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English Expressions: 5 Popular English Proverbs
Do you know what aproverb is? Proverbs are wise words of advice. They are also the most common expressions that native English speakers use. In this lesson, I’ll teach you five popular English proverbs. By watching this lesson, you’ll not only learn to speak and understand English better, you’ll also gain the wisdom of these proverbs! Before you start using these expressions, take the quiz to make sure that you know exactly how to use them! If you like this lesson, make sure to watch my other proverb video. Also, check out my resource page for a list of 50 common proverbs in English!
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.Levels
Lesson Topics
237 COMMENTS
Hi, Alex! I am glad to be the first one to comment your lesson. As always, your lessons are very useful! Thank you!
Thanks a lot for watching and for studying with engVid!
I have made a silly mistake, I got 90!
Still excellent.
I do too. I got 90 out of 100.
I like proverbs very much. In this lesson, I like “two wrongs don’t make a right” the best :) In other proverbs, I love “Practice makes perfect.” Thank you, Alex :)
Not a problem! Thanks a lot for watching the video, and nice job with using the proverbs.
But teacher David says – “conscious practice makes perfect sense”. And I agree with him 100 percent ;-)
Your lesson is very great, thanks! ^.^
Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for studying with engVid!
Action speak louder than words.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Better late then never.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Thank you Alex :)
You’re welcome. :) Just one mistake:
Better late THAN never.
I really like this lesson.Actions speak louder than words.Thanks teacher.
You’re very welcome. It was an enjoyable video to make, and I’m glad you liked it.
Thank you for the class, It’s useful in conversation.
For sure. I use “better late than never” a lot. I’m not sure what that says about my own organizational skills.
Thanks for lesson, Alex! I like it. I will learn english on this site :D
Many students have done the same. Thanks for your support and for studying with us.
Hi, Alex!
Thank you so much for this excellent lesson :)
I got 80!
But, Do you know when I will give up ? :)
“That will happens when pigs fly!”
cuz
“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
We must do not waste time doing nothing because
“Doing nothing is doing ill.”
and be persistent, cuz
“Constant dripping wears away the stone.”
Always pay attention to every lesson’s details, cuz
“As you sow, so you shall reap.”
And to avoid to do the lessons in a hurry, because
“Haste makes waste.”
keep in company of the EngVid’s teachers, cuz
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
Wow. You’ve done your homework. Nice job, J. Martins!
Hello, in the quiz part the proverb “actions speak louder than words” was replaced by “actions talk louder than words” which one is the corect ” speak or talk”
Actions speak is the correct form here.
Thank you very much. I got 100 %. More interesting lessons.
You’re welcome, and great job on the quiz!
thank you
You’re very welcome!
Thank you sir….I got 100…!!!
Fantastic work! Now keep reviewing and try to use some of these in your everyday conversations!
Thank you Alex,Very useful lesson.Got 90/100.
Great job!
Hi, Aditya, I am Apurba from West Bengal. I also want to improve my speaking skills and the only way to do that is speaking. So, let’s have video chat sometime on skype. I can’t speak Telegu, So we will have our conversation in English. It will surely improve our speaking skill. I will be waiting for your reply.
Hi Apurba. Thanks for your interest, but at this time I unfortunately do not have the time to do private meetings or Skype lessons.
Sorry sir, you are mistaken. Actually, I gave this proposal to my fellow countryman Aditya.I did not give you.
Oops. Sorry about that. :) I just re-read your message and realized it was not directed at me. I’m going to blame fatigue for this! It’s very late.
It’s okay sir. And please sir, DO not forget about the lesson on “Less vs Lesser”. I just can’t wait to watch it. I know you have so many lessons left to make. But make sure you don’t forget about that. Thank you. I will be waiting.
Thanks Alex for this great lesson!
It’s always good to learn some words of wisdom. I imagine that the proverb “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” should be more known.
Absolutely. It’s very easy to want to get revenge when someone hurts you, but it doesn’t really make things better in many cases.
Hi, Alex!
Thank you so much for this excellent lesson :)
I got 80!
It’s useful in conversation.
Action speak louder than words.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Better late then never.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
That’s the idea. It’s hard to add expressions like these to your conversation naturally, but if you find a chance to use them, you should so you don’t forget them.
