Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and one or more particles (like “up” or “off”). They can be tricky but are important for natural English conversation. Here are 10 phrasal verbs you can use daily!
1. Pick up
Meaning: To lift something or learn something new.
“I picked up a new hobby during the lockdown.”
2. Get along
Meaning: To have a good relationship.: “My kids get along well with each other.”
3. Look after
Meaning: To take care of someone or something.
“She looks after her younger brother.”
4. Come across
Meaning: To find something unexpectedly.
“I came across an old letter from my friend.”
5. Break down
Meaning: To stop working or become upset.
“My car broke down on the way home.”
6. Run out
Meaning: To have no more of something.
“We ran out of sugar, can you buy some?”
7. Give up
Meaning: To stop doing something.
“He gave up smoking last year.”
8. Take off
Meaning: To leave the ground (for planes) or remove something.
“The plane takes off at 6 PM.”
9. Turn up
Meaning: To appear or arrive.
“He turned up late for the party.”
10. Bring up
Meaning: To mention something or raise a child.
“She brought up a good point in the meeting.”
Try using these phrasal verbs in your conversations. The more you practice, the easier they will become!
let’s look at real-life situations where they can replace basic sentences with more natural expressions using phrasal verbs:
- Pick up
- Basic: “I learned a few words of Spanish while traveling.”
- Phrasal Verb: “I picked up a few words of Spanish while traveling.”
- Get along
- Basic: “I have a good relationship with my coworkers.”
- Phrasal Verb: “I get along well with my coworkers.”
- Look after
- Basic: “Can you take care of my plants while I’m away?”
- Phrasal Verb: “Can you look after my plants while I’m away?”
- Come across
- Basic: “I found an interesting article by chance online.”
- Phrasal Verb: “I came across an interesting article online.”
- Break down
- Basic: “My computer stopped working yesterday.”
- Phrasal Verb: “My computer broke down yesterday.”
- Run out
- Basic: “We don’t have any more milk left.”
- Phrasal Verb: “We’ve run out of milk.”
- Give up
- Basic: “He decided to stop playing video games.”
- Phrasal Verb: “He gave up playing video games.”
- Take off
- Basic: “The plane leaves at 5 PM.”
- Phrasal Verb: “The plane takes off at 5 PM.”
- Turn up
- Basic: “She arrived late for the meeting.”
- Phrasal Verb: “She turned up late for the meeting.”
- Bring up
- Basic: “He mentioned an interesting topic during the discussion.”
- Phrasal Verb: “He brought up an interesting topic during the discussion.”
Using phrasal verbs makes speech sound more natural and fluent.
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Good Luck with your English learning journey!
