20 Phrasal Verbs You Need and How to Use Them

20 Phrasal Verbs You Need and How to Use Them

Phrasal verbs can feel like a secret code in English: a simple verb, a tiny particle, and suddenly the meaning shifts in non-literal ways. If you have ever wondered why put off means “postpone,” or why you must say pick it up (not pick up it), you are in the right place. In this guide, we will unpack 20 high-frequency phrasal verbs you will hear every day, explain how particles like up, out, and off influence meaning, show you which verbs are separable or inseparable, and warn you about pitfalls that often trap speakers from Romance and Germanic language backgrounds. You will also find short practice activities and memorization strategies so you can start using these forms confidently in conversations, emails, and interviews.

How Phrasal Verbs Work (and Why They Matter)

A phrasal verb combines a basic verb with one or more particles (adverbs or prepositions). The particle usually adds a spatial metaphor that pushes the meaning beyond the literal. For example, up often signals completion or increase (finish up, heat up), out suggests exhaustion, distribution, or moving to the exterior (run out, hand out, figure out), off implies separation or delay (turn off, put off), down reduces or fails (slow down, break down), on continues or attaches (carry on, put on), over reviews or transfers (think over, hand over), and back returns (call back). These micro-meanings create a network of intuition you can learn.

Two structural facts matter for fluent use. First, some phrasal verbs are separable: you can place the object between the verb and the particle (pick the book up/pick it up). With pronouns, separation is obligatory in standard usage (pick it up, not pick up it). Others are inseparable: the object follows the whole unit (look after the kids, not look the kids after). Three-part verbs (verb + particle + preposition), such as put up with or look forward to, are inseparable, and pronouns come last (put up with it).

Second, many phrasal verbs are polysemous (multiple meanings). Context and stress guide the listener. In speech, we usually stress the particle (TURN up the music), which subtly signals “phrasal verb” rather than literal verb + preposition. Keep these patterns in mind as you learn the 20 core items below.

20 High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs (with Patterns and Examples)

Below are twenty everyday phrasal verbs. For each, you will see the main meaning, whether it is separable or inseparable, and natural example sentences. Try reading them aloud to feel the rhythm and particle stress.

• break down: fail or stop working; also “lose emotional control.” Intransitive; inseparable. Example: The car broke down on the way home. She broke down when she heard the news.
• get along (with): have a good relationship. Inseparable. Example: Do you get along with your neighbors?
• put off: postpone; also “discourage.” Separable. Example: Let’s put the meeting off until Friday. The long forms put me off applying.
• pick up: collect; learn casually; improve. Separable. Example: I’ll pick you up at 7. She picked it up quickly.
• look up: search for information; “improve” in the intransitive sense. Separable for the “search” meaning; inseparable for “improve.” Example: Look it up online. Things are looking up this year.
• turn up: appear or arrive; increase volume. Separable for volume; intransitive for “appear.” Example: Can you turn it up? He finally turned up at noon.
• turn down: reduce volume; reject. Separable. Example: Please turn the music down. They turned the offer down.
• set up: arrange; establish. Separable. Example: Let’s set a call up for Monday. She set up a small business.
• run into: meet by chance; collide. Inseparable. Example: I ran into my teacher at the market.
• come up with: think of; invent. Inseparable (three-part). Example: Can you come up with a better title?
• give up: stop trying; quit. Separable when there is an object like a habit; intransitive otherwise. Example: He gave smoking up last year. Don’t give up!
• carry on: continue. Intransitive; inseparable. Example: Carry on with exercise even if you are busy.
• figure out: understand; solve. Separable. Example: I can’t figure it out. Let’s figure the problem out together.
• take off: remove; depart (planes); become popular. Separable for “remove,” intransitive otherwise. Example: Please take your shoes off. The flight took off on time.
• bring up: mention; raise (a child). Separable for “mention”; different meaning for “raise a child” (often transitive but not typically separable with a pronoun in child-rearing sense). Example: She brought it up at the meeting. They brought up three kids.
• look after: take care of. Inseparable. Example: Can you look after my cat this weekend?
• get over: recover from; overcome. Inseparable. Example: It took me weeks to get over the flu.
• go on: happen; continue. Intransitive; inseparable. Example: What’s going on here? Please go on.
• work out: resolve; calculate; exercise. Separable for “resolve/calculate,” intransitive for “exercise.” Example: We can work it out. She works out three times a week.
• put up with: tolerate. Inseparable (three-part). Example: I can’t put up with the noise anymore. We just have to put up with it.