Thank you Alex. I’ve found this lesson very interesting. Always is very useful to learn a language through proverbs. I’d like to share a quotte of Mahatma Gandhi that says: « Hapiness is when what you think, you say,and you do are in harmony».
I love that quote, and I feel it’s correct.
I love proverbs. They teach you everything and it opposite:)
They are very useful to learn new words and they are the wisdom of the peoples.
My favourite is:”All goes around comes around”.
I believe that’s “What goes around, comes around.” :)
Yes Alex, when we are kind with people at the end people will be kind with us.
Ciao
This webpage really improving me and a huge thanks to all of you guys.
everybody now can learn English I see it on the horizon.
Regards!
Exactly. Thanks for watching and for studying with engVid, Jawad.
thank you very much about this nice lesson
I have got a full mark 10/10
thank you again :):)
We have an Arabi proverb saying
Your soul is like a donkey if u rode it , it would carry but if it rode u , it would kill u
I want your comment about it Alex
Thank u in advance
Thank Alex for such an interesting lesson on proverbs. Personally, I like this phrase: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It is similar to a Cambodian saying “Get into the lake following the river’s meanders; come alongside according to the jetty; enter the district according to the [law of the] country.”
Yep. That sounds like a similar idea, but I prefer the brevity of “When in Rome” more in this case!
your lesson is really great,thankyou
Great lesson Alex! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Aleachi!
You are a great teacher, dear Alex! English is really a difficulty language, and you have a formidable capacity to give explanations clear. I’d like to ask for more lessons on phonetic/pronunciation (the quasi-chaotic part of English!).
PS. Hi Alex, I appreciate if you can correct my grammar mistakes in the message above.
Just a couple of mistakes…
“English is really a difficult language…”
“…to give clear explanations” OR “to explain things clearly.”
Hope this helps.
This is definitely an area that I’d like to spend more time on in the future. Stay tuned.
Got 100. Thanks Alex!
You’re welcome. :)
Thank you Alex for the lesson. Proverb are always interesting.I think ,there are proverbs for every life situation in every culture ,but they sound differently depending their customs. I like Steve Job’s wise saying “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Thank you.
That’s a good one too. He should have been a better father to his son, though!
Thank you Alex!!
Hope to see you soon!!
Every 2 weeks or so. :)
thanks very much . I am very excited in this lesson.
god bless you
Thank you very much!
It’s very interesting!
Thank you, Alex!
Not a problem. Thank you for studying with engVid!
Thank You Alex For more Good Information. TNx
My pleasure.
Great! Thank you Alex for your helpful course!
Thank you for watching and for studying with us!
thanks a lot Alex
Any time. :)
thanks Alex , I got 100 :) but I have a question can we use these proverbs here in USA or its juts in Canada ? thanks again
As far as I know, these proverbs cross all English-speaking boundaries. :) They are definitely used in both Canada and the US, as well as the UK and Australia.
Thank you for the lessons Alex, I got 80
Nice job!
Hi, Alex. I think there is analog in russia for this: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
It sound like “You must not go with your monastic rules into foreign monastery” (В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят)
Ha. I like that version of it too!
Hi Alex, also in Tunisia we say : eat as you want but wear as the others want.
Thank at all
I’m learning a lot of new proverbs in this comments section. Thanks for sharing!
Sir, this lesson was well worth watching. And, I have been eagerly waiting for the lesson about “Less vs Lesser” which you assured me to do. Thank you.
I have a list of about 15 lessons right now. It can take a long time to get to the video you want to see sometimes!
I will absolutely wait for the lesson no matter how much time it takes. And I know you will make this video sooner or later. Thank you very much sir. I will be waiting.
Alex,
you are a great teacher. I always enjoy your lessons!
One of my favorite proverbs in English is “you can’t have your cake and eat it, too”.
But I really want to. :(
We can translate it with:”Non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca:)))”
I got 100
thanks it was very useful
That was the goal. Thanks.
Thank you Alex your lesson is very useful I got 8 correct out of 10 I do actions speak louder than words
Nice job, Ukrit. Keep practicing! You can do the quiz again and get 10/10 next time. :)
i think you are very good teacher
thankyou
Thanks for studying with engVid.
