angielskie idiomy biznesowe
117 angielskich idiomów w biznesie
27 listopada 2018

Poniżej przedstawiam opracowanie wybranych idiomów biznesowych wraz z ich wytłumaczeniem po angielsku. Jest ich aż 117 – z pewnością przydadzą Ci się w pracy i pomogą zabłysnąć przed kolegami, bądź szefem 😉. Co więcej, wszystkie te idiomy znajdziesz ładnie opracowane w naszym bezpłatnym ebooku, którego możesz pobrać tu: https://happyhours.edu.pl/idioms

Idiomy angielskie to temat rzeka – zdaje się, że nie ma ani jednego zbiorczego opracowania wszystkich idiomów w tym języku (tyle ich jest!). Wydaje się to niewykonalne zwłaszcza dlatego, że język nie jest tworem statycznym; cały czas się zmienia i ewoluuje (i dzięki temu jest tak fascynujący). Co ciekawe, niektóre angielskie idiomy są podobne do polskich, np. „a drop in the ocean” to „kropla w morzu potrzeb”, a inne nie, np. „a wet blanket” to ktoś, kto psuje zabawę, czyli sztywniak.

Zdaję sobie sprawę, że trudno Ci będzie nauczyć się wszystkich tych idiomów naraz i zapamiętać je przez dłuższy czas, dlatego też mamy dla Ciebie drobną radę: wpisz do małego notesu (takiego, który zmieści się w kieszeni) idiomy typowe dla twojej pracy, noś go przy sobie i przeglądaj raz na jakiś czas (im częściej, tym lepiej). Możesz zapamiętywać frazy np. poprzez ich użycie w zdaniach. Pamiętaj, że idiomy łatwo się zapomina, dlatego ważne, abyś je sobie przypominał przynajmniej raz na miesiąc, np. w trakcie podróży do pracy. Możesz również najważniejsze idiomy wypisać na karteczkach i przypiąć lub przykleić w widocznym miejscu. np. na biurku lub tablicy korkowej – patrz na nie tak często, jak to możliwe i staraj się je zapamiętać.

