On this page
- What a phrasal verb is
- 40 common phrasal verbs by topic
- Separable or not: the word-order rule
- What up, out, off and down usually mean
- Common mistakes
- Why phrasal verbs feel hard: it depends on your language
- How to learn phrasal verbs
- Quiz: 12 sentences
- Using them in conversation
- Frequently asked questions
What a phrasal verb is
A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two small words (up, out, off, on, down, back, after…) that together act as one verb. Sometimes the meaning is easy to guess — come back, sit down. Often it is not: give up means "stop trying", put off means "postpone", turn down can mean "refuse".
Many phrasal verbs have a one-word, more formal equivalent: find out — discover, put off — postpone, carry on — continue. The formal word is fine in writing, but in conversation native speakers almost always use the phrasal verb. That is why learning them makes your English sound natural.
40 common phrasal verbs by topic
These forty come up again and again in everyday conversation. Learn them by topic rather than alphabetically — you will remember them in the situations where you need them.
Daily life
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get up | get out of bed | I usually get up at seven. |
| wake up | stop sleeping | I woke up in the middle of the night. |
| turn on | start (a device, the light) | Can you turn on the light? |
| turn off | stop (a device, the light) | Don't forget to turn off the oven. |
| put on | start wearing (clothes) | Put on a jacket — it's cold. |
| take off | remove (clothes); leave the ground (a plane) | Please take off your shoes. / The plane took off at nine. |
| pick up | collect someone or something; lift | I'll pick you up from the station. |
| go out | leave home for fun | We usually go out on Friday nights. |
Work and study
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| carry on | continue | Sorry for interrupting — carry on. |
| set up | start (a company, a system); prepare | She set up her own company last year. |
| fill in | complete (a form) | Please fill in this form. |
| hand in | give (work) to a teacher or boss | You have to hand in the essay by Friday. |
| look up | search for (information) | I looked up the word in a dictionary. |
| figure out | understand, solve | I can't figure out how this works. |
| come up with | think of (an idea) | She came up with a great idea. |
| deal with | handle (a problem, a task) | I have to deal with a lot of emails. |
People and relationships
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get on with | have a good relationship with | I get on well with my colleagues. |
| hang out | spend free time together | We hang out at the café after class. |
| look after | take care of | Can you look after my cat this weekend? |
| bring up | raise (a child); mention (a topic) | She was brought up by her grandparents. / Don't bring up politics. |
| fall out | stop being friends after an argument | They fell out over money. |
| catch up | talk about recent news; reach the same level | Let's meet for coffee and catch up. |
| let down | disappoint | I promised to help — I can't let them down. |
| turn down | refuse (an offer); lower (the volume) | He turned down the job offer. |
Problems and plans
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| give up | stop trying; stop a habit | Don't give up — you're nearly there. |
| put off | postpone | We've put off the meeting until Monday. |
| call off | cancel | The match was called off because of the rain. |
| run out of | have none left | We've run out of milk. |
| sort out | solve, organise | Don't worry, I'll sort it out. |
| work out | end well; do exercise; calculate | Things will work out. / I work out three times a week. |
| find out | discover (information) | I found out the truth yesterday. |
| break down | stop working (a machine) | Our car broke down on the motorway. |
Travel and getting around
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| set off | start a journey | We set off early to avoid the traffic. |
| get on | enter (a bus, train, plane) | Get on the bus at the next stop. |
| get off | leave (a bus, train, plane) | We got off the train in Oxford. |
| check in | register at a hotel or airport | You can check in online the day before. |
| check out | leave a hotel after paying | We have to check out of the hotel by eleven. |
| drop off | take someone or something somewhere and leave them | I dropped the kids off at school. |
| come back | return | When are you coming back? |
| look forward to | feel happy about something in the future | I'm looking forward to the holidays. |
Separable or not: the word-order rule
Separable phrasal verbs
Most phrasal verbs with an object can be split: the object goes before or after the small word. But when the object is a pronoun (it, him, her, them), it must go in the middle.
Turn off the light. ✓ · Turn the light off. ✓ · Turn it off. ✓ · Turn off it. ✗
Inseparable phrasal verbs
Some never split: the object always comes after the whole verb, even when it is a pronoun. look after, deal with, get on (a bus), come across work like this.
Look after the baby. ✓ · Look after her. ✓ · Look her after. ✗
Three-part phrasal verbs
Verbs with two small words (run out of, come up with, look forward to, get on with) are never split. Note that look forward to is followed by a noun or an -ing form.
We ran out of time. · She came up with a plan. · I look forward to it.
Not sure whether a phrasal verb is separable? A good dictionary shows it: turn sth off is separable; look after sb is not.
