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Phrasal verbs

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Los phrasal verbs están formados por la unión de un verbo y una partícula (una
preposición o un adverbio) que modifica o cambia su significado: “look after” es
un phrasal verb que significa “cuidar de”, lo cual es muy diferente del
significado normal del verbo “look”, que es “mirar”.

Hay distintos tipos de phrasal verbs:

1. Phrasal verbs intransitivos

Como es natural, al ser intransitivos, no tienen complemento:

- The sales seem to have fallen off lately

2. Phrasal verbs inseparables

Son aquellos en los que la partícula va siempre junto al verbo, y el complemento

detrás de la partícula:

- She got over her illness

- She got over it

Los phrasal verbs con dos partículas son inseparables:

- She's looking forward to the party

- I can't put up with her

3. Phrasal verbs separables

Cuando un phrasal verb es separable, el complemento puede ir delante o detrás

de la partícula, si bien, cuando ese complemento sea un pronombre deberá ir
colocado necesariamente delante de la partícula:

- She took her shirt off

- She took off her shirt

- She took it off

Es muy recomendable consultar un buen diccionario de phrasal verbs, como

puede ser el que encontramos en UsingEnglish: Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/

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verb translation meaning example

ask
(somebody)
pedir make a request He asked for help
for
something

They broke away from the

break away separarse go away (from)
Party to form their own group

break down estropearse stop working My car has broken down

The burglars broke in through

break into meterse en enter by force
the window

break
something partir separate He broke off a piece of chocolate
off

Where were you when the war

break out estallar start suddenly
broke out?

break
A crowd of people had gathered
somebody separar disperse
but the police soon broke it up.
up

bring
Teachers must bring students
somebody educar educate
up
up

call
something cancelar cancel They have called off the meeting
off

call on
visitar visit She called on her neighbour
somebody

call
llamar por
somebody telephone I'll call you up
teléfono
up

care about
preocuparse por concern She doesn't care about me
somebody

carry
continuar, llevar He carried on the business
something continue
adelante when his father died.
on

catch on tener éxito become popular I wonder if the game will ever

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verb translation meaning example

catch on with young people?

try to
ponerse al día, understand or I'm trying to catch up on with
catch up on
recuperar learn something all this new technology.
new, recover

check in (at
be sure to check in at the
a hotel, facturar register for
registration desk
conference)

follow
Don't forget to take your room
check out pagar y marcharse procedures for
key to the front desk when you
(of a hotel) (de un hotel) leaving (a hotel,
check out
etc.)

clean
to make a
somebody / We'll go out as soon as I've
limpiar person or place
something cleaned up the kitchen
clean and tidy
up

come across
encontrar por meet or find by
something/s I came across her
casualidad chance
omebody

llegar arrive My mother came along when

come along
inesperadamente unexpectedly we were having dinner

to separate into I picked up the book and it

come apart deshacerse
several pieces came apart in my hands.

come back volver return I'll come back tomorrow

House prices have come down

come down bajar descend
recently

come off tener lugar take place When is the party coming off?

come on ¡vamos!, ¡venga! Hurry Come on, I haven’t got all day!

become known,
The news is coming out this
come out salir a la luz be published,
evening
appear

count on contar con trust that I'm counting on you to wake me

something will up tomorrow
happen or that

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verb translation meaning example

someone
will do as
expected.

cut down on
reducir reduce He has to cut down on sugar
something

cut
reduce,decrease They are cutting down
something
, chop down investments
down

remove part of
cut off cortar, separar He cut off the branch
something

do away
abolish, cause to They should do away with this
with abolir
an end bad law
something

put on
costumes to He dressed up as a cowboy for
dress up difrazarse
become the party
disguised

You don't need to dress up just

dress up ponerse elegante dress formally to go to the pub - jeans and a
T-shirt will do.

abandonar los leave school or Paul isn't at the university. He

drop out of
estudios an organization. dropped out.

arrive
somewhere as a If you don't take it easy, you'll
end up acabar
result or end up in the hospital!
consequence.

to suddenly
have strong
fall for
volverse loco por romantic He's fallen for her in a big way.
somebody
feelings about
someone

become smaller
fall off disminuir or lower, Sales are falling off
decrease

fall off caerse suddenly go She fell off the ladder

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verb translation meaning example

down onto the

something
ground

feel like to have a desire

apetecer I feel like (going for) a swim.
something for something

feel strong
Do you feel up to talking about
feel up to sentirse capaz de enough to do
the accident?
something.

understand
I can't figure Margie out.
why someone
Sometimes she's very warm and
figure out explicarse behaves the
friendly and sometimes she acts
way she/he
as if she doesn't know me.
does

Don't forget to fill in all the

fill in rellenar complete
blanks on the application.

find
something descubrir discover I found out a new star
out

When you fit in,

you get on with
a group of
adaptarse a, It's difficult for them to fit in
fit in people or you
encajar with the way of life here
feel as if
belonging to a
group

advance, boom, If you want to get ahead, get

get ahead progresar
prosper together

get at She can’t get at the top of the

llegar a, alcanzar reach
something tree

The convicted murderer got

get away escaparse escape, get out away from a high security
prison"

to avoid
How he got away with it I'll
get away punishment for
quedar impune never know but he always did
with a reprehensible
act

