PHRASAL VERBS LIST

Phrasal verbs list con GET

 Get on – Subir.
They got on the train.
 Get on – Progresar.
Sue is getting on very well in her new job.
 Get on for – Llegar a una edad.
He must be getting on for seventy.
 Get across – Ser entendido.
I had the feeling I wasn’t getting the meaning across.
 Get at – Dar a enterder, coloquial.
What are you getting at exactly?
 Get down to – Ponerse con algo en serio.
It’s time we got down to some real work.
 Get off with – Evitar un castigo.
They were lucky to get off with such light sentences
 Get over – Sorprenderse.
I couldn’t get over how well she looked.
 Get over with – Terminar algo que no nos gusta.
I’ll be glad to get this awful business over with.
 Get round to – Encontrar tiempo para hacer algo.
Sorry, but I haven’t got round to fixing the tap yet.
 Get up to – Tramar algo.
The children are getting up to something in the garden

Phrasal verbs list con TAKE

 Take in – Engañar.
Don’t be taken in by her apparent shyness.
 Take (it) out on – Hacer a alguien sufrir por nuestro propio sufrimiento.
I know you are unhappy, but don’t take it out on me!
 Take off – Imitar.
Dave takes off the Prime Minister really well.
 Take on -Adquirir una nueva actividad o hábito.
My grandmother has taken on a new lease of life since her operation.
 Take on – Hacer algo extra.
She has taken on too much with a full-time job as well.
 Take out – Firmar un seguro.
Ann has taken out life insurance.
 Take over – Tomar el control.
The army tried to take over the country.
 Take to someone – Desarrollar apreciación por alguien.
You’ll soon take to your new boss, I’m sure.
 Take away – Llevarse.
She took the envelope away
 Take up – Ocupar tiempo.
The meeting took up a whole morning.
Phrasal verbs list con LOOK

 Look up – Buscar una referencia.

Look up the term online.
 Look someone up – Visitar.
If you’re passing through Athens, look me up.
 Look after – Cuidar de.
She looked after her grandmother.
 Look into – Investigar.
The police have promised to look into the problem.
 Look on – Considerar.
We look on this town as our real home.

Phrasal verbs list con GO

 Go after – Perseguir.
She is going after a great job.
 Go back on – Romper una promesa.
The management has gone back on its promise.
 Go in for – Convertir algo en hábito.
I don’t go in for that kind of thing.
 Go in for – Entrar en una competición.
Are you thinking of going in for the race?
 Go off – Un alimento se pone malo.
This milk has gone off.
 Go on – Suceder.
Something funny is going on.
 Go round – Ser o tener suficiente.
There weren’t enough life-jackets to go round.
 Go through with – Completa una promesa o plan.
When it came to actually stealing the money, Nora couldn’t go through with it.

Phrasal Verbs list con COME

 Come after – Seguir a alguien.

A dog came after me when I started running.
 Come about – Suceder.
Let me explain how the situation came about.
 Come down to – Resumir o concluir un argumento.
It all comes down to whether you are prepared to accept less money.
 Come in for – Recibir críticas o culpa.
The government has come in for a lot of criticism over the decision.
 Come off – Suceder con éxito.
I’m afraid that deal didn’t come off after all.
 Come out – Aparecer.
All the flowers have come out.
 Come up – Suceder algo problemático.
Look, something has come up, and I can’t meet you.
 Come up against – Encontrarse con una dificultad.
We’ve come up against a bit of a problem.
  Come up to – Cumplir expectativas.
The play didn’t come up to expectations.
 Come up with – Pensar en un plan o solución.
We still haven’t come up with a solution to the problem.

Phrasal Verbs list con TURN

 Turn down – Rechazar.

Another company offered me a job but I turned them down.
 Turn out – Algo que resulta al final.
He turned out to be an old friend of Helen’s.
 Turn out – Reunirse o formar un grupo.
Thousands of fans turned out to welcome the team.
 Turn up – Descubrir por causalidad.
Don’t worry about that missing book, it’s bound to turn up sooner or later.
 Turn up – Llegar o aparecer.
Not many people turned up for the lesson.

Phrasal Verbs list con MAKE

 Make after – Perseguir.

She made after the bus but could not reach.
 Make for – Resultar o facilitar.
The power steering makes for easier parking.
 Make off with – Escapar.
The thief made off with a valuable necklace.
 Make out – Pretender.
Tim made out that he hadn’t seen the No Smoking sign.
 Make out – Ver o entender.
I couldn’t quite make out what the notice said.
 Make someone out – Comprender la conducta de alguien.
Janet is really odd. I can’t make her out.
 Make up – Inventar.
I think you made up the whole story!
 Make up for – Compensar por algo.
Our success makes up for all the hard times.