24/7 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A tough break When something unfortunate happens, it can be called a „tough break.”
Ahead of the curve To be more advanced than the competition.
Ahead of the pack To be better or more successful than the competition.
ASAP „As soon as possible.”
At stake At risk.
Back to square one To start something over again.
Back to the drawing board To start something over and go back to the planning stage.
Backroom deal An agreement or decision that is made without the public knowing about it.
Ballpark number/figure A very inexact estimate.
Behind someone’s back To do something without someone’s knowledge and in an unfair way.
Behind the scenes What happens in secret or not in front of the general public is said to happen „behind the scenes.”
Big picture Everything that is involved with a particular situation is called „the big picture.”
Blue collar Someone who works with his hands (manufacturing, construction, maintenance, etc.). The opposite is a „white collar worker.” A white collar worker is someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.).
By the book To do things according to company policy or the law. It means to follow the rules 100%.
Call it a day To decide to stop working for the day.
Catch someone off guard To surprise someone by doing something that he or she was not expecting.
Cave (or cave in) To give in or agree to something that someone previously did not want to accept.
Change of pace Something different from a normal routine or schedule.
Come up short To try to achieve something but fail.
Corner a market To dominate a particular market.
Cut corners To take shortcuts and find an easier or cheaper way to do something.
Cut one’s losses To stop doing something that is unproductive and won’t ever generate results.
Cut-throat To describe something that is very intense, aggressive, and merciless.
Diamond in the rough Something or someone that has a lot of potential but first requires a lot of work.
Easy come, easy go Something that is gained easily is also lost easily.
Fifty-fifty Something is divided equally – 50% for one party, 50% for the other party.
From the ground up If you start a business, project, or something else from zero, you start it „from the ground up.”
Game plan A strategy or plan.
Get back in/into the swing of things To get used to doing something again after having a break from that activity.
Get down to business To stop making small talk and start talking about serious topics related to business.
Get something off the ground To start a project or business.
Get the ball rolling To start something (a project, for example).
Get/be on the good side of someone If someone likes you, you are „on the good side” of that person.
Get/have one’s foot in the door To take a low-level position with a company with the goal of eventually getting a better position with the same company.
Give someone a pat on the back To tell someone that they did a good job.
Give the thumbs down To deny approval.
Give the thumbs up To give approval.
Go broke To go bankrupt or to lose all the money a person or business had.
Go down the drain When someone wastes or loses something.
Go the extra mile To do more than what people expect.
Go through the roof Something that is rapidly increasing.
Gray area Something that is undefined and not easily categorized.
Ground-breaking Something that is new and innovative.
Hands are tied Someone’s „hands are tied” if they do not have control over a situation.
Have someone’s work cut out If you have a lot of work to do or a particularly difficult assignment, you „have your work cut out for you.”
Hit the nail on the head To do or say something 100% correctly.
In a nutshell To say something in a few words.
In full swing If a project is „in full swing,” it means that it has been completely started and that it is progressing or moving as fast as it ever will.
In the black If a company is „in the black,” it means that it is making a profit.
In the driver’s seat To be in control.
In the red If a company is „in the red,” it means that is not profitable and is operating at a loss.
Keep one’s eye on the ball To give something one’s full attention and to not lose focus.
Last straw The last annoyance, disturbance, or betrayal which causes someone to give up, lose their patience, or become angry.
Learn the ropes To learn the basics of something.
Long shot Something that has a very low probability of happening.
Loophole A legal „loophole” occurs if a law is unclear or omits information. This lack of legal clarity allows people or corporations to pay less in taxes or gain some other advantage.
Lose ground To lose some type of an advantage (market share, for example) to a competitor.
Lose-lose situation A situation when there will be a negative outcome regardless of what decision is made.
Nine-to-five A „nine-to-five” is a job during normal working hours. The term came into existence because many work days start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
No brainer A decision, which is really obvious or really easy to make.
No strings attached Something that is given without expecting anything in return.
No time to lose There is a lot of pressure to finish something quickly.
Not going to fly If a solution isn’t effective, we can say that it „isn’t going to fly.”
Off the top of one’s head If someone says something „off the top of their head,” it means that they give a response without thinking about it much or doing any research on the subject.
On a roll If someone is „on a roll,” it means that he or she has had several successes in a row.
On the ball To be alert and aware of things.
On the same page If two people are „on the same page,” they are in agreement about something.
On top of something To be in control of a situation and aware of changes.
On your toes To be alert.
Out in the open Something that is public knowledge and not hidden from people.
Out of the loop To be „out of the loop” means to not know something that a select group of people knows.
Pink slip Someone who gets the „pink slip,” has been fired by their employer.
Play hardball To be competitive in a cruel and merciless way. It means doing anything possible to win.
Put all one’s eggs in one basket To rely on only one thing to bring success.
Put the cart before the horse To do or think about things in the wrong order.
Raise the bar To set the standards or expectations higher.
Read between the lines To understand something that isn’t communicated directly.
Red tape Excessive rules, procedures, and regulations that make it difficult to accomplish something. We usually use „red tape” to talk about government requirements that create difficult, time-consuming barriers for people and businesses.
Rock the boat To cause problems or disrupt a peaceful situation.
Round-the-clock 24 hours a day.
Run/go around in circles To do the same thing over and over again without getting any results.
Safe bet Something that will probably happen.
Same boat People who are in the same situation.
Second nature When someone does something so well that it seems like they were born knowing how to do it, we say that the activity is „second nature” to that person.
See eye to eye To „see eye to eye” with someone means to agree with that person.
See something through To do something until it is finished.
Sever ties To end a relationship.
Shoot something down To reject something, such as a proposal or idea.
Sky’s the limit If there is no limit to what can be achieved.
Small talk A conversation about unimportant topics that do not offend people (the weather, for example).
Smooth/clear sailing A term used to describe a situation where success is achieved without difficulties.
Snail mail A term used for the traditional mail that goes through the post office.
Stand one’s ground Not to change one’s opinion or position.
Start off on the right foot To start something in a positive way.
Start off on the wrong foot To start something in a negative way.
State of the art Something that is modern and technologically advanced.
Take something lying down To accept something unpleasant without fighting back.
Take the bull by the horns To directly confront a difficult situation.
Talk someone into something To convince someone to do something.
Talk someone out of something To convince someone not to do something.
The elephant in the room A term which refers to an obvious problem or controversial issue that no one wants to talk about.
Think big To have ambitious goals and big plans for the future.
Think outside the box To think of creative, unconventional solutions instead of common ones.
Throw in the towel To quit.
Time’s up It means that the time for something or someone has ended.
Touch base To make contact with someone.
Twist someone’s arm To persuade or convince someone to do something that he or she does not want to do.
Under the table Something done secretly (and usually illegally) in the business world is done „under the table.”
Up in the air Something that is undecided.
Uphill battle Something that is difficult to achieve because of obstacles and difficulties.
Upper hand Someone who has an advantage over someone else.
White collar Someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.).
Win-win situation A situation where everyone involved gains something.
Word of mouth If something spreads by „word of mouth,” people hear about it through informal conversation with friends, family members, acquaintances, etc.
Writing on the wall The term refers to the evidence and clues that something (usually negative) is going to happen.
Yes man Someone who always agrees with his or her superiors.

Mam nadzieję, że udało mi się choć trochę wzmocnić Twój angielski 😊.

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Na koniec pozwól, że się przedstawię: nazywam się Ewa Karpińska.

Od 2006 roku prowadzę szkołę języka angielskiego HappyHours. Oferujemy indywidualne kursy angielskiego szyte na miarę potrzeb oraz kursy dla firm. Obejrzyj film, w którym opowiadam o mojej szkole, kursach i nauczycielach.

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