What up, out, off and down usually mean
The small words are not random. They often carry a meaning of their own, which helps you guess new phrasal verbs:
| Particle | Often means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| up | completion, increase, appearing | eat up, use up, speak up, turn up (the volume) |
| out | to the end, disappearing, discovering | find out, run out, sell out, work out |
| off | stopping, leaving, cancelling | turn off, take off, call off, set off |
| on | starting, continuing, wearing | turn on, carry on, put on, go on |
| down | decreasing, refusing, stopping to work, writing | turn down, slow down, break down, write down |
| back | returning | come back, call back, pay back, give back |
These are tendencies, not rules — make up can mean "invent" or "become friends again". But they turn many new phrasal verbs into an educated guess rather than a mystery.
Common mistakes
- Can you turn off it? ✗ → Can you turn it off?
A pronoun must go in the middle of a separable phrasal verb. - I look forward to see you. ✗ → I look forward to seeing you.
In look forward to, to is a preposition, so it is followed by an -ing form or a noun. - She gave up to smoke. ✗ → She gave up smoking.
Give up is followed by a noun or an -ing form, not by to + verb. - Can you look after of the kids? ✗ → Can you look after the kids?
The small word is already the preposition — do not add a second one from your language. - We went out from the house at eight. ✗ → We left the house at eight. / We went out at eight.
Go out means "leave home for fun"; to say you left a place, use leave or go out of.
Why phrasal verbs feel hard: it depends on your language
Phrasal verbs are hard for different reasons depending on your first language:
- Languages with formal Latin-based verbs (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian) make continue, discover, postpone feel natural, so learners use them where native speakers say carry on, find out, put off. The result is correct but stiff.
- Languages with separable verbs or verb prefixes (German, Dutch, Russian) actually help: aufstehen works much like get up, and Russian prefixes work a bit like English particles.
- Languages with nothing similar (Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi) make phrasal verbs feel like idioms to memorise one by one — which is why learning them by topic and by particle helps so much.
Each language version of this guide explains how phrasal verbs compare with that language.
How to learn phrasal verbs
- Learn them in a sentence, never alone. We've run out of milk is easier to remember and use than "run out of = have none left".
- Group them by topic, like the tables above, so they come back in the right situation.
- Notice the particle. When you meet a new one, ask what the small word adds.
- Five a day is enough. Say each one in a sentence about your own life, then use one in conversation the same day.
- Replace a formal word. Each time you are about to say continue or postpone, try carry on or put off instead.
Quiz: 12 sentences
Complete each sentence with the missing small word. Decide first, then open the answer.
1. Please turn ___ your phones during the exam.
Answer: off — stop a device.
2. I'm going to give ___ sugar for a month.
Answer: up — stop a habit.
3. We've run ___ of milk.
Answer: out — have none left; followed by of.
4. Can you look ___ my cat while I'm away?
Answer: after — take care of.
5. The match was called ___ because of the storm.
Answer: off — cancel.
6. I need to find ___ what time the train leaves.
Answer: out — discover information.
7. She came ___ with a brilliant solution.
Answer: up — think of an idea; three-part verb (come up with).
8. Let's put the meeting ___ until next week.
Answer: off — postpone.
9. Our car broke ___ on the way to the airport.
Answer: down — stop working (a machine or car).
10. I get ___ really well with my flatmates.
Answer: on — have a good relationship (get on with).
11. Please fill ___ the form and sign it.
Answer: in — complete a form.
12. I'm looking forward ___ the weekend.
Answer: to — to is a preposition here — the next word is a noun or an -ing form.
Using them in conversation
You only own a phrasal verb when it comes out by itself in conversation. In TalkSmart's grammar section, the B1 level includes a lesson that introduces phrasal verbs, with exercises that check your answers. Then, in a conversation with the AI speaking partner, try to use five phrasal verbs from this page — the report afterwards shows your corrected sentences, including the ones where you put the pronoun in the wrong place.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a phrasal verb?
A verb combined with one or two small words such as up, out, off, on or down, which together work as a single verb with its own meaning — for example give up (stop trying), find out (discover) or run out of (have none left).
How many phrasal verbs are there in English?
Several thousand, but you do not need most of them. A few dozen common ones, like the forty on this page, cover the large majority of everyday conversation.
Can you separate phrasal verbs?
Many phrasal verbs with an object can be separated: turn off the light or turn the light off. When the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle: turn it off. Some phrasal verbs, like look after, are never separated, and three-part ones like look forward to never are.
What is the best way to learn phrasal verbs?
Learn them in example sentences, grouped by topic, a few at a time, and use each new one in conversation soon after. Paying attention to what the particle usually means (up, out, off, down) makes new ones easier to guess.
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