Collocations (Basic, A1 and A2).
Basic collocations
Collocations are combinations of words that are frequently used together in a particular order, forming a natural-sounding expression. These word pairs or groups often sound more natural to native speakers than other possible combinations of the same words. Understanding collocations is important for language learners because they help you sound more fluent and natural when speaking or writing. Below are explanations of some common collocations that you may encounter:
- Good morning: This collocation is used as a greeting when you see someone for the first time in the morning. It is a friendly and polite way to say hello.
- Living room: A living room is a space in a house or apartment where people gather to relax, socialize, and enjoy leisure activities, such as watching television or reading.
- Cold weather: This collocation describes a situation when the temperature outside is low. It can be used to talk about the weather conditions during winter or a cold day in general.
- Primary school: Primary school is the first level of formal education for children, typically for ages 5 to 11. It is also known as elementary school in some countries.
- High school: High school is the educational institution attended by teenagers, usually between the ages of 14 and 18, after completing primary or middle school.
- Fast food: Fast food refers to meals that are prepared quickly and are usually served in a casual setting or as take-out. Examples of fast food include hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken.
- Heavy rain: Heavy rain is a collocation used to describe a lot of rain falling in a short period of time, often causing flooding or other problems.
- Red wine: Red wine is a type of alcoholic beverage made from red or black grapes. It is typically served with dinner or enjoyed on its own.
- Hard work: This collocation refers to tasks or activities that require a lot of effort, dedication, or persistence.
- Cold beer: Cold beer is a popular alcoholic beverage, usually served chilled or with ice to make it more refreshing.
- Hot chocolate: Hot chocolate is a warm, sweet beverage made from chocolate or cocoa powder, milk or water, and sugar. It is often enjoyed during cold weather or as a comforting treat.
- Kitchen sink: A kitchen sink is a fixture in a kitchen used for washing dishes, preparing food, or getting water for various tasks.
- Public transport: Public transport refers to the shared transportation system available for use by the general public, such as buses, trains, and subways.
- City center: The city center is the central area of a city where many businesses, shops, and cultural attractions are located. It is also known as the downtown area.
- Happy birthday: This collocation is used to wish someone a joyful celebration on the day they were born. It is a common expression during birthday parties and gatherings.
- Social media: Social media refers to websites and applications that allow users to create, share, and interact with content, such as photos, videos, and messages. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Now try the quiz to check if you remember these!
Vocabulary
If you've ever known the grammar of a sentence but not the right word for what you actually wanted to say — help me, kindly, unfortunately, broke down, put up with — you've felt the limit of grammar without vocabulary. Most fluency-feel comes from word choice, not sentence structure. The Vocabulary tag is where you build that side of your English deliberately.
The Vocabulary tag groups word-focused practice — common words, collocations, phrasal verbs, idioms — across all CEFR levels from A1 to C2.
Vocabulary for A1/Elementary/Beginner
If you've started English and feel overwhelmed by how much there is to learn — start here. The A1 vocabulary layer is the smallest practical word stock that lets you survive: introduce yourself, describe your home and family, ask for basic things, read signs, follow short conversations. It's the smallest investment with the biggest immediate payoff.
The A1 vocabulary tag covers foundational vocabulary for beginner-level English — roughly the first 500–800 words. Topics: family, home, food, days, numbers, basic actions, greetings, common objects.
Vocabulary for A2/Elementary/Pre-Intermediate
If A1 felt like memorising lists of nouns and you're tired of pointing at things, A2 vocabulary is where English starts feeling more dynamic. You pick up phrasal verbs, common collocations, and the words you need for routine social conversations — small talk, ordering, asking about plans. It's the level where most learners feel they're "getting somewhere".
The A2 vocabulary tag covers vocabulary for pre-intermediate English — roughly 1,500–2,500 words. New areas: work and school, leisure, basic phrasal verbs, and common collocations.
Collocations
If your English vocabulary is large but your speech still sounds slightly off — do a mistake, powerful coffee, high winds blew strongly — you've hit the collocation problem. Each word is correct in isolation, but native speakers don't pair them that way. Fixing it isn't about more vocabulary; it's about learning words in their natural company.
Collocations are word combinations that habitually occur together: make a decision, strong coffee, heavy rain, highly unlikely. The grammar permits other pairings, but fluent English consistently chooses one over the rest. They're the connective tissue of natural-sounding language.
A1 | Elementary | Beginners
If you can say your name, ask Where is the toilet?, and read a simple bus sign — but freeze when someone speaks at normal speed — you're at A1. That's not a problem to fix; it's the level where most learners actually live for a while, and recognising it lets you pick the right material instead of drowning in advanced grammar that wasn't meant for you yet.
A1 is the starting level of the CEFR framework, covering basic everyday communication: greetings, introductions, simple personal questions, present-tense forms of be/have/do, and core determiners and prepositions.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
If you can order coffee, ask for directions, and tell someone what you did yesterday — but struggle the moment the conversation drifts into anything abstract — you're operating at A2. Knowing this matters: A2 is the level where most learners plateau because they reach for B2 material too early and burn out. Stay here and your foundations get unbreakable.
A2 is the elementary level in the CEFR framework, covering routine communication and the first wave of real grammar: past simple and continuous, present perfect, basic modal verbs, first conditional, and common verb-pattern rules.
Difficulty: Easy
If a textbook leaves you confused, sometimes the issue isn't the topic — it's that the practice material is layered with extra complications. Filtering by Easy strips that away. You get one rule at a time, in plain everyday language, with no trick questions. It's how you make a shaky foundation solid before stacking more on top.
The Easy difficulty tag marks beginner-level questions and challenges — typically A1 or early A2. Single-rule focus, short sentences, common vocabulary, one clear correct answer.