Phrasal Verbs list con SET

 Set about – Comenzar a hacer algo.

We must set about re-organising the office.
 Set in – Establecerse en el tiempo.
I think this rain has set in for the day.
 Set out – Dar detalles escritos.
This document sets out all the Union demands.
 Set out – Preparar.
I’ve set out the refreshments in the hall.
 Set out – Comenzar algo.
Sue set out to write a biography but it became a novel.
 Set up – Establecer.
An inquiry into the accident has been set up.
  Set (up) on – Atacar.
We were set upon by a gang of hooligans.

Phrasal Verbs list con GIVE

 Give away – Traicionar.

His false identity papers gave him away.
 Give off – Emitir mal olor.
The cheese had begun to give off a strange smell.
 Give out – Terminarse.
When our money gave out we had to borrow some.
 Give over – Abandonarse a una actividad.
The rest of the time was given over to playing cards.
 Give over – Parar.
Why don’t you give over? You are getting on my nerves.
 Give up – Rendirse.
The escaped prisoner gave herself up.
 Give up – Dar algo o alguien por muerto o perdido.
After ten days the ship was given up for lost..
 Give up – Dejar una actividad o hábito.
They gave up gambling.

Phrasal Verbs list con CUT

 Cut out – Dejar de hacer algo.

My Dad has very high cholesterol, so he has cut out eggs and dairy from his diet.
 Cut back – Hacer algo en menor medida.
You eat too much salt, you should cut back on salty foods.
 Cut off – Recortar.
He cut all the fat off.
 Cut out – Dar forma a algo mediante cortes.
He cut several pieces of pastry out.
 Cut up – Recortar en piezas con un cuchillo.
He cut the pie up into equal slices.

Phrasal Verbs list con BRING

 Bring about – Causar.

The crisis was brought about by Brenda’s resignation.
 Bring off – Hacer algo con éxito.
The team tried for years to win the competition and they finally brought it off.
 Bring on – Causar una enfermedad.
Sitting in the damp brought on his rheumatism.
 Bring on – Causar un problema.
You have brought this on/upon yourself.
 Bring round – Influir a alguien hacia tu punto de vista.
After much discussion, I brought the committee round to my point of view.
 Bring up – Mencionar.
I feel I ought to bring up another small matter.

Phrasal Verbs list con CALL

 Call after – Poner el mismo nombre de un antecesor.

The baby is called after his grandfather.
 Call at – Hacer una parada corta.
The train calls at Oxbridge and Glenville.
 Call away – Pedir a alguien que se vaya.
The doctor was called away for an emergency.
 Call back – Devolver una llamada.
I’ll call you back as soon as possible.
 Call for – Ir a algún sitio a por alguien.
Tom said he would call for her at 8 o’clock.
 Call for – Demandar que algo se haga.
The authorities called for an investigation.
 Call for – Requerir.
The job calls for excellent computer skills.
 Call in – Pedir a alguien que venga a hacer un trabajo.
He called in the plumber to repair the leak.
 Call in (on) – Hacer una visita a alguien.
Jack called in on his parents yesterday.
 Call off – Cancelar.
The picnic was called off due to the storm.
 Call on/upon – Invitar o pedir formalmente.
I now call on the President to address the assembly.
 Call out – Decir algo en voz alta.
He called out my name but I didn’t answer.
 Call round – Ir a un sitio a ver a alguien.
The nurse said she would call round to see my mother.
 Call up – Movilizar en el ejercito.
My grandfather was called up to active duty in 1940.

Phrasal Verbs list con PICK

 Pick up – Recoger algo o a alguien para llevarle a otro sitio.

There’s nothing in the fridge so I will pick some sandwiches up from the shop.
 Pick up – Mejorar.
The weather seems to be picking up.
 Pick at – Comer despacio.
Mauro picks at his food. He eats like a bird.
 Pick at – Irritar o molestar.
If you have a mosquito bite, you shouldn’t pick at it.
 Pick off – Quitar.
Toni picked the hairs off her sweater one by one.
 Pick on – Acosar.
Teenagers always pick on the new kid in school.
 Pick up – Aprender mediante experiencia.
I picked up a little Korean when I lived in Seoul.
 Pick up – Acelerar o estar ocupado.
Miami Beach really picks up in March because of Spring Break.
 Pick up – Llevar a alguien en el coche.
Larry always picks me up when I fly into Philadelphia.
  Pick up – Pagar la cuenta de alguien.
Anastasia picked up our tab at the bar.
 Pick out – Elegir algo.
I told Gina to pick out a new pair of shoes for her birthday present.

Phrasal Verbs list con CARRY

 Carry away – Dejarse llevar.

