USEFUL PHRASAL VERBS IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

A

Answer back- replicar, contestar protestando

Ask out- invitar a salir 

Ask over- invitar a tu casa 

B
Back down - echarse para atrás en una decisión que provoca enfrentamiento
Back off - retirarse, alejarse, evitar
Back out - echarse para atrás porque se cambia de opinión
Blow up- explotar
Break into- entrar a robar
Bring up- plantear

C 
Call off- cancelar
Cut down on - recortar, reducir, aminorar

D
Drop by - dejarse caer, visitar de forma inesperada

F 
Figure out - explicarse
Fill out - cumplimentar
Find out - Enterarse

G 
Give away - regalar
Give back - devolver
Get along - llevarse (bien o mal) con una persona
Get by - apañarse
Get over - recuperarse
Go on - continuar
Go over - repasar
Grow up - crecer

H 
Hand in -entregar en mano
Hold up - retrasar

K
Keep away - alejarse
Keep on  - continuar

L 
Look for - buscar
Look into- investigar 
Leave out- dejar fuera, omitir
Look over- examinar
Look up- consultar (diccionario, lista)

M
Make up - inventar
Make up - reconciliarse

P
Pass out - desmayarse
Pick out - escoger
Pick up - recoger
Point out - señalar, indicar
Put away - guardar, ahorrar, consumir
Put on - ponerse
Put out- apagar un fuego

R
Rip off- timar, sablear, cobrar de más
Run across- encontrarse (tropezarse) con algo casualmente
Run into - encontrarse con alguien casualmente
Run out - agotar existencias
Run over - atropellar algo o a alguien

S
Set up -montar, ensamblar, erigir, convocar
Sleep in - dormir hasta tarde
Stand out- sobresalir, destacar

T
Take after- parecerse a un familiar 
Take off - quitarse la ropa
Take off - despegar (un avión)
Talk into - convencer
Throw away - tirar a la basura 
Throw up - vomitar
Turn down- rechazar, denegar
Turn down - bajar el volumen
Turn off - apagar
Turn up - subir el volumen
Try on - probarse ropa

U
Use up- Utilizar algo hasta gastarlo.

W
Wind up- acabar, terminar en una situación inesperada no deseada: "She wound up in hospital with pneumonia" "It's no wonder he wound up in hospital"
Wipe off- limpiar restregando
Work out - salir (resultar) algo bien, tener éxito en algo
Work out - calcular, resolver
Work out - hacer ejercicio

LOS 40 ... PHRASAL VERBS

Una persona angloparlante usa phrasal verbs de manera habitual. Tanto si quieres mejorar tus habilidades para la escucha y la comprensión como si quieres hablar el inglés más actual, debes familiarizarte con el significado y uso de los phrasal verbs. 

Aquí tienes una lista de 40 phrasal verbs que pueden marcar la diferencia en tu nivel de inglés.

1. Argue out  →  to argue about a problem to find a solution (debatir)                                            

If we can’t argue our differences out, I’ll have to speak with your parents

2. Be down →  to be depressed (estar deprimido, ‘estar de bajón’)                                                  

Mary’s been down since his brother went to India

3. Be in  →  to be at home or at work (estar en casa o en el trabajo)                                                 

 He is never in, he always sleeps in his girlfriend’s house

4. Belong to  →  to be a member or be connected to a time, place, belief… (ser miembro de o estar conectado a un tiempo, lugar, creencia…)                                                                                  

She belongs to a business club

5. Block in  → to park a car obstructing another car (bloquear)                                                       

We couldn’t drive this Saturday because someone had blocked us in.

