Idiomatic Expressions II
Idiomatic Expressions II
A second round of fixed expressions, this time leaning on verbs and grammar you've picked up since B1 — proof that idioms keep showing up at every level, not just as a beginner curiosity.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Some idioms are built on the subjunctive triggers you already know
que yo sepa (as far as I know, literally 'that I know') — sepa is subjunctive, following the same doubt/uncertainty logic
as far as I know — no special verb form
Que yo sepa isn't a random exception — it follows the exact uncertainty-triggers-subjunctive logic from your B1 lessons, since 'as far as I know' inherently admits you might be wrong. Recognizing the grammar underneath an idiom, rather than just memorizing it as a sound, makes idioms like this one much easier to produce correctly yourself.
Others are simply fixed and worth memorizing outright
más vale tarde que nunca (better late than never) — no grammar shortcut, just a set phrase
better late than never — an equally fixed English phrase
Not every idiom rewards grammatical analysis — some, like más vale tarde que nunca, are just fixed phrases to learn as a unit, the same way you'd learn any proverb in English. Don't feel obligated to find a grammar lesson hiding inside every idiom; sometimes it's simply vocabulary.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- as far as I know
- English
- better late than never
- English
- every cloud has a silver lining
- English
- to get your act together
- English
- to be spacing out
- English
- downhill (figuratively easy)
- English
- to be inseparable
- English
- to turn a blind eye
- English
- don't spread yourself too thin
- English
- to be between a rock and a hard place