Many many thanks, Alex!
Definitely I’ll stay tuned in your next lessons.
Warm greetings!
Warm greetings to you too! I’ve got plenty of videos coming, so thanks for staying tuned.
I got 100%.
These are some of my favourite proverbs :)
Thank you Alex for captivating explanation.
See you soon…
Excellent job! And I’ll always try to make the content as captivating and engaging as possible.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Thank you al lot for all your help.I’m so happy when I have a very good teacher like you.
Thanks for your support. The key is to study and review on a regular basis.
Thank youuu
You’re welcome, fella.
Thanks for the lesson.
i have a request.
can you please explain (or give a lesson) or tell the difference between some of these forms and verbs: Become to get grow.
For istance the winter is getting colder,winter grows colder and so on.
Often the writers are using these.
Thanks
Hmm, this might be a little too specific, but I’ll add it to my list of possible lessons. Thanks for the suggestion, Roywolf.
Thanks for your kind reply ,i hope i didn’t make mistakes expressing my question (my heart could grows cold in that case ) :) well,almost
Hope to hear from you soon.
keep up the good work !
Hi Alex, thanks for your great lessons. I’m really enjoy them. :)
“I really enjoy them” or “I’m really enjoying them” is the correct form here. :)
And I’m glad to hear that!
Thank you. :)
Hi Alex, thanks for this lesson, is nice to see you take your time to answer. God bless you and keep up with the good lessons. Greetings from Dominican Republic.
All the way from the Dominican! That’s amazing! I’ve only been to the Bahamas in that area.
Learning proverbs can help us to understand the way that people in English speaking about cultures, life advices …and improve English vocabulary.
Thanks so much for these 50 common proverbs. All the best to you, Alex.
Exactly. A language’s proverbs can reveal the values of a group of people. It’s very telling that so many proverbs reach across multiple languages – most people want to have and believe in similar values.
Thank you so much.
Not a problem.
Thanks Alex! Great as always :)
Thanks for clicking and for continuing to study and learn with engVid.
Thanks I like this lesson!
Thanks for watching. I’m glad you liked it.
Thanks a lot Alex, it’s really useful! I like the way you explaining the lessons. your speech is understandable and so clear!
Thanks! I try to speak at a normal speed in most of my lessons, but I also make sure that what I’m saying is clear.
Thank you very much, Alex! It is really interesting lesson for me. I got 10 correct out of 10! Before this lesson I knew only “Better late than never”. This proverb sounds word for word in Russian.
Nice. That should make them easier to remember in English.
I got 10 correct out of 10 :D
100%, most of the time I do a quiz on your lessons and I get 100%,it makes me happy.IN this situation I know that Actions speak louder than words :)
thank you so much
Nice job! Maybe I should make them more challenging. Haha. Really though, language should be taught clearly, and not as something difficult.
thanks alex to help us with these proverbs. im getting better, thanks to you….
That’s great to hear! Keep it up!
I really like this site Eng vid as it is very beneficial
thanks Mr alex for Every thing you are the candle that consume its self to give us a light. No words can Express my gratitude
Thank you so much for your overly kind words!
words can’t express my gratitude thanks a bunch dear teacher , the way you tech is remarkable
thanks a lot.
Mr Alex,
How do we choose the two words ‘Which’ and ‘What’ for making a Wh-question?
for example:
what city was she in?
which city was she in?
which one is correct? And why?
Best regards.
I’ve always liked this explanation of what and which: (it’s not perfect, but it helps…for me, they can be used interchangeably in numerous contexts with little to no change in meaning)
what identifies.
which selects.
When there are a large number of possibilities that can be the answer, you are usually asking “what”.
When there are a number of possibilities, usually a smaller number, known to the participants in the conversation, and under consideration, you are usually asking the listener to choose, and therefore asking “which”.
— What kind of pen do you usually use? (Identify)
— Here’s a blue pen. Here’s a red pen. Which (pen) do you prefer? (Select)
— What day is today? (Identify)
— Tuesday or Friday? I’ve forgotten. Which day did you say we were going out for pizza? (Select)
Insofar as we are sometimes indifferent to whether the situation emphasizes identification or selection more, there are many cases where the choice of “what” vs. “which” is likewise moot.
