A phrasal verb = a verb + a particle (preposition or adverb)

• to look
• to look up (search for information)
• to look after (take care of someone)

The magic is that the meaning changes completely when you add that little word.

• Get = receive.
• Get over = recover (from an illness or a breakup).
• Get along with = have a good relationship.

You can’t always guess the meaning. You have to learn it in context.

Why they matter.

Native speakers use phrasal verbs constantly. In fact, in casual conversation, we prefer them over formal verbs.

Formal	Natural (Phrasal Verb)
I discovered a mistake.	I found out about a mistake.
Please continue your work.	Please carry on with your work.
She resembles her mother.	She takes after her mother.

If you only use formal verbs (discover, continue, resemble), you will sound like a robot from the 1950s. Use phrasal verbs, and you will sound human.

The two types: Separable vs. Inseparable

This is where students often mess up (make a mistake). But it’s simpler than it looks.

1. Inseparable (Stay together)
You cannot put the object in the middle. The verb and particle are glued together.

• I ran into my teacher. ✅
• I ran my teacher into. ❌

2. Separable (You can split them)
You can put the object between the verb and the particle. But if you use a pronoun (it, him, her), you must split them.

• Please turn off the music. ✅
• Please turn the music off. ✅
• Please turn off it. ❌
• Please turn it off. ✅ (See the difference?)

The 5 phrasal verbs you will use today

Stop trying to learn 50 at once. Start with these high-frequency verbs.

1. Give up (stop trying; quit) –> “Don’t give up! You’re almost fluent.”

2. Figure out (solve, understand) –> “I finally figured out how to use this app.”

3. Run out of (have no more left) –> “We ran out of milk. Can you buy some?”

4. Look forward to (be excited about the future) –> “I look forward to hearing from you.” (Perfect for emails!)

5. End up (finally do something, often unexpectedly) –> “We got lost and ended up walking 10 miles.”

More phrasal verbs

Here is a table of 20 high-frequency phrasal verbs, complete with their meanings and example sentences. These are essential for everyday English conversation, work, and media.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
ask someone out	invite on a date	He finally asked her out to dinner.
call off	cancel	They had to call off the meeting because of the snow.
carry on	continue	Please carry on with your work while I’m gone.
come across	find by accident	I came across an old photo album in the attic.
cut down on	reduce (consumption/usage)	My doctor told me to cut down on sugar.
end up	finally do/be (often unexpectedly)	We got lost and ended up in a different town.
figure out	solve or understand	Can you help me figure out this math problem?
get along (with)	have a good relationship	Do you get along with your new roommate?
give up	stop trying; quit	Don’t give up — you’re almost there!
go over	review or check carefully	Let’s go over your presentation before the meeting.
look after	take care of	Could you look after my cat this weekend?
look forward to	be excited about a future event	I look forward to hearing your feedback.
make up	invent (a story) or reconcile	She made up an excuse for being late. / They kissed and made up.
pick up	lift; collect; learn casually	Can you pick up the kids from school? I picked up some Spanish on vacation.
point out	indicate or draw attention to	Thank you for pointing out my mistake.
run out of	have no more left	We ran out of milk, so I need to go to the store.
show up	arrive or appear	He showed up 20 minutes late without an apology.
take off	remove (clothing); leave (plane)	Please take off your shoes. / The plane took off on time.
turn down	reject or refuse	She turned down the job offer because the salary was too low.
work out	exercise; solve successfully	I work out three times a week. / Don’t worry, things will work out.

Practice Exercises