hayal kırıklığına uğramış	خائب الأمل	ناامید
confused	verwirrt	kafa karıştırmak	مشوش	گیج
afraid	ängstlich	korkmuş	خائف	ترسیده
furious	wütend	öfkeli	غاضب	خشمگین
exhausted	erschöpft	yorgun	متعب	خسته
content	zufrieden	hoşnut	راض	راضی
embarrassed	verlegen	mahçup	محرج	شرمسار
fascinated	fasziniert	büyülenmiş	مفتون	شیفته
inspired	inspiriert	ilham veren	مستوحى	الهام بخش
interested	interessiert	ilgilenen	مهتم	علاقه‌مند
pleased	zufrieden	memnun	راض	خوشحال
proud	stolz	gururlu	فخور	مغرور
relaxed	entspannt	rahat	مسترخي	آرام
stressed	gestresst	stresli	مشدود	استرس

English Vocabulary	German Vocabulary	Turkish Vocabulary	Arabic Vocabulary	Persian (Farsi) Vocabulary
worried	besorgt	endişeli	مهتم	نگران
anxious	ängstlich	endişeli	متوتر	نگران
grateful	dankbar	minnettar	ممتن	سپاسگزار
delighted	erfreut	memnun	مسرور	خوشحال
horrified	entsetzt	dehşete düşmüş	مرعوب	هراسان
calm	ruhig	sakin	هادئ	آرام
bored	gelangweilt	sıkılmış	ممل	خسته کننده
determined	entschlossen	kararlı	مصمم	مصمم
surprised	überrascht	şaşırmış	مندهش	شگفت‌زده
angry	wütend	kızgın	غاضب	عصبانی
jealous	eifersüchtig	kıskanç	غيور	حسادت
sad	traurig	üzgün	حزين	افسرده
excited	aufgeregt	heyecanlı	متحمس	هیجان‌زده
happy	glücklich	mutlu	سعيد	خوشبخت
peaceful	friedlich	barışçıl	سلمي	صلح آميز
nervous	nervös	gergin	متوتر	عصبی
tense	angespannt	gergin	متوتر	تنش
lonely	einsam	yalnız	وحيد	تنها
surprised	überrascht	şaşırmış	مندهش	شگفت‌زده
loved	geliebt	sevilen	محبوب	عزیز
confident	zuversichtlich	güvenli	واثق	مطمئن
disgusted	angewidert	iğrenmiş	مشمئز	از انزجار پر شده
hurt	verletzt	yaralı	مصاب	زخمی
terrified	entsetzt	korkmuş	مرعوب	ترسیده
pleased	zufrieden	memnun	راض	راضی
embarrassed	verlegen	mahçup	محرج	شرمسار
fascinated	fasziniert	büyülenmiş	مفتون	شیفته
inspired	inspiriert	ilham veren	مستوحى	الهام بخش
interested	interessiert	ilgili	مهتم	علاقه‌مند

English Vocabulary	German Vocabulary	Turkish Vocabulary	Arabic Vocabulary	Persian (Farsi) Vocabulary
fascinated	fasziniert	büyülenmiş	مفتون	شیفته
inspired	inspiriert	ilham veren	مستوحى	الهام بخش
interested	interessiert	ilgili	مهتم	علاقه‌مند
pleased	zufrieden	memnun	راض	راضی
proud	stolz	gururlu	فخور	مغرور
relaxed	entspannt	rahat	مسترخي	آرام
stressed	gestresst	stresli	مشدود	استرس
tired	müde	yorgun	تعبان	خسته
worried	besorgt	endişeli	مهتم	نگران
excited	aufgeregt	heyecanlı	متحمس	هیجان‌زده
happy	glücklich	mutlu	سعيد	خوشبخت
sad	traurig	üzgün	حزين	افسرده
angry	wütend	kızgın	غاضب	عصبانی
relaxed	entspannt	rahat	مسترخي	آرام
afraid	ängstlich	korkmuş	خائف	ترسیده
curious	neugierig	meraklı	فضولي	کنجکاو
disgusted	angewidert	iğrenmiş	مشمئز	از انزجار پر شده
embarrassed	verlegen	mahçup	محرج	شرمسار
confident	zuversichtlich	güvenli	واثق	مطمئن
frustrated	frustriert	hayal kırıklığına uğramış	محبط	ناامید
overwhelmed	überwältigt	bunalmış	مضغوط	سرخورده
determined	entschlossen	kararlı	مصمم	مصمم
pleased	zufrieden	memnun	راض	راضی
fascinated	fasziniert	büyülenmiş	مفتون	شیفته
interested	interessiert	ilgili	مهتم	علاقه‌مند
content	zufrieden	hoşnut	راض	راضی
jealous	eifersüchtig	kıskanç	غيور	حسادت
overwhelmed	überwältigt	bunalmış	مضغوط	سرخورده
bored	gelangweilt	sıkılmış	ممل	خسته کننده