6. Calm down  → to become less excited and tense (calmarse, tranquilizarse)                             

My boss calmed down the meeting

7. Call off  →  to cancel (cancelar algo)                                                                                                 

The meeting was called off

8. Call back → to return a phonecall (devolver una llamada)                                                                

 I must call the hotel back to confirm the booking

9. Cut down on  → to reduce in size or amount (reducir la cantidad o el consumo de cigarrillos, bebida, producción…)                                                                                                       

Agatha cut down on smoking

10. Find out  → discover (descubrir, averiguar).                                                                                  

The boss would be interested in finding out more details about the sell

11. Get away  → to escape (escapar, huir)                                                                                           

The cat got away when it saw the dog

12. Get over  → to recover from something (superar)                                                                    

Mary has got over her Internet addiction

13. Give out  → to distribute (distribuir algo entre un grupo de personas)                                      

The coach gave out the football balls for the match

14. Go for → to attack (atacar a una persona o animal)                                                                        

The cat went for Peter

15 Lay off  → to stop employing (despedir)                                                                                         

The company laid off two hundred workers last month

16. Look after  → take care (cuidar)                                                                                                     

Her friend Susan looked after the twins while their mother went to the bank

17. Look for → try to find (buscar)                                                                                                              

You should look for another way to finance the business

18. Look forward to  → to think with pleasure about a future event (esperar con interés)  

Jimmy is looking forward to the next summer

19. Look into  → to investigate (investigar)                                                                                         

The police are looking into my company

20. Look over → inspect (revisar, examinar)                                                                                     

They came to look the house over with a view to buying it

21. Make up for → to compensate for (compensar)                                                                       Outsourcing could make up for a lack of human resources

22. Pick up → to collect someone or something (recoger algo o alguien, habitualmente en un vehículo)                                                                                

Peter picked up the dessert from the bakery

23. Put forward → to offer for consideration (ofrecer una propuesta a consideración)              

We put forward the plan in the annual meeting

24. Put off → to delay (posponer hacer algo durante un determinado tiempo)                           

The new manager put off the meeting until the end of the week

25. Put on → to dress (ponerse, vertir ropa o complementos)                                              

Anne put on her new boots

26. Put out  →  to extinguish (apagar un cigarrillo, un fuego, una luz…)                                        

George put out the light (George put the light out) before leaving the room

27. Put through → to connect (conectar una línea telefónica o personas)                                     

He put me through to Mr. Pratt

28. Run into  →  to meet by chance (encontrarse por casualidad)                                                     

 I ran into Mary yesterday night

29. Run out of  →  to use all of (consumir todo)                                                                                 

The car ran out of petrol

30. See off  → to say goodbye (despedir a alguien en el lugar desde donde parte de viaje)       

 Billy drove to the airport and saw him off

31. Set off → to start a journey (empezar un viaje, partir de viaje)                                            

Karen set off at five o’clock

32. Speak up  → to speak louder (hablar más alto)                                                                            

The nun said, ‘speak up’

33. Take after  → to look or be like an a relative (parecerse o comportarse como un familiar o conocido)                                                                                                                                         

My sister takes after my mother

34, Take down  → writing (anotar)                                                                                                          

 He took my telephone number down

35. Take over → to assume responsability for (asumir la responsabilidad)                                       

When my father died, my oldest brother took over his responsibilities

36. Take up  → to begin to study or do something (empezar a estudiar, practicar o hacer algo)

He’s taking up a new university career

37. Tear up  → to destroy completely (destruir totalmente)                                                          

Brian tore up all his mother’s letters

38. Tell off  →  to speak angrily (reprender a alguien)                                                                       

The boss told him off for breaking the agreement

39. Think over  → to consider (valorar una propuesta o situación)                                              

They are thinking over their next sell

40. Try on: to put on an article to see if it fits (probar ropa)                                                             

The boy didn’t want to try on the shoes

ON THE TELEPHONE: PHRASAL VERBS

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PHRASAL VERBS: A REMINDER!

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PHRASAL VERBS: FALL

 

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PHRASAL VERBS: TAKE

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PHRASAL VERBS USED IN BUSINESS ENGLISH

'close down' = to shut

• We have closed down the small local branches and created bigger regional offices.
• The factory closed down in the 1970's because it was too expensive to produce here.

