The best way to learn phrasal verbs is to study them in small groups, by particle or by topic, and to use each one in your own sentences. Long alphabetical lists are hard to remember because the verbs have no connection to each other or to your life.
Phrasal verbs are everywhere in spoken English. People say find out instead of discover, and carry on instead of continue. If you want to understand films, colleagues and friends, you need them. This guide shows you a calmer, more logical way to learn them.
Key takeaways
- A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle, and the meaning is often different from the verb alone.
- Some phrasal verbs can be separated (turn the light off); others cannot (look after the kids).
- Particles like up, off and out often have a general meaning that helps you guess.
- Learning five verbs a day by topic, and reviewing them at growing intervals, works better than reading long lists.
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a small word called a particle, such as up, down, on, off, out or back. Together they make a new meaning. Sometimes the meaning is easy to see: sit down or come back. Sometimes it is not clear at all: give up means to stop trying, and put off means to delay.
Compare these two sentences: I looked at the menu and I looked after my sister’s dog. The verb is the same, but the meaning is completely different. Luckily, many phrasal verbs follow patterns, and patterns are easier to learn than random words. You can browse more examples on our phrasal verbs page.
Separable and inseparable phrasal verbs
Grammar matters here, because the position of the object can change. With separable phrasal verbs, the object can go before or after the particle:
- Turn off the light. / Turn the light off. (both correct)
- She picked up the children. / She picked the children up. (both correct)
- Please fill in the form. / Please fill the form in. (both correct)
There is one important rule: when the object is a pronoun (it, them, her), it must go in the middle. We say turn it off, never turn off it.
With inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb and particle always stay together: look after the kids, look after them. You cannot say look the kids after. Other common examples are get on the bus, come across an old photo and run into a friend. A good dictionary will show you which type a verb is, so check when you add a new one to your notes.
Learn by particle meaning
Particles are not random. Each one has a few common meanings, and once you know them, you can often guess a new phrasal verb from context. Here are some useful patterns:
| Particle | Common meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| up | complete, finish totally; increase | eat up your dinner, use up the milk, speed up, turn up the music |
| down | decrease, become less | slow down, calm down, turn down the heating |
| off | remove; stop; leave | take off your coat, switch off the TV, set off early |
| out | finish; discover; go outside | run out of coffee, find out the truth, go out tonight |
| on | continue; start working | carry on talking, keep on trying, turn on the lights |
| back | return | call back later, give back the book, come back home |
These meanings do not explain every phrasal verb, but they explain many. When you meet a new one, ask: does the particle add the idea of finishing, stopping, increasing or returning?
Learn by topic
Another good method is to group phrasal verbs by situation. Your brain remembers words better when they belong to a story or a part of your life.
- Work: set up a meeting, take on extra work, follow up on an email, hand in a report, carry out a task.
- Travel: set off early, check in at the hotel, check out before noon, get on the train, pick someone up from the airport.
- Relationships: get on with your neighbours, fall out with a friend, make up after an argument, break up with a partner, bring up children.
Try writing a short paragraph about your own week using one topic group. For example: I set off at seven, checked in at the hotel and then picked up my colleague. Personal sentences are easier to remember.
15 very common phrasal verbs
If you are not sure where to start, learn these fifteen everyday verbs first.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| get up | leave your bed | I usually get up at half past six. |
| give up | stop trying or stop a habit | He gave up smoking last year. |
| look for | try to find | I’m looking for my keys. |
| find out | discover information | Can you find out what time the shop closes? |
| turn on | start a machine or light | Could you turn on the heating, please? |
| turn off | stop a machine or light | Don’t forget to turn the oven off. |
| pick up | collect someone or something | I’ll pick you up at the station. |
| put off | delay, postpone | We’ve put off the meeting until Friday. |
| carry on | continue | Sorry for interrupting. Please carry on. |
| run out of | have none left | We’ve run out of milk. |
| look after | take care of | My mum looks after the kids on Tuesdays. |
| come back | return | When are you coming back from Spain? |
| set up | start or organise | She set up her own business in 2020. |
| get on with | have a good relationship with | I get on well with my manager. |
| work out | solve; exercise | I can’t work out the answer. / He works out at the gym. |
Notice the past forms: gave up, came back, set up. The verb part changes like a normal verb, so if you are unsure, check our list of irregular verbs.
A simple daily routine
You do not need hours of study. Ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough if you are consistent. Here is a routine you can start today:
- Choose five new phrasal verbs from one particle group or one topic. Five is small enough to remember.
- Write one personal sentence for each. Use your own life: your job, your family, your city.
- Say the sentences out loud. Phrasal verbs are mainly spoken, so practise the sound and rhythm.
- Review with spaced repetition. Look at the same verbs again the next day, then after three days, then after a week. Each time, try to remember the meaning before you check.
- Use them in real life. Put one or two into a message, a conversation or a diary entry.
Spaced repetition means you review a word just before you are likely to forget it. A flashcard app or a notebook with dates both work.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Putting a pronoun in the wrong place: say pick it up, not pick up it.
- Separating an inseparable verb: say look after them, not look them after.
- Forgetting the extra preposition: say We ran out of time, not We ran out time.
- Using the wrong past form: say I gave up, not I gived up.
- Using too many in formal writing: in a formal letter, postpone may sound better than put off. In conversation, the phrasal verb sounds more natural.
Frequently asked questions
How many phrasal verbs do I need to know?
There is no exact number. Start with the most common ones, like the fifteen in this article, and add new ones when you meet them in real English. Knowing fifty well is more useful than recognising five hundred.
Are phrasal verbs informal?
Many are neutral and used everywhere, such as find out or set up. Some are more informal. In very formal writing, people sometimes choose a single verb instead, such as continue for carry on.
At what level should I learn phrasal verbs?
You can start at A2 with simple ones like get up and sit down. At B1 and B2, phrasal verbs become very important for understanding natural conversation.
Next step: choose five verbs from the table and test yourself on our practice page, then read our guide on how to learn English vocabulary for more memory techniques.
