10 English Proverbs You MUST Know!

hello everyone in this video we are going to take  a look at 10 super common English proverbs that  

native speakers regularly use in their daily  conversations proverbs are traditional sayings  

phrases that Express a general truth a piece  of advice words of wisdom about many aspects  

of life but why should we learn proverbs what  has that got to do with English well the reason  

why I think learning proverbs is a really  important aspect of learning a language is  

simply because proverbs are part of a language  they are the expression of a culture they tell  

us about the values and habits of a society  also if we want to be able to speak fluently  

and with a rich vocabulary we simply cannot avoid  proverbs because they are very common all native  

speakers know some proverbs and they use them  regularly also something that is really fun about  

proverbs is that many of them exist in different  languages but with some changes here and there  

so basically what you get is the same piece of  advice the same teaching but with different words  

with different elements now before we get into  the 10 proverbs I have prepared a PDF that you  

can download for free with all the proverbs that  we are going to go over and their meaning you  

can find the link in the description box I have  prepared this PDF with PDF element a wondershare  

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want to continue with the unlimited version try  it out now let's get into the 10 English proverbs

the early bird gets the worm the idea behind  this proverb is that the birds that wake up  

the earliest have the best chance of  catching a good meal before the other  

birds come likewise people who arrive early  have a better chance than those who arrive  

late this proverb can be used in countless  situations where being early is advantageous  

for example wow where did you find those cushions  they're beautiful they were on sale at the market  

what I went there this afternoon and I didn't  see them well I went there first thing in the  

morning remember the early bird gets the worm  as you can see this proverb works really well  

in this situation but I'm sure you can come  up with loads of other examples as well

birds of a feather flock together first of all  this is a feather and to flock is a verb used to  

indicate a number of birds flying traveling  together so what this proverb means is that  

like-minded people like birds with the same  feathers often spend time together just like a  

flock of birds people who share the same interests  people who are similar will be found together  

sometimes native speakers use this proverb without  finishing it they will say well you know birds  

of a feather because the other person probably  already knows what they're talking about this is  

a very common proverb so again you might hear just  the first part and it's the same thing the meaning  

is the same is there a variant of this proverb in  your native language let me know in the comments

don't bite the hand that feeds you native  speakers use this proverb when they want  

to tell you that you should not be rude and  you should not be ungrateful to someone who  

is helping you or who has helped you in the  past so just like you should not bite the  

hand that is feeding you you shouldn't treat  someone badly especially if that person is  

feeding you that is to say they are helping you  in some sort of way what is interesting is that  

in Italian we say which literally means don't  spit where you're eating so it's two different  

things the meaning is the same and yet the  metaphor is always about food and eating

don't count your chickens before they hatch  to hatch means to break an egg so that a baby  

animal can come out in this case chicks so this  proverb means you shouldn't count on something  

until you're certain about it so for example you  shouldn't make plans before you actually know  

who's coming and so on you shouldn't rush things  until you're certain that they will happen even  

in this case sometimes native speakers will  say just the first part of this proverb so  

they'll just say don't count your chickens and the  other person will understand and now you will too

don't put all your eggs in one basket this  proverb teaches us that we shouldn't put all  

our efforts into just one thing we should  not depend on a single thing because if  

that thing fails we have nothing left so  we should always have more Alternatives  

different baskets for example let's pretend  you're looking for a job you could say I'm  

applying for several jobs because I don't  really want to put all my eggs in one basket

When in Rome do as the Romans do this very  old proverb means that when you're visiting  

a foreign country you should follow the customs  of that country for example I don't usually  

drink wine but you know when in Rome and even  in this case people usually say when in Rome  

without the second part because it's just  easier this way now this proverb isn't just  

used when you're traveling you can also use it  when you're in an unfamiliar situation and in  

that case because you don't know what to do you  should follow the lead of those who are already  

familiar with it so in a nutshell you should  adapt to the different situations you are in

actions speak louder than words this proverb  is very true and pretty self-explanatory it  

means that what someone does is more important  than what someone says people say many things  

they claim that they hold certain values  but then do they really uphold them it's  

what someone does their actions that really  tells us something about their values their  

feelings their intentions this is a  proverb you can use for example when  

someone promises something over and over  again but never keeps that promise you  

can say no I don't believe you anymore  actions speak louder than words foreign

doesn't fall far from the tree this proverb has  to do with parents and children in particular  

it refers to the fact that children tend to  display the same characteristics the same  

qualities or interests of their parents they  tend to be similar to their parents in the  

way they behave so for example if you know  a musician whose daughter Grows Up Loving  

music and becomes a musician herself it just  proves the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree

practice makes perfect this is a very short  proverb but very true and very common if we  

don't practice something we'll never  be perfect at it if we want to achieve  

that level of perfection at something we  need a lot of practice even when it comes  

to language learning practice is fundamental  without practice language is nothing whether  

it be written or spoken language abilities  need to be practiced constantly and native  

speakers use this proverb very often  so you will hear it a lot foreign

steady wins the race we talked about the  importance of practice but something else  

that is vital in achieving a goal is time  you need to take your time and if you proceed  

slowly and steadily you are way more likely  to win the race that is to get what you want  

even if that means taking more time allow  yourself to take as much time as you need  

all right everyone thank you so much for  watching this video don't forget to like share  

and subscribe and if you like you can also support  my work by sending me a super thanks bye [Music]