My son normally gets a little carried away on his birthday.
 Carry off – Ganar un premio.
Mary carried off a gold medal in the swimming championship.
 Carry on – Seguir.
Please, carry on the way you are; I am only here to observe.
 Carry out – Llevar a cabo.
The police will carry out an investigation and inform the press of any new
developments.
 Carry out – Cumplir.
). I am a man of my word, I always carry out my promises.
 Carry through – Llevar a cabo.
The plan was carried through to perfection, thanks for your help.

Phrasal Verbs list con BE

 Be after – Intentar, conseguir.

What’s he after? Is he looking for proof?
 Be against – Oponerse.
I must say I’m against the idea.
 Be along – Llegar.
Jack will be along soon. He’s on his way.
 Be away – Estar fuera por un periodo largo.
She is away today. She has gone to London.
 Be down – Estar deprimido.
The news is bad so John is a bit down today.
 Be down – Descender.
Oil prices were down today.
 Be down on – Desaprobar, no gustar.
Why is Charlie so down on the new recruit?
 Be down with – Estar enfermo.
My mother is down with a bad cold.
 Be in for – Tener motivos para esperar algo.
I think we are in for snow today.
 Be in on – Participar en algo.
Alex is in on the project too.
 Be into – Estar interesado en algo.
He’s into sports and she’s into poliltics.
 Be off – Salir hacia algún sitio.
I’m off! I’ve got a plane to catch.
 Be on – Tomar medicación.
The driver was on drugs at the time of the accident.
 Be on about – Querer decir.
What are you on about? I don’t understand.
  Be onto – Hacer un descubrimiento.
My colleague is excited. He must be on to something.
 Be out – Estar fuera por un periodo corto.
Where’s Peter? He’s out today.
 Be out of – Quedarse sin algo.
We’re out of coffee I’m afraid.
 Be out to – Intentar conseguir algo.
He’s out to win the match.
 Be up – Estar despierto.
Tom was up at the crack of dawn!
 Be up – Incrementar.
The interest rates are up again.
 Be up to – Tramar.
What are those kids up to?
 Be up to – Ser responsabilidad de alguien.
It’s up to the government to find a solution.

Phrasal Verbs list con SEE

 See through – Descubrir la verdad sobre algo.

I saw through his intentions at once.
 See about – Organizar, considerar.
I’ll see about whether we can manage it.
 See into – Acompañar al alguien dentro de un sitio.
Her secretary saw me into her office.
 See off – Perseguir para ahuyentar.
A cat came into the back garden but the dog soon saw it off.
 See off – Ir a un transporte para decir adiós a alguien.
I went to the station to see them off.
 See out – Acompañar a alguien a la salida.
Are you sure you’re going? I’ll get your coats and see you out.
 See through – Continuar hasta el final.
They had a lot of difficulties in implementing the project, but the
team saw it through successfully.
 See through – Descubrir que alguien miente.
The police quickly saw through her disguise and arrested her.
 See to – Encargarse de algo.
He saw to the arrangements and everything ran smoothly and efficiently.

Phrasal Verbs list con KEEP

 Keep up – Continuar.
Well done! Keep up the good work!
 Keep around – Seguir teniendo algo.
I have know idea why they keep around this piece of junk. They’ll never use it.
 Keep at – Continuar con algo difícil
Jill kept at the puzzle until she put all the pieces together.
 Keep away – Mantener lejos.
The warehouse has a guard dog to keep away would be thieves.
 Keep back – Mantener la distancia.
The police kept back the crowd by blocking off the street.
 Keep down – Reprimir.
Keep down the noise, will you? I’m trying to sleep.
 Keep from – Evitar hacer algo.
I couldn’t keep myself from eating the last piece of cake.
 Keep in – Impedir la salida.
She kept him in because he had a high temperature.
 Keep off – Evitar hablar de algo.
The reporter kept off any the topic of the recent scandal with the politician.
 Keep on – Continuar.
Let’s keep on hiking… it’s such a beautiful day.
 Keep out – No permitir la entrada.
We were kept out of the club because we were too young.
 Keep to – Mantenerse firme en algo.
Let’s keep to the plan. I don’t want to make any changes now.
 Keep up – Mantener.
“Keep up the good work,» John’s teacher said to him as he handed back his essay.
Los phrasal Verbs: el mejor fondo de armario
Siempre que me preguntan sobre el aprendizaje y uso de los phrasal verbs en inglés
(verbos compuesto en español) me acuerdo de la película Crazy, Stupid, Love, y no por
que el film esté repleto de phrasal verbs -que lo está, sino por un comentario
que Jacob (Ryan Goslin) le hace a Cal (Steve Carrell) para mejorar su vida sentimental.
¿Y qué tiene esto que ver con el correcto uso de get, look o take seguido de una
preposición? Pues sigue leyendo.

