10 Valentine’s Day phrasal verbs and idioms

Idioms are expressions or phrases in English that serve a mental picture about a specific situation.  They are commonly used in everyday spoken English and often show the difference between an intermediate and an advanced learner.

 

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’ve asked our teachers what their favourite romantic phrasal verbs and idioms are.  Take a look to see how many you already knew:

 

A match made in heaven : two people perfectly suited to each other

They get on so well that everyone agrees they are a match made in heaven.

 

Ask someone out : invite someone to go on a date with you

Tom asked Sue out to dinner, but she declined, saying she had other plans.

 

Fall in love : to start to love someone romantically

I was 20 when I first fell in love.

 

Have a crush on someone : to have a romantic infatuation with someone, often unknown to that person

He had a crush on her for years but was too scared to ever ask her out.

 

Head over heels : completely in love

Laura fell head over heels in love with Chris.

 

Hit it off : to be friendly with each other immediately

The date wasn’t awkward at all, we hit it off straight away!

 

Make eyes at someone : to look at someone with romantic interest

It’s so obvious she has a crush on him.  She was making eyes at him the whole afternoon!

 

Pop the question : propose

He popped the question during a romantic meal at their favourite restaurant.

 

Take someone’s breath away

 

Tie the knot : get married

Jenny and Jim tied the knot last week so are off on their honeymoon next weekend.