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C1 · Advanced15 min
Idiomatic infinitive phrases
Learn 5 words for thematic vocabulary: to say the least, to make matters worse, to be on the safe side, to tell the truth, to cut a long story short.
to say the least /tə ˌseɪ ðə ˈliːst/
м'яко кажучи, delikatnie mówiąc, um es milde auszudrücken, para decirlo suavemente, pour le moins, per usare un eufemismo, para dizer o mínimo, hafifçe söylemek gerekirse, بعبارة ملطفة, 温和地说, 控えめに言っても, 가볍게 말하자면, इसे हल्के ढंग से कहें तो, για να το θέσω ήπια, mírně řečeno, să spunem blând, om het zacht uit te drukken, för att uttrycka det milt, אם לומר זאת בעדינות, რბილად რომ ვთქვათ
Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger.
“The timetable was ambitious, to say the least.”
to make matters worse /tə ˌmeɪk ˌmætəz ˈwɜːs/
на довершення неприємностей, aby dodać zniewagę do kontuzji, um die Verletzung noch schlimmer zu machen, para colmo de males, ajouter l'insulte à l'injure, per aggiungere la beffa al danno, para adicionar insulto à injúria, yaralanmaya hakaret eklemek, لإضافة إهانة للإصابة, 雪上加霜, 傷害にさらに侮辱を加える, 부상에 모욕을 더하다, चोट पर नमक छिड़कना, για να προσθέσετε προσβολή στον τραυματισμό, přidat urážku ke zranění, pentru a adăuga insultă la vătămare, om nog erger te maken, att lägga förolämpning till skada, להוסיף חטא על פשע, შეურაცხყოფის დამატება ტრავმას
Used to introduce another problem in an already difficult situation.
“To make matters worse, the last train had been cancelled.”
to be on the safe side /tə bi ɒn ðə ˈseɪf saɪd/
про всяк випадок, na wszelki wypadek, Nur für den Fall, por si acaso, juste au cas où, per ogni evenienza, apenas no caso, her ihtimale karşı, فقط في حالة, 以防万一, 念のため, 혹시라도, बस मामले में, για παν ενδεχόμενο, jen pro případ, pentru orice eventualitate, voor het geval dat, för säkerhets skull, לכל מקרה, ყოველი შემთხვევისთვის
Used when taking an extra precaution against possible problems.
“We left an hour early to be on the safe side.”
to tell the truth /tə ˌtel ðə ˈtruːθ/
правду кажучи, powiedzieć prawdę, die Wahrheit sagen, decir la verdad, dire la vérité, a dire la verità, para dizer a verdade, gerçeği söylemek, لقول الحقيقة, 说实话, 本当のことを言うと, 진실을 말하다, सच बताना, να πω την αλήθεια, abych řekl pravdu, să spună adevărul, om de waarheid te vertellen, att säga sanningen, לומר את האמת, სიმართლე გითხრათ
Used to introduce an honest admission, especially one that may surprise someone.
“To tell the truth, I would rather stay at home.”
to cut a long story short /tə ˌkʌt ə lɒŋ ˌstɔːri ˈʃɔːt/
коротше кажучи, w skrócie, kurz gesagt, en resumen, en bref, in breve, em resumo, kısacası, باختصار, 简而言之, 要するに, 요컨대, संक्षेप में, με λίγα λόγια, zkrátka, pe scurt, kortom, kort och gott, בקיצור, მოკლედ
Used before giving the main result without all the details.
“To cut a long story short, we missed the ferry and stayed another night.”
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Choose the word: Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to say the least
to say the least: Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger. Example: The timetable was ambitious, to say the least.
Choose the word: Used to introduce another problem in an already difficult situation.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to make matters worse
to make matters worse: Used to introduce another problem in an already difficult situation. Example: To make matters worse, the last train had been cancelled.
Choose the word: Used when taking an extra precaution against possible problems.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to be on the safe side
to be on the safe side: Used when taking an extra precaution against possible problems. Example: We left an hour early to be on the safe side.
Choose the word: Used to introduce an honest admission, especially one that may surprise someone.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to tell the truth
to tell the truth: Used to introduce an honest admission, especially one that may surprise someone. Example: To tell the truth, I would rather stay at home.
Choose the word: Used before giving the main result without all the details.
Your answer: Unanswered
Correct answer: to cut a long story short
to cut a long story short: Used before giving the main result without all the details. Example: To cut a long story short, we missed the ferry and stayed another night.
Question 1 of 50% complete
Choose the word: Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to say the least
to say the least: Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger. Example: The timetable was ambitious, to say the least.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to make matters worse
to make matters worse: Used to introduce another problem in an already difficult situation. Example: To make matters worse, the last train had been cancelled.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to be on the safe side
to be on the safe side: Used when taking an extra precaution against possible problems. Example: We left an hour early to be on the safe side.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to tell the truth
to tell the truth: Used to introduce an honest admission, especially one that may surprise someone. Example: To tell the truth, I would rather stay at home.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to cut a long story short
to cut a long story short: Used before giving the main result without all the details. Example: To cut a long story short, we missed the ferry and stayed another night.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to say the least
to say the least: Used to suggest that a description could be much stronger. Example: The timetable was ambitious, to say the least.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to make matters worse
to make matters worse: Used to introduce another problem in an already difficult situation. Example: To make matters worse, the last train had been cancelled.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to be on the safe side
to be on the safe side: Used when taking an extra precaution against possible problems. Example: We left an hour early to be on the safe side.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to tell the truth
to tell the truth: Used to introduce an honest admission, especially one that may surprise someone. Example: To tell the truth, I would rather stay at home.
Not quite. Keep learning.
Correct answer: to cut a long story short
to cut a long story short: Used before giving the main result without all the details. Example: To cut a long story short, we missed the ferry and stayed another night.
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