— What planets are closer to the sun than the earth is? (Identify them.)
— Which planets are closer to the sun than the earth is? (Select them – from your mental list of the planets)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR EXPLANATION, I GOT IT NOW.
Nice lesson
Thank you very much, Mohammed.
Hi Alex! I live in Rome; so, when I’m at home…
Joke!!!
Haha. “When in…home?”
great site to learn and practice English. Thanks!
No problem! I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Easy to understand and memorize. It´s very usefull. Thank you for teaching things that I can use dailly.
No problem! Thank you for watching!
Alex, thanks a lot, it was a great lesson
Mr Alex,
How do we use the two confusing words “speak” & “talk”?
For example:
I’d like to speak to you.
I’d like to talk to you.
Which one is correct? And why?
Beast regads
This page gives a good explanation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/speak-or-talk
It’s about formality. Speak is more commonly used in formal situations. However, when you want to talk about someone’s ability in a language, you can only use “speak.” “He speaks French,” and NOT “He talks French.”
Thank you a lot, Alex.
Excellent! Thanks
No problem. :)
Sir, what is the difference between ‘kind’ & ‘type’? Please give some examples.
thank you for the nice video).Alex could you please make a video about phrasal verbs with the word break?
Great idea! Break up, break out (of something), break in(to), break against, etc. I will definitely add this to my list. :)
Thank you, Alex!
You’re welcome. :)
I went to Rome by bycicle a couple of years ago (more than 750 kms from home, see picture on the left). Unfortunately, I couldn’t do as the Romans usually do, because a cyclist is in real danger over there….I was like “rara avis nigroque in terris simillima cygno”, “a rare bird in the lands, and very like a black swan”. Ciao.
Oooh, I like that one too.
Mr Alex,
What does John think of you?
What does Susan think of me?
What does the dog think of John?
What does John think of the film?
What on earth does “think of” mean?
It simply means “what is this person’s opinion” of someone or something.
“What did you think of the movie?” (Did you like it? Dislike it? What’s your opinion?)
“So, what do you think of Sherry?” (Do you like her? Dislike her? What’s your opinion of Sherry?)
Thank you, teacher for your explanation.
I got it thoroughly from now on.
You’re the best! Your lessons are the best! May I ask one more question? Is there a difference between “think of” and “think about”?
Mr Alex,
I could use the catalog
myself
by myself?
Which one is correct? And why?
What are the situations we use them both?
Thank you, Alex. Your lesson is great))
PS: Recently I had an assignment: I had to explain meaning of 10 English proverbs and your list of 50 was really helpful. So thank you again)))
These are some of my favourite comments to read. That’s fantastic! I’m glad I was able to help you out. :)
I always enjoy your lessons and they are of great value to me throughout the course of the day; thanks so much for your lessons.
Not a problem! Thank you for choosing to study with engVid!
Very nice lesson. My favorite proverbs is:
Better late than never.
Thank you :)
It’s a good one, and one I use too frequently.
I really enjoyed this lesson.Thank You Alex:)
You’re welcome, Madiha!
Thank you very very much
You’re very welcome.
thank Mr. Alex , it’s a good lesson .
i follow you ( engvid team ) on youtube ,sincerely i am a french speaker but thanks to your efforts, I feel myself improving my english communication
That’s precisely why I do this. Thank you for studying with engVid.
i like proverb very much i like it “practice makes prefect.” Thank you Mr Alex
You’re welcome. And practice absolutely makes perfect!
Thank you very much Alex, it’s a good lesson.
No problem, bonita.
Mr Alex,
If he hadn’t eaten so much,he’d not be in bed now.
If he hadn’t eaten so much, he’d not have been in bed now.
which one is correct? And why?
Thanks.
Thanks Mr. Alex, To learn with you is great!!!!!
Wow to me because i got it all…hahaha thank you sir Alex you’re super excellent teacher. You’re so easy to understand. And thank you for being as our teacher.
I love my job, so you’re very welcome.
Thank you Mr. Alex you’re one of my favorite teacher!
No problem. Thanks for your support.
