3. Idioms from your language

There are lots of idioms and expressions that mean the same thing across different languages, but they’re said in slightly different ways. For example, in British English we say that someone who is good at growing things has green fingers, while in Italian, German and American English, people say they have a green thumb. In French, it's a green hand!

Sometimes there's no direct equivalent in English. You just have to explain it or use a different idiom. In French, if someone has the banana, it means they've got a huge smile on their face. In English we could use the idiom grin from ear to ear.

We asked some people to share an idiom from their language – what it means, how you might say it in English and whether a similar expression exists. This is what they said.

Zahide, Turkey
Two watermelons cannot fit on one seat.
Two important tasks cannot be done at the same time.

Working iron does not rust.
A hardworking person continues to produce and develop as long as they don't stop working.

Samira, Afghanistan 
Life is like a mountain path – those with patience reach the peak, those who complain stay in the valley.

Irena, Bulgaria
Naked water! – when you are totally bad at something. For example, 'You are making mistakes one after another! You're naked water!'

Sri, Sri Lanka
Man, once burnt with a burning stick, will get scared even at the sight of a firefly.
It means once you get severely hurt for doing something, you will be scared to do something similar even when it's harmless.

Saule, Ukraine
It's neither my headache nor my piece of cake.
It's kind of a way of saying 'It's none of my business.' Something like 'I'm keeping my nose out of it.'

Asmaa, Egypt
Arabic and English are different languages but they share many ideas. Long ago, Arabs and Europeans exchanged knowledge through trade, travel and books.That's why we find similar sayings in both languages, like the pen is mightier than the sword; don't cry over spilt milk or a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. They have the literal Arabic translation with the same meaning.

We want to hear from you!

• Tell us about an idiom or expression from your language.
• How do you translate it into English?
• What does it mean?
• Is there an English idiom or expression that is similar?

Tell us in the comments! If you want to practise speaking, you can record your answers using SpeakPipe voice recorder and post a link to the recording in your comment.

Go to SpeakPipe voice recorder

* Recordings are kept on a SpeakPipe server. Please don't include any music in your recording.