Learning a language is immensely useful, but can also be tons of fun! One of the coolest things about learning a second language are idioms.
These common expressions tend to sound crazy, ridiculous, weird, and senseless. But they’re far from being meaningless. In fact, there’s a special meaning behind those crazy sentences.
That’s why it’s so important that you learn idioms in your target language. Natives will use them every day, no matter which language you’re learning. You can avoid a lot of confusion by already understanding what those weird sentences actually mean.
We are just scratching the surface (idiom!) in the blog below, sharing animal idioms in 6 different languages: English, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.
English
Elephant in the room
Picture an elephant in a room. Such a huge animal in one room is hard to ignore, right? If you were to say that you don’t notice it, you’d be lying. Well, that’s exactly what this idiom is about.
It’s used when there’s a super obvious problem everybody knows exists, but nobody wants to talk about.
For example: Let’s say there was a family problem during Christmas’s eve and the next day everybody acts “normal”. But you know everyone feels awkward and there’s tension.
You could say: “Aren’t we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Like, come on, everyone knows there’s an issue, don’t try to ignore it; address it.
Sitting duck
This might sound cute if you picture a duck sitting down. But the meaning is not nice at all. It’s used when someone is an easy target for someone else to do something bad to them. Basically, they’re vulnerable to any attack.
For example: “You have to stand up to your bullies; otherwise, you’ll keep being a sitting duck”.
Spanish
Estar como una cabra
Literally this reads as “to be like a goat”, which sounds crazy. Well, that’s the meaning of the idiom: To be crazy and weird!
So if somebody calls you this, they’re telling you you’re crazy, like a goat. Think about it, goats have a lot of energy and are constantly moving and running around.
For example: “Mike suddenly began to dance in the middle of math class, he estaba como una cabra (was crazy)”.
Hay gato encerrado
This means “there’s a cat locked up” in a literal way. That sounds horrible! But don’t worry, as an idiom is not really about cats or trapped animals.
This is used when there are secrets and hidden things. So, people often use it when there’s something suspicious, when they suspect somebody is hiding something.
For example: “Aquí hay gato encerrado (here’s something suspicious), you all suddenly stopped talking when I entered the room. What’s going on?”
French
Revenons à nos moutons
Literally, this means “let’s get back to our sheep”. But which sheep? I don’t have any sheep to go back to! Don’t worry, that’s not what the phrase is about. As an idiom, this means to go back to business or get back on track.
For example: Have you ever been to a business meeting where somebody said something that made everybody get off topic and start talking about something else?
Well, in those cases you could say: “Okay everybody, revenons à nos moutons (let’s get back on track), so we can find a solution and the meeting doesn’t stretch for too long”.
Avoir un chat dans la gorge
In a literal way, this means “to have a cat in the throat”. That sounds as crazy as the English idiom “to have a frog in your throat”! Well, that is because the meaning is the same! It’s used to say you have a hoarse or raspy throat.
For example: “Oh no, I have un chat dans la gorge and my conference is in half an hour!”
Mandarin Chinese
鸡毛蒜皮 Jī máo suàn pí
Literally this means “chicken feather, garlic skin”, which might sound like a strange mix of words. But as an idiom it makes sense; it means trivial things, unimportant.
For example: “¿How was the meeting? What did you talk about? – Oh, jī máo suàn pí (trivial things)”.
猴子捞月 Hóu zi lāo yuè
If we read it literally, this says “monkey fishing for the moon”. That sounds crazy, right? Imagine a monkey that’s fishing for the moon! It sounds like a foolish action destined to failure; it’s useless to try to fish the moon.
Well, that’s because the idiom wants to express something that’s useless, unrealistic, and just not possible.
For example: “Lizzy just went to the boss’ office to ask for a salary rise. Agh, hóu zi lāo yuè (a monkey fishing for the moon / it’s useless and impossible). The boss never gives rises”.
Japanese
猫の手も借りたい Neko no te mo kari tai
Literally, this can be read as “I even want to borrow a cat’s paw”. But it actually means that you’re busy and need so much help for something that you would receive help from anybody. It’s almost like you’re willing to receive help from your cat!
For example: “I’m going crazy, I have two presentations and an exam tomorrow; neko no te mo kari tai (I’m willing to receive help from anyone)!”
一石二鳥 Isseki nichō
This means “two birds, one stone”. It might sound familiar to you… Hmmm… Well, that’s because there’s one English idiom that’s very similar to it: “To kill two birds with one stone”. And the meaning is the same. It’s about achieving two things with one action.
For example: “I’m going to shower while listening to ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ audiobook. Isseki nichō (two birds, one stone / I’ll achieve two things at once): I’ll get clean while doing the homework”.
Portuguese
Pagar o pato
As a literal translation, this means “pay for the duck”. But as an idiom it’s used when you’re getting blamed for something that’s not deserved. Basically, when someone wants you to pay for something that’s not your fault.
For example: “Somebody stole the teacher’s books, and she thinks it was me; she wants me to pagar o pato (take the blame / pay for it). That’s not fair!”
Amigo da onça
This literally says “friend of the jaguar”. Which, if you think about it, sounds dangerous. As an idiomatic expression, it refers to a fake friend. It means that somebody is not really your friend. Which can actually be dangerous if you blindly believe they are and it turns out the opposite.
For example: “I found out Logan was my friend because of my family’s wealth; he turned out to be an amigo da onça (fake friend)”.
Time to Practice
Now, let’s practice using these idioms within a conversation. Learning a new language is all about communicating and that’s what TruFluency is here for!
We specialize in providing online language lessons to language learners across the globe. Whether you want to learn one language (or six), we can help. Our lessons are completely customized to your language wants, needs, and goals.
So if you want to learn more animal idioms in 6 different languages, we got you covered. We encourage students to speak in every class so that you will truly achieve language fluency!
Take two one-hour trial classes now for only $59. We have flexible schedules, so you can schedule classes to easily fit into your busy life.