Notice how the particle nudges meaning: up often completes the action (set up, pick up), out brings clarity or an end-point (figure out, run out), and off separates or delays (take off, put off). Use these families to guess new phrasal verbs from context.

Common Pitfalls for Romance and Germanic Language Speakers

Romance-language speakers (Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian): you often prefer Latinate single-word verbs (postpone, assist, continue) and may avoid phrasal verbs. In informal English, however, phrasal verbs are the default: say put off rather than postpone in a chat with colleagues. Another frequent issue is pronoun placement with separable verbs: it must go in the middle (turn it down), not after the particle (turn down it). Three-part verbs are another trap: put up with is a single unit; you cannot say put with the noise up. Finally, preposition stranding (“the person I talked to”) is normal in English, even though it may feel uncomfortable if your language avoids it.

Germanic-language speakers (German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian): you may feel at home with separability, but beware of overgeneralizing where English does not allow separation. For example, run into and look after are inseparable: not run me into or look the kids after. Word order can also get tangled in longer clauses; keep the particle close to its verb: We hope we can set this meeting up tomorrow. Another challenge is assuming literal meanings: turn down is not spatial but idiomatic for “reject.” Finally, watch the many uses of get (get along, get over); it is more flexible in English than in some related languages.

For everyone: phrasal verbs are central to natural English in casual speech, emails, and interviews. You do not have to replace every Latinate verb, but adding phrasal options gives you stylistic range and makes you sound more native-like when the context is informal.

Quick Practice: Test Your Understanding

Try these short exercises. Focus on separability and meaning. After you answer, check the key below and speak your answers aloud to practice rhythm and stress.

• 1) We had to ______ the trip because of the storm. (put off / take off)
• 2) I finally ______ the solution after a long walk. (figured out / gave up)
• 3) Can you ______ the radio? I can’t hear the news. (turn up / set up)
• 4) I ______ my old friend at the station yesterday. (ran into / looked up)
• 5) She doesn’t ______ her boss, unfortunately. (get along with / look after)
• 6) Let’s ______ a call for next Tuesday. (set up / turn down)

Pronoun placement. Rewrite correctly:

• 7) Pick up it → ______
• 8) Turn down them → ______
• 9) Put up with them → ______

Answer key: 1) put off 2) figured out 3) turn up 4) ran into 5) get along with 6) set up 7) pick it up 8) turn them down 9) put up with them.

Smart Strategies to Remember and Use Phrasal Verbs

Learn by particle families. Group verbs by the particle’s core metaphor. For up, think completion or increase (finish up, speed up). For out, think clarity or exhaustion (figure out, run out). For off, think separation or delay (take off, put off). This helps you guess meanings and store items in memory efficiently.

Chunk common collocations. Memorize high-frequency pairs, not isolated words: set up a meeting, pick up the phone, turn down an offer, come up with an idea, work out a plan. Say each chunk three times with natural rhythm.

Use contrastive pairs. Keep a mini list of near-opposites: turn up vs. turn down (volume), break down vs. work out (failure vs. resolution), give up vs. carry on (stop vs. continue). Oppositions create strong memory hooks.

Apply spaced repetition. Make flashcards with a cue sentence and the missing particle: “We had to put ___ the trip.” Show the answer after a delay. Mix in speaking: say the full sentence aloud when you reveal the card.

Notice and recycle. When you encounter a phrasal verb in a podcast or text, pause and ask: What particle is this? Is it separable? Can I build two new examples? Write the examples in a vocabulary journal and use one in a message to a friend the same day.

Practice the pronoun rule. Drill with a simple frame: “Pick the pen up → Pick it up.” Do a one-minute daily sprint with five verbs. Muscle memory will save you in real-time conversation.

Make it personal. Tie each verb to your life: “I’m getting over a cold,” “We set up a family call,” “I turned down dessert.” Personal relevance boosts recall and encourages actual use.

Next Steps: Bring These Verbs into Conversation

To make phrasal verbs feel natural, you need guided speaking practice. Choose two or three from the list and tell a one-minute story that uses them twice each: “Last month our car broke down, so we had to put off our trip, but we worked it out.” Record yourself, then retell the story with different verbs (swap put off for set up, turn down, or come up with where appropriate).

If you like structured coaching and personalized feedback on separability, stress, and verb choice, Multi-Language Cafe's one-on-one lessons are ideal. Book classes with your favorite teacher and ask them to help you plan phrasal verb learning around your goals, the accents you hear at work, and the particle families you want to master. With steady practice, you will not only understand phrasal verbs, you will carry on using them confidently every day.