Idiomatic Expressions — English Bac Lettres

ضمن برنامج بكالوريا Lettres

English is a major subject in the Bac Lettres stream, with a coefficient of 4 — second only to Arabic Language (coefficient 7) and ahead of History-Geography and Philosophy (coefficient 3). There is no Mathematics in the stream. The high coefficient raises the bar: richer vocabulary, more developed argumentative writing, and firmer control of register and style are expected, and the English mark genuinely shapes the average.

في الامتحان

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing. In the Lettres stream the Writing task is longer and more demanding — a structured essay with a clear thesis, developed arguments on both sides, illustrative examples and a personal conclusion — and language accuracy and range are scored throughout.

أهداف التعلم

Reuse this vocabulary field in the Bac Lettres Reading answers and in the argumentative essay (coefficient 4)
Understand that an idiom's meaning is figurative and not deducible from its words
Recognise frequent programme idioms: once in a blue moon, break the ice, a piece of cake, under the weather, cost an arm and a leg
Paraphrase an idiom in plain English when its meaning is not certain
Avoid translating an idiom word for word from Arabic or French

المفاهيم الأساسية

What is an idiom?

A fixed group of words whose overall meaning is figurative and different from the literal sense of its parts. E.g. “to break the ice” = to ease the tension at the start of a conversation, nothing to do with real ice.

Frequent programme idioms

once in a blue moon (very rarely), break the ice (ease initial tension), a piece of cake (very easy), under the weather (slightly unwell), cost an arm and a leg (be very expensive), let the cat out of the bag (reveal a secret).

Paraphrasing an idiom

If you are unsure of an idiom in an exam, replace it with a plain paraphrase: “extremely expensive” for cost an arm and a leg, “very easy” for a piece of cake. A correct paraphrase scores; a wrong literal translation does not.

الأخطاء الشائعة

Translating an idiom word for word: “il pleut des cordes” → “it's raining ropes” is meaningless in English; the equivalent idiom is “it's raining cats and dogs”.

Taking an idiom literally in a reading text: “he was over the moon” means he was delighted, not that he was in space.

Overusing idioms in a formal essay: one or two well-placed idioms add colour, but a formal argument is not built on them.

مثال محلول

نص السؤال

Explain the meaning of the idiom in this sentence and rewrite it in plain English: “The new laptop cost me an arm and a leg.”

التصحيح

Identify the idiom. “cost an arm and a leg” is a fixed idiom, not a literal statement.

Give the figurative meaning. It means “to be very expensive”.

Rewrite in plain English. “The new laptop was extremely expensive.”

افهم الدرس، ثم تدرب.

ينشئ Orka تمارين غير محدودة وامتحانات تجريبية مصححة تغطي برنامج اللغة الإنجليزية في بكالوريا Lettres، مع تتبع تقدمك درساً بعد درس.

تابع مجاناً مع Orka

3 تمارين للتدرب

التمرين 1

Easy

What does “a piece of cake” mean? (a dessert / something very easy / a small portion)

عرض التصحيح

something very easy — “The test was a piece of cake” = the test was very easy.

التمرين 2

Medium

Replace the idiom with a plain paraphrase: “I only see my cousins once in a blue moon.”

عرض التصحيح

“I only see my cousins very rarely.” — once in a blue moon means very rarely.

التمرين 3

Hard

A student writes “I feel under the weather today, so I will not go to space.” Explain the mistake and correct the sentence.

عرض التصحيح

The student has taken “under the weather” literally. It is an idiom meaning “slightly unwell”. Corrected: “I feel under the weather today, so I will stay at home.”

تعمق أكثر في هذا الدرس

أكثر من 50 تمريناً تفاعلياً في هذا الدرس

تمارين يولدها الذكاء الاصطناعي ويصححها خطوة بخطوة حسب مستواك.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

اختبار ذكي متكيف

أسئلة تتكيف تلقائياً مع إجاباتك الصحيحة وأخطائك.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

تصحيح امتحانات سابقة مرتبطة بالدرس

مواضيع من الامتحانات الوطنية والجهوية السابقة.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

خطة مراجعة شخصية

ترتب أولوية هذا الدرس حسب تقدمك الحقيقي في الشعبة.

Premium

بطاقات مراجعة الدرس

الصيغ والتعريفات الأساسية لمراجعة سريعة.

Premium

مدرس ذكي بالدارجة

اطرح أسئلتك حول الدرس واحصل على شرح فوري.

Premium

الأسئلة الشائعة

How many idioms do I need for the Bac?

A working set of ten to fifteen frequent ones is enough. Knowing their meaning matters more for reading; in writing, one or two well-chosen idioms are plenty.

Can I use a French or Arabic idiom translated into English?

No — idioms rarely translate. Either use the established English equivalent or drop the idiom and state the meaning plainly.

How do I handle an unknown idiom in a reading text?

Use the surrounding context: the sentence and paragraph usually make the figurative meaning clear enough to answer the question, even without knowing the idiom.

English is coefficient 4 in the Lettres stream — how do I revise it seriously?

Treat it as a core subject. For each of the 31 chapters, fix the rule or the word field with two solid examples, and write at least one full essay a fortnight under timed conditions. Read short English articles to build argumentative vocabulary and sentence variety, since range and accuracy are marked directly.

How do I use this theme in the Bac Lettres essay without sounding generic?

Anchor each key term in one concrete, personal example — a place, a person, a situation you know. A specific illustration in accurate English scores better than a long list of terms with no support, on any of the society prompts in the programme.