When in Britain... Speak English!

Sometimes I have a feeling that POP is the most popular word in UK. Seriously, I can hear this word several times a day in a variety of contexts. No wonder that this is such a common word because it's an informal version of: come, go, burst, shoot and some more (read on and find out). I depends what you want to say and which preposition you add to POP. Since it is used so often in everyday life you need to know POP as well! Find out more about POP! :) POP (noun)   pop - sound of bursting baloon  or champagne cork (in Polish: trzask, wystrzał)                                                                                      TO POP (verb) - to pop a baloon, to pop a champagne cork   (in Polish: przebić balona, wyciągnąc korek) Could you help me pop the champagne  cork, please?                               Mum, Jim' s   popped my ballon, I want a new one!    - to pop (about a ballon or cork of champagne)/ to go pop - to burst, to shoot up (pęknąć, wystrzelić)            

You can't call yourself an advanced English speaker if you don't know at least basic idioms and proverbs. On my blog I plan to write about both but if you are impatient always fresh portion of idioms you may find here:  IDIOMS .  Let's talk about proverbs then! What are they?   Proverbs are short, well-known and repeated statements that give practical advice about life. They are often metaphorical. Today I've prepared for you a list of 10 English proverbs which are absolute MUST HAVE as they are the most popular and common. For each of these 10 I found a Polish equivalent. I wonder if the next 10 and another will go so easily ;) To start with.... the title of our blog. Well, maybe not the exact title but nearly :) When in Rome (do as the Romans do) is used for saying that when you are in a foreign country you should follow the local customs and ways of behaving. But this proverb doesn't only refer to a foreign country but also someone's home, community etc. You

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday ( ' s hrove'  comes from the old word ' shrive'  and means    'confess' )   is the day before Ash Wednesday - first day of Lent. It's always celebrated 47 days before Easter Sunday so the date varies from year to year. In UK it's traditional on this day to eat pancakes. Why pancakes? Because they are easy to make and contain fat which was forbidden to eat during Lent, the period of abstinence from fat food, meat or broth.  In Poland Shrove Tuesday is also known as the last day of carnival, last day when one may eat food not allowed in Lent. Ash Wednesday (środa popielcowa) begins Lent, which commemorates Jesus' 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert. It's special time for Christians - time of reflection, repentance and prayer. In this way they prepare their heart for Easter, the most important religious feast. British pancakes are made of thin batter and are served with popular toppings like plain lemon and su

'Goodbye!' Now, when you already know 37 ways of saying hello in English, it's time to talk about different ways of saying goodbye. Of course, it's always better to say hello but goodbye is a part of our everyday life. Each day we meet numerous people - family members, friends, workmates, shop assistants, postmen, strangers in queues or waiting rooms. Each day we say goodbye many times! Think about it and ask yourselves which way of saying goodbye dominates in your English language?  The word 'goodbye' is rather formal, perfect when we say goodbye to an older person or someone we don't know well. In this post there are some more expressions we may use to say goodbye in English. Almost all of them are informal so they're ideal in casual conversations. Did you know them? Which one is your favourite? ' Bye (then/for now)!'                                            'Bye bye!' (quite infantile, usually used