Phrasal verbs are essential to learn in order to sound natural when speaking English. Read on to find out about some common ones.
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and an adverbial particle (e.g. about, in, off, on). These multi-word verbs are only understood as a whole, not from the individual words. Below are some frequently used phrasal verbs and their meanings:
| ask for | to request |
| ask about | to inquire |
| believe in | to feel confident about something |
| bring over | to bring from one place to another |
| care for | to nurture someone or something |
| care about | to feel sympathy toward someone |
| come back | to return to a place |
| do over | to do something again in order to correct it |
| drop off | to become less (in numbers) or to bring someone to a place |
| eat out | to eat in a restaurant |
| fall down | to fall to the ground |
| figure out | to solve a problem |
| get away | to escape |
| get back | to return |
| get together | to meet |
| head back | to go back somewhere after visiting |
| hang up | to end a call |
| keep away | to remain far from someone or something |
| keep on | to keep trying |
| lay down | to put something on a surface or object |
| let in | to allow someone or something to enter |
| move in | to begin living in a new home |
| move out | to stop living in your current home |
| move out | to stop living in your current home |
| pay for | to purchase |
| put down | to place something on a surface or floor |
| run over | to hit someone or something with a vehicle |
| set up | to organize something |
| slow down | to begin to move slower |
| turn on | to move a switch so that a light or other device starts working |
| turn off | to move a switch so the a device stops |
| wake up | to finish sleeping |
| wash off | to remove dirt from an object with water |
| work out | when a problem becomes better / to solve a problem / to exercise |
Most phrasal verbs are transitive (i.e. have an object), but some are intransitive and can stand alone. If the phrasal verb is separable, the object can come before or after the particle, except when it is a pronoun.
Examples:
- Please remember to turn the television off when you are finished watching it.
- Don’t forget to turn off the television.
- I care about her a lot. (NOT I care her about a lot.)