'fight against' = to make an effort to stop something happening

• All the workers fought against the closure but the plant was no longer profitable.
• The unions have been fighting against the proposed changes as they think it will mean job losses.

'go back on something' = to change an agreement

• We had come to an agreement but now she has gone back on it.
• The company promised to review the situation but went back on its word and didn't.

'put back' = to postpone, delay in time

• They promised to make a decision today but it has been put back until next week.
• My visit has been put back until a later date when it will be easier to plan.

'fall behind' = not risen as fast as, fail to do something as fast as required

• We have fallen behind schedule. It won't be completed on time.
• Our salaries have fallen behind the national average with the small increase we have had.

'turn down' = to refuse, not accept

• We offered a two per cent increase but it was turned down.
• We offered him a much higher salary but he turned it down and didn't join our team.

'fill in for someone' = to replace someone during an absence

• I need to brief the person who will be filling in for me while I am on maternity.
• I filled in for Jamie while he was on holiday.

'back someone up' = to support or to help

• Whenever there is a dispute with someone in my team, my manager always backs me up.
• Nobody backed him up when he said he had been discriminated against.

'work out' = to calculate

• I don't know how much holiday I have left. I need to work it out.
• We need to work out how much this is really going to cost.

'drag on' = to last a long time, go on longer than anticipated

• The negotiations are dragging on. I think we'll never reach an agreement.
• The meeting dragged on and on. I thought I'd never get home. 

'get on' = to have a good relationship

• I don't like my boss. We just don't get on.
• The atmosphere is terrible. He doesn't get on with his co-workers.

'follow up' = to find out more about or take further action on something.

• Before we offer her the job, we need to follow up on her references.
• The training is followed up by regular refresher courses over a six-month period.

'set up' = to arrange for an activity or event to happen

• I'd like to discuss it further. Can we set up a meeting?
• I've set up interviews with the remaining three candidates.

'make up' = do or pay extra to cover a difference.

• I'd like to leave early on Friday. I'll make up the time next week.
• There was an error in your expenses. We'll make up the difference next month.

'hand in' = to give something

• He's leaving at the end of the month. He has handed in his resignation.
• I haven't handed my time sheet in yet. I must do it now.

'work out' your notice = to continue working through the period after you have resigned.

• They asked him to leave immediately. He didn't have to work out his notice.
• He negotiated a deal so he didn't have to work out his notice and could leave sooner.

'sort out' = to resolve

• We don't know who is going to replace Sue. We have to sort it out soon.
• I have finally sorted out the error on the time sheets. It's all correct now.

'carry on' = to continue

• We still haven't found a suitable candidate. We'll have to carry on looking.
• Until we get the new software installed, we'll have to carry on using the old.

'back out' = to decide not to do something previously agreed.

• They had agreed to do it but then backed out.
• He had accepted the post but backed out at the last minute so we're considering other candidates.

'go with' = to adopt or support an idea or plan.

• I think your idea is a good one. I think we should go with it.
• We're not really sure which agency to go with. We don't think any of them are really what we are really looking for.

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A LIST OF SOME COMMON PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal Verb List

A continuación, tenemos una lista de los verbos frasales más comunes.