Jacob va a ayudar a Cal a mejorar su habilidad para lo que en inglés utilizamos el

conocido phrasal verb hooking up (en español castizo “ligar”), y, como primera lección, le
lleva a un mall para renovar su vestuario. Discutiendo sobre las pobres elecciones de Cal,
Jacob le confiesa una teoría sobre la seducción y el atuendo. Saca lápiz y papel.

En concreto le dice:
«One of the best parts about being a guy your age… frankly … there aren’t many, so you
should really take full advantage of it… Is that you can rebuild your entire wardrobe with
like 16 items«.
Básicamente le aconseja que sólo necesita unas 16 prendas en su armario.
Combinándolas bien conseguirá el efecto buscado para su objetivo (recordemos el phrasal
verb anterior).
Apliquemos este razonamiento al estudio de la lista de Phrasal verbs que tarde o
temprano todos debemos comprender y usar para mejorar nuestra comunicación en
inglés.
¿Realmente necesitamos estudiar todas las posibles combinaciones de phrasal
verbs con get, look, take etc (lista interminable de verbos) … con todas las posibles
preposiciones out, off, down etc (lista interminable de preposiciones) … y también los
correspondientes prepositional verbs?
¿No será mejor averiguar primero cuales son los phrasal verbs más comunes y a partir de
ahí manejar las combinaciones más útiles?

Consejos para el buen uso de los phrasal verbs que te serán de

gran ayuda
Aquí te dejamos algunos consejos por si todo lo que has probado no ha funcionado:

Empieza por la preposición, no por el verbo

La forma tradicional de estudiar los phrasal verbs es seleccionar un verbo y ver

cómo cambia de significado dependiendo de la preposición que le añadimos: get (up,
down, off, out …).
Al ser un ejercicio de memoria no le funciona a todo el mundo igual. Y memorizar una lista
interminable de phrasal verbs no te asegura que luego los recuerdes para usarlos de
forma correcta en el contexto adecuado justo cuando los necesites.
¿Y si intentamos aplicar algo de lógica inversa? Elige una preposición y observa cómo
afecta al sentido del verbo.
Ejemplo: si organizas los verbos añadiendo la preposición off (cut off, put off, go off, get
off etc…) verás que muchos tienen cierto nexo común en el significado.

Junta los phrasal verbs de tu “fondo de armario” por temas

Apréndetelos en su contexto de utilidad. Por ejemplo, para reuniones: call off, put off,
wind up, draw up etc… para viajes: check out, set out, take off, drop off, see off.

Asocia los phrasal verbs a acontecimientos de tu vida

Si en lugar de estudiarme una lista recuerdo algo que me pasó, resultara más fácil de
recordar. Ejemplo: yesterday we had to put off our sales meeting because we were looking
into a more serious problem, we ran out of time and so our boss called the meeting off.

Y la pregunta que nos hacemos. ¿Cuántos phrasal verbs necesitamos en nuestro fondo
de armario? Pues tantos como podamos usar para comunicarnos mejor en inglés. Esto no
resuelve mucho, ¿verdad? Digámoslo de otra forma. ¿Con cuales me quedaría si sólo
pudiera elegir unos pocos?
Esta es una selección de 16 “prendas” que mejor combinan en mi “fondo de armario” de
phrasal verbs.
Preposiciones: off, up, over, on, in, out, forward, into, down.
Verbos: get, go, come, put, take, turn, look.
Aunque las combinaciones de phrasal verbs con estos verbos y preposiciones son
muchas, estas son mis 15 favoritas por temas profesionales.

Phrasal Verbs útiles en reuniones

1. Put off: postponer. Lo uso mucho en reuniones y proyectos.

2. Go over: repasar. Siempre lo hacemos en las reuniones.
3. Come up (with): proponer (ej.: una idea). Si tu equipo tiene ideas lo usarás mucho.
Si no lo usas tal vez necesitas otro equipo.
4. Take (it) down: anotar. No hay reunión sin notas.
5. Put forward: presentar/proponer una idea o sugerencia.

Phrasal Verbs útiles en la gestión de proyectos

1. Turn into: convertirse en. Me viene bien cuando quiero reflejar los progresos y
evolución en un proyecto.
2. Get over: superar/sobreponerse. A veces algo sale mal. Viene bien tener
este phrasal verb para dar y darte ánimo.
3. Come out: revelarse/aparecer. Por ejemplo, un trabajo o resultado de un proyecto.
4. Take over: asumir/tomar el relevo. En una exposición o proyecto.
5. Take off: despegar /empezar a tener éxito.