What Are Phrasal Verbs? A Beginner's Guide with Examples
If you've been learning English for a while, you've almost certainly come across phrases like "give up," "look forward to," or "run into" and wondered why the meaning has nothing to do with the individual words. These are phrasal verbs, and they're one of the trickiest — and most common — parts of everyday English.
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two small words called particles — usually a preposition (like on, up, into) or an adverb (like away, back). Together, they create a meaning that's often completely different from the original verb.
Give up — to stop trying (not related to "give")
Look forward to — to feel excited about something coming (not related to "look")
Run into — to meet someone by chance (not related to "run")
Why phrasal verbs are hard — and why they matter
Phrasal verbs are difficult because you usually can't guess the meaning from the individual words, and one particle can create many different meanings depending on the verb it's attached to. "Take off" can mean a plane leaving the ground, removing clothes, or a business suddenly succeeding.
Despite the difficulty, phrasal verbs are essential. Native speakers use them constantly in conversation, and skipping them makes your English sound stiff or overly formal — even if it's grammatically correct.
The three types of phrasal verbs
Separable
The object can go between the verb and the particle, or after it: "Turn off the light" or "Turn the light off." With pronouns, it must go in the middle: "Turn it off," not "Turn off it."
Inseparable
The object always comes after the particle: "Look after the kids," never "Look the kids after."
Intransitive
No object at all: "The plane took off." "She grew up in London."
A few everyday examples
Wake up — to stop sleeping
Find out — to discover information
Get along (with) — to have a good relationship
Put off — to postpone
Come across — to find by chance
How to actually learn them
Trying to memorise long alphabetical lists rarely works. Phrasal verbs stick better when you learn them in context — in a sentence, a story, or a real conversation — and group them by topic (travel, work, relationships) or by particle (all the "up" verbs together, for example).
Practice is what makes them natural
Reading about phrasal verbs is a good start, but they only become automatic when you actually use them out loud. In upcoming articles, we'll look at specific groups of phrasal verbs in more detail — travel, work, everyday conversation, and more. In the meantime, if you'd like to practise using them naturally with a real tutor who can correct you on the spot, book a 1-to-1 lesson on JennyLingo.