This lesson encourages you to learn and use more phrasal verbs in your English. Phrasal verbs are made up of two or three parts and are extremely common in everyday spoken English. Some are quite easy to understand, but many are figurative, which is why learners often find them confusing. If you want to understand native speakers more easily and sound more natural when you speak, this article will be useful for you.
Phrasal verbs examples
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two other words. These words change the meaning of the verb.
Common patterns include:
[verb + adverb] e.g. look up
[verb + preposition] e.g. look after
[verb + adverb + preposition] e.g. look forward to
The whole phrase works as a single verb, and its meaning is often different from the original verb on its own. For example, look up, look after and look forward to do NOT mean the same as look. Each phrasal verb has its own meaning and needs to be learnt as a complete expression.
Who should learn more phrasal verbs?
Phrasal verbs are an important area of English, and they are especially relevant for upper-intermediate and advanced learners. At this level, learners are more likely to spend time around native speakers, either socially or at work. In these situations, phrasal verbs appear constantly. Even at B1 intermediate English level, it’s helpful to know and use the most frequently used phrasal verbs.
If you want to understand what people are saying more easily, you need to know them. Using phrasal verbs also creates a better impression of your English, because it often makes your level sound higher than it actually is.
Why it is important to learn phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are particularly important if you speak English at work or live in an English-speaking country. They are a core part of native speaker language. When native speakers talk, phrasal verbs are often the words that come into their heads most naturally. This is simply how the language is used in real life.
Another reason to learn phrasal verbs is that they are often very descriptive and vivid. They can create strong images in a short space. For example, we can say that someone’s eyes pop out of their head when they see something surprising. A single phrasal verb can communicate a clear picture without a long explanation.
Phrasal verbs are also highly conversational. When people talk to friends, they use them naturally and without thinking. This kind of language is not planned or formal. It is spontaneous, everyday English.
They are also common in tabloid language. If we think about newspapers, there is a difference between broadsheets and tabloids. Broadsheets, such as The Times or The Telegraph in the UK, are more formal and serious. Tabloids, such as The Mirror or The Sun, focus more on gossip, football and popular stories. Tabloid language uses a lot of phrasal verbs. This does not mean that the language is bad or that it should be avoided. It reflects how people actually speak, and those newspapers simply mirror that style of English.
One student once described English as a LEGO language. Sentences can be built up in flexible ways, piece by piece. Learning phrasal verbs helps learners connect those pieces more creatively, allowing ideas to flow more naturally. This description captures well how phrasal verbs work within the language.
Knowing more phrasal verbs also makes watching TV series easier. Characters use them constantly, and understanding them makes dialogue clearer and more enjoyable. Phrasal verbs are also useful for brevity. Instead of using long explanations and complex sentences, it is often possible to express an idea clearly with a single phrasal verb.
How to learn phrasal verbs
Learning phrasal verbs can seem overwhelming at first because there are so many of them. One important principle is to pace yourself. There are a huge number of phrasal verbs, and it is unrealistic to try to learn them all.
An effective approach is to learn a small number regularly and to use them actively. Learning a few phrasal verbs often and putting them into use is what makes learning productive. It is also helpful to refresh some of the grammar related to phrasal verbs, as this makes them easier to recognise when reading or listening.
Next, I’ll talk about what you shouldn’t do when learning phrasal verbs. You should not overwhelm yourself by trying to learn each specific use of a phrasal verb – there are often too many uses and it can lead to confusion. Just concentrate on one or two specific uses for each phrasal verb instead.
When starting off with phrasal verbs, concentrate on using the most useful ones as this will make the biggest overall difference to your English. Using a structured resource, such as a book designed for learning phrasal verbs, can help guide this process and make it clear where to focus your efforts. This allows learning to remain practical, manageable and effective.
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