Some words are used frequently with money expressions. Let’s take a look at them and their meaning with some picture examples:
‘cheap’ idioms
Everybody loves a bargain, don’t they? ‘Cheap’ refers to the price of a product or service. If something is cheap, it’s not very expensive/costs very little compared to similar products/services.
HOP TIP – The ‘ch’ is pronounced like ‘chuh’. Here’s a link to a video of the different ways you can pronounce ‘ch’.
‘cost’ phrases
The cost of something is the amount of money that needs to be paid to acquire a product or service. These idioms are all about the cost/amount of something.
HOT TIP – When talking about the cost of something, it’s always in the third person ‘it’ (present tense). So, don’t forget to add the ‘s’ onto cost. For example
- It costs £4 for a pint in my local.
- My therapist costs $50 an hour.
‘earn’ idioms
‘Earn’ is to obtain money by doing some work or providing a service. For example:
- My boss gave me an extra £500 this month, he said I earnt it
- If I do 1 hour overtime every day, I’ll earn an extra £350.
Earn is an irregular verb in British English but regular in American English.
HOT TIP – There’s a difference between ‘earn’ and ‘win’. To win means to gain something by luck such as entering a competition and receiving a prize. For example:
- I won £300,000 on the lottery.
- If I win the race, I’ll get a trophy.
Spanish speakers if you’re reading, this is for you, de nada.
There are many phrases we use to talk about ‘earning money’. Let’s take a look.
‘pay’ idioms
‘To pay’ is to hand over your hard-earned cash in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I paid £20 for a wash, cut and blow dry.
- If you ruin my white coat, you’ll have to pay for the dry cleaning.
‘spend’ idioms
Once you’ve earnt it, it’s time to spend it! ‘To spend’ is to hand over money in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I spent all my money down the boozer, now i can’t afford to buy groceries.
- If you spend all week revising, you’ll be prepared for the exam
HOT TIP – ‘Spend’; is also used to describe the way we use our time. For example: I’ve spent the whole weekend binge-watching Netflix.