Verbo frasal	Español	Ejemplo
add up	sumar	The waiter added up the bill.
ask (someone) out	invitar a salir	Steve asked me out last night.
back off	retirarse	I would back off if I were you, I don't think she likes you.
back (someone) up	apoyar, respaldar	You were with me, you can back me up, right?
back up (something)	hacer un copia	Don't forget to back up all of your files.
break down (something)	dejar de trabajar, estropearse, averiarse	Our car broke down while we were driving to the supermarket.
break down (someone)	venirse abajo	It was the most stressful week. By Friday I broke down and cried.
break (something) down	derribar	We had to break down the stage to prepare for the next event.
blow up	explotar	They blew up a building, but luckily nobody was hurt.
break into	forzando la entrada para robar	Someone broke into my apartment while I was on holidays.
break up	separarse, romperse	I can't believe it, Dan broke up with me last night!
bring (somebody) up	criar y educar	I was brought up by my grandmother.
bring (something) up	sacar, mencionar	I hate him. Don't ever bring his name up again!
call back	volver a llamar	He was busy when I called, but he said he would call me back tonight.
call off	suspender, cancelar	Did you hear? Brenda called off the wedding!
call on	preguntar	The teacher called on me in class to answer the question.
calm down	tranquilizarse, calmarse	Calm down, everything is going to be ok.
carry on	seguir haciendo algo	Carry on! You are doing very well.
carry on		She must have loved Spain, she was carrying on about it for days after she returned.
catch up	ponerse al día	Call me, we need to catch up!
check in	registrarse (en)	What time can we check in to the hotel?
check out	pagar y marcharse	They checked out on monday.
check out	quedarse con, mirar	He's checking you out! / Let's check out that new bar.
check up	hacer averiguaciones	I know you have been sick, so I was calling to check up on you.
cheer up	animar(se) a alguien	Sarah is depressed; we have to cheer her up.
close down	cerrar o terminar una actividad	The factory was closed down last month.
come back	regresar, volver	We are coming back next week.
come by	pasarse por	Come by my office and we can talk.
come down with	enfermarse	My son came down with the flu last week.
come from	originarse	His love of music comes from his father.
count on	contar con	Don't worry, you can count on me!
cut back on	bajar	With the crisis we have had to cut back on expenses.
cut off	interrumpir	I don't mean to cut you off, but I have to go now.
cut out	parar de hacer algo	Cut it out! Leave your sister alone.
drop by/in	pasar	I was just dropping by/in to say "hi".
drop off	llevar a, dejar	She dropped off the kids at school before going to work.
drop out	abandonar	He dropped out of school because he was failing all his classes.
end up	acabar + infinitivo	There was no food at home so we ended up going out.
fall apart (something)	deshacerse	The sweater fell apart after so many washings.
fall apart (someone)	derrumbarse	She fell apart when she heard the news.
fall behind	quedarse atrás	Hurry up or you will fall behind.
fall out	caerse	I think my wallet fell out of my purse.
fight back	defenderse	If you don't fight back, they will never stop bullying you.
figure out	determinar	I can't figure out why this isn't working.
fill in/out	rellenar	You must fill in/out the forms completely.
fill up	llenarse	I need to stop at the gas station and fill up the gas tank.
find out	enterrarse	If the teacher doesn't know the answer, she will find it out.
fit in	encajar, integrarse	Despite her efforts, she never fit in with the other kids.
get across	comunicar una idea	He tried everything to get his ideas across, but his boss didn't understand.
get along/on	llevarse	I'm so lucky, my father and my husband get along/on really well.
get around	desplazarse, circular	News really gets around fast!
get away	cogerse un descanso/vacaciones	Work has been so stressful, I need to get away!
get away with	salir impune	She stole my idea, but she won't get away with it.
get back	regresar, volver	They get back from vacation on Thursday.
get (something) back	devolver	I have to get these books back to the library today.
get back at	vengarse de	I'll get back at her for stealing my idea!
get by	sobrevivir	We don't have a lot of money right now, but we'll get by.
get on	subir	He got on the bus for the airport.
get on	seguir	My husband and I have separated, but I must get on with my life.
get out of	irse, salir, marcharse	It's too smoky in here, I have to get out of here.
