Glossary and lists
Phrasal verbs: a list of the most useful, with examples
30 phrasal verbs that come up in meetings, emails and everyday talk.
Book a trial classThe list
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| look up | search for information | buscar (información) | Look the word up in a dictionary. |
| look forward to | wait for with pleasure | tener ganas de | I look forward to meeting you. |
| find out | discover | enterarse, descubrir | I found out yesterday. |
| figure out | solve, understand | resolver, entender | We figured out the problem. |
| set up | organize, install | organizar, configurar | Can you set up the meeting? |
| follow up | contact again about something | dar seguimiento | I will follow up next week. |
| carry out | do, perform | llevar a cabo | They carried out a survey. |
| come up with | think of an idea | ocurrírsele, idear | She came up with a good idea. |
| give up | stop trying | rendirse, dejar | Do not give up. |
| put off | delay | postergar | Do not put off the call. |
| turn down | refuse | rechazar | He turned down the offer. |
| take on | accept a task | asumir | I took on more responsibility. |
| deal with | handle | lidiar con | How do you deal with stress? |
| get along with | have a good relationship | llevarse bien con | I get along with my team. |
| catch up | update each other | ponerse al día | Let us catch up on Friday. |
| run out of | have no more | quedarse sin | We ran out of time. |
| bring up | mention a topic | mencionar, sacar un tema | She brought up the budget. |
| call off | cancel | cancelar | They called off the meeting. |
| sign up for | register | inscribirse en | I signed up for a course. |
| work out | exercise, or find a solution | hacer ejercicio, resultar | It worked out well. |
| break down | stop working, or split into parts | descomponerse, desglosar | The car broke down. |
| pick up | collect, or learn casually | recoger, aprender sin esfuerzo | She picked up Italian in a year. |
| end up | finally be in a situation | terminar (en) | We ended up staying home. |
| fill in | complete a form | completar (un formulario) | Please fill in this form. |
| hand in | submit | entregar | Hand in your report on Monday. |
| point out | show, mention | señalar | He pointed out a mistake. |
| get back to | reply later | responder más tarde | I will get back to you tomorrow. |
| go over | review | repasar | Let us go over the numbers. |
| sort out | solve, organize | resolver, ordenar | We need to sort this out. |
| make up | invent, or reconcile | inventar, reconciliarse | Do not make up an excuse. |
How to learn them
- Learn the whole phrase, not only the verb: look up, not look.
- Group them by verb (take on, take off) or by topic (work, travel).
- Notice them in real articles and shows, then copy the sentence.
Practice
Multiple choice cloze
Choose the phrasal verb or particle that fits the gap.
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