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verb translation meaning example

return, come
get back come back When are you getting back
back

be able to live
or deal with a
She can get by with very little
get by arreglarselas situation with
money
difficulty, cope
with

lower (one's
get down agacharse body) as by Get down on your knees!"
kneeling

She got hold of this kid by the

get hold of agarrarse, coger seize, take throat

enter, come in, the boat got in an area of

get in entrar
move into shallow waters

familiarize
get into oneself
familiarizarse con He really got into semantics"
something thoroughly
with

get off She will get off the bus very

bajarse de leave
something soon

have a good
get on with
llevarse bien con relationship I get on with my friends
somebody
with

get out of
salir de leave Don’t get out of this room
something

get over
recuperarse de recover from She got over her illness
something

Get together all those who are

get together reunirse meet, gather
interested in the project

get up levantarse rise from bed I usually get up at eight

give The auction house would not

something revelar reveal, disclose give away the price at which
away the van Gogh had sold

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verb translation meaning example

give
something devolver refund, return Please give me back my money
back

acknowledge
The government gave in to the
give in darse por vencido defeat, submit,
military pressure
yield

give
distribute, hand The teacher gave out the
something repartir
out exams"
out

abandonar, abandon, The last Taleban fighters finally

give up
rendirse surrender gave up

go along
support, Accept I didn't really agree, but I went
with aceptar una
a decision or along with the decision because I
somebody / decisión, soportar
suggestion was in the minority
something

Decrease, get The price of scanners has gone

go down bajar
smaller down recently.

go for Go for a computer with a lot of

escoger choose, like
something memory

take part in,

go in for participar, tomar I'll go in for the School Song
enter (a
something parte en Contest
competition)

go off explotar explode Yesterday a bomb went off

continue, keep He wnt on and on talking and I

go on continuar
on was so bored.

go out salir Leave a place She went out last night.

go over
examinar, estudiar examine, study We must go over the contract
something

go through
sufrir suffer She went through much pain
something

Do or complete
go through something He did promise, but I doubt
llevar a cabo
with you've agreed that he'll go through with it.
to

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verb translation meaning example

go with This skirt doesn’t go with your

ir bien con match
something shirt

Mature, become
grow up crecer He grew up in Jaén.
adult

Spend time He hangs out in that pub most

hang out pasar el rato
socially nights.

End a phone
hang up colgar (el teléfono) I lost my temper and hung up.
call

hold on esperar wait Hold on a minute

I was held up by the terrible

Delay when
hold up retrasar (al viajar) traffic and arrived half an hour
travelling
late for my appointment.

no pisar,
keep off Not tread on Keep off the grass in the park,
mantenerse
something something please.
alejado de

He kept on trying and

keep on continuar continue, go on
succeeded in the end.

leave out omitir

let down decepcionar

let in dejar entrar

escuchar
listen in
(espiando)

look after
take care of She looks after her brother
somebody

look back on recordar

look for They’re looking for a new

search
something medicine

look
forward to expect with I’m looking forward to the
something / pleasure match
somebody

look into
investigate They’re looking into this matter
something

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verb translation meaning example

look like
resemble She looks like her mother
somebody

look on considerar

look out tener cuidado

look
search (in a
something You must look these words up
book)
up

look up to admirar

make ir directamente
straight for por

make
invent (story,
something He made up an incredible story
excuse)
up

make up inventar

miss out on perderse algo

pay back devolver (dinero)

pay for pagar

liquidar (una
pay off
cuenta)

pay off merecer la pena

pick out escoger

pick
something collect Pick up all these pieces of paper
up

pull
something take out She pulled out a handkerchief
out

put away poner en su sitio

put
somebody annoy Her students often put her out
out

put postpone The meeting has been put off

something

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verb translation meaning example

off

put on ponerse (ropa)

put
something extinguish Put out your cigarette
out

put
something raise Put your hands up!
up

put up with
I don’t have to put up with you
somebody bear, tolerate
any more
/something

ring off colgar (el teléfono)

ring
somebody telephone I'll ring you up this evening
up

run away
escaparse de
from

run into chocar com

have no more
run out of
of something We’ve run out of sugar
something
left

run over atropellar

serve on ser miembro de

set off partir, salir begin a journey They will set off at 8.00

show up aparecer

stand for representar

stand out destacar

stand up levantarse

stand up for respaldar a alguien

stop by pasarse por

switch off apagar (la luz)

switch turn something Please switch the light on

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verb translation meaning example

something
on
on

take after
look like He takes after his father
somebody

desarmar (un
take apart
objeto)

take buy food in a

I'd like a hamburger and chips
something shop and eat it
to take away
away somewhere else

take
You must take your words back
something withdraw
if you want me to forgive you
back

take down anotar

leave the
take off ground (an The plane has already taken off
aircraft)

take off quitarse (la ropa)

remove
take
something,
something quitarse (la ropa) She took her shirt off
especially
off
clothes

take
something obtain, extract The dentist took my teeth out
out

take
We will take your small firm
something take control of
over
over

take part in tomar parte en

take up dedicarse a

think
consider, reflect
something I must think the problem over
upon
over

throw dispose of Please, throw away all this

something rubbish

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verb translation meaning example

away

try on probarse (ropa)

turn around darse la vuelta

turn back volver

turn
decrease the
something Please, turn the radio down
intensity of
down

turn into convertirse en

turn
switch
something You must turn the light off
something off
off

turn cause something

something to start You must turn the light on
on working

turn out resultar

turn out apagar (la luz)

dar la vuelta a
turn over
algo

turn
increase the
something Please, turn the radio up
intensity of
up

turn up appear, arrive They didn’t turn up

work out resolver, calcular

write
record on a
something anotar, apuntar Write down what I say
piece of paper
down

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