Thanks, Mr. Alex for your funny, interesting, exciting and easy lessons. You are doing a great job.
Thanks a lot.
thank you alex. i am a freshman in engvid and i liked you so much.
Thanks for watching and for enjoying my videos. I absolutely appreciate it.
I like it.Thank you Alex.
10/10 thank you Alex, your lesson are the best:)
Thanks a lot! I appreciate that!
Nice video :)
Merci beaucoup! :) (Thank you very much!)
Hello to Alex and to everyone. This is awesome website to learn something new. Alex, can you help me with a problem? Its about my speaking-skills, i can’t speak with someone, or talk with someone else…. What i must to do? May be you know really good resourses or chat’s where someone can talk with me a lot?
Hmm, I have a friend who’s working on a website that does this, but it’s not ready yet. If it ever finishes getting set up, I’ll let more students know!
Interesting. Thank you!
Hi,thanks for u sharing.
Thank You :)
thank you so much, it is very useful. I have like the proverbs that you have given us . My fovourite one is when there is a will there is a way .
Great lesson! I do like your video. And I got 10/10. Thank you Alex!
Great job!
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do” – this is the motto of conformism. Not good expression.
You can look at it that way for sure. It can also help you in some situations, though…especially if you’re traveling in a country and don’t want to upset or insult the local population.
I agree with you Botanych
Thank you Alex for you effort.
Thanks Alex, It’s very clear to inderstant, I get 100 points
Hi Alex I just wanna be in touch with you via email. is it possible to know your email address please? my email is farshid.jahanjou@gmail.com
best regard
proverbs from generations , thank you sir for teaching by exciting way
10 :)
Some of this sayings are popular in Brazil! My favorite among these is “laughter is the best medicine”. Thanks Alex!
Any time! As always, thanks for clicking, Isaias!
Is there any proverb in English as following,
“Oil your own machine”??
Hmmm. What does it mean? Is it like “mind your own business”?
Is there any???
Thanks, Mr. Alex for your funny, interesting, exciting and easy lessons. You are doing a great job.
thank you
Thanks U Alex, I got 10. :)
Hello, Alex. I’m quite new here in this site.
I love English and really want to practice all the time. Unfortunately, I have no one to talk in English in my country. I have several things to ask. That’s why I leave a comment here because I see that you always give a reply to every comment. By the way, how can I describe this proverb to my students–Rome wasn’t built in a day?
I’m following your videos daily. Thank!
Thank you Alex for this amazing video!
Thank for this lessons. You are a excelent teacher. I am study english every day with engvid. It is an excelent place to learn english.
hi. mr. alexs.
i got 9 out of 10.
i feel comfortable seeing your lecture because there are similar proverbs in korea.
i like the proverb ” laughter is the best medicine.” among your above mentioned proverbs.
today i learned 5 proverbs, and i will remember them if possible for a long time.
thank you very mech.
thanks Alex I love your lesson
hi.it`s very wonderfull lesson.i like the proverb `actions speak louder than words`
I got 10 out of 10 :) thanku Alex :)
Alex.. Your lessons are the best, Actually I am learning English, Better late than never :)
you got a face only mother could love. My favorit saying ;)
Thanks, Alex! You are very good teacher!!!
Thank you.
thanks you, Alex, 9/10
Though I am trying to do my best,
I got 9 correct out of 10.
Thank you for your lesson.
it was amazing lesson your way to explain it is interesting
Thanks alot Mr.Alex <3
I’ve got 10!
Thanks Alex! Great lesson! I love learning proverbs. They are universal truths.
Thanks Alex! It is very useful
thank you it was a very good lesson.
Hi, Alex! Your lesson is very interesting
Can you make some more lessons on proverbs?
Great lesson! Thank you very much!
Feeling very happy after watching your lecture .
Thnx Alex
Thank for the lesson. I got 100 on quiz
“Sometimes the simplest things mean the most.” Thanks
Great Alex, thank you!
1o/1o
best regards,Mr.Alex
Christmas greetings and best wishes from
Kazakhstan 22 Dec2o21:)
as always , i got 10 out of 10 and that’s due to your valuable and excellent way of teaching
i take my hat off to you