get over	recuperarse	I'm so upset, I can't get over failing my test.
get through	superar	I'm never going to get through this book with all of these distractions!
get together	quedar, reunir	We are getting together for dinner tomorrow at 8.
get up	levantarse	What time did you get up this morning?
give away	regalar	The millionaire gave away all his money just before he died.
give back	devolver	Can you give me back my book when you have finished reading it?
give in/up	ceder, rendirse	Be strong! Don't give in to temptation
give out	repartir, distribuir	They are giving out free samples at the store.
give up	rendirse, abandonar	Ok, I give up. What's the answer?
go ahead	ir delante	Go ahead, I'll meet you there.
go back	regresar, volver	I'm so embarassed. I can never go back to that restaurant.
go out	salir	Let's go out for a drink.
go out with (someone)	salir con	II hear Michael is going out with Jane.
go over	repasar	Before you submit your thesis, I think we should go over it together.
go through	pasar por	You need to go through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to New Jersey.
go through	sufrir, suportar	I can't believe what you have been through.
grow up	crecer, llegar a hacerse adulto	Alex grew up in France but now he lives in Italy.
hand in	presentar	All homework must be handed in by the end of the day.
hand out	repartir	The teacher will hand out the assignments this afternoon.
hang on	esperar	Hang on, I'm coming.
hang out	Pasar tiempo con	Her favorite thing to do is hang out with her friends.
hang up	colgar el teléfono	I was so angry I hung up on him.
hit on	flirtear, coquetear con	Look at how that guy is hitting on Debbie.
hold back	contenerse	She tried, but she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
hold on	esperar	Hold on, I'm coming.
hurry up	darse prisa	Hurry up or we will be late.
keep on	seguir	She kept on asking me the same questions.
lay (somebody) off	despedir	With the crises, we have been forced to lay off some staff.
let (somebody) down	defraudar, decepcionar	I don't want to let you down, but I don't think I can come with you to the party tomorrow.
look forward to	tener ganas de	We are really looking forward to your visit!
look out	prestar atención, tener cuidado	Look out! That car almost hit you!
look up	buscar, consultar	You will need to look up some words in the dictionary.
look up to (somebody)	admirar a alguien	She's so brave, I have always looked up to her.
make (something) up	inventar algo	I don't believe you. You're making that up!
make up (somebody)	reconciliarse	Our parents had an argument last night, but they made up this morning.
pick on (somebody)	fastidiar, burlar	When I was young, my brother always picked on me.
put (something) off	posponer, atrasar	You must not want to do it, you keep putting it off.
rely on	contar con, confiar en	I hope I can rely on you to be discreet.
slow down	reducir la velocidad	Slow down please, you are driving too fast!
speak up	hablar alto, subir la voz	Can you please speak up, I can't understand you.
take after (somebody)	parecerse	With that bad temper, he must take after his father.
take over	sustituir, hacerse con el control	If you are tired of driving, I can take over for a while.
take off	despegar	The plane will take off in 5 minutes.
take up	ocupar, empezar una afición	He has taken up tennis in his free time.
tell (somebody) off	echar la bronca, regañar	She told him off after he was late again.
throw out	echar	They should throw that guy out, he's really drunk.

PHRASAL AND PREPOSITIONAL VERBS I

Phrasal and Prepositional Verbs (Verbos preposicionales y verbos frasales)

En inglés hay muchos verbos que constan de dos partes: el verbo y una preposición o partícula adverbial.
La diferencia entre una preposición y una partícula adverbial es que la preposición está unida a un sustantivo o pronombre y una partícula adverbial forma parte y depende sólo del verbo. Veamos la diferencia con el ejemplo "live down" que puede actuar como verbo preposicional y también como verbo adverbial.

• Preposicional:
• He lives down the street. (Vive abajo de la calle.)
• Adverbial:
• I couldn't live down that incident. (No podía conseguir olvidar ese accidente.)

Los verbos compuestos pueden ser transitivos o intransitivos, según lleven o no un complemento de objeto directo en forma de sintagma nominal. De ello dependerá el orden de la frase.

Por ejemplo, el verbo "give" significa "dar", pero cuando añadamos la preposición "up", el significado cambiará: "Give up" significa "abandonar" o "rendirse". Por lo tanto, "give" y "give up" son dos verbos distintos.