Essential Phrasal Verbs (intermediate)

agree with (estar de acuerdo)

"All women are bad drivers." "I don't agree with you."

be about to (estar a punto de)

"I was about to leave the house when my friends arrived."

be back (regresar)

"I'm working late tonight so I won't be back until 10."

be out of (quedarse sin)

"We're out of eggs so we can't make a tortilla."

be over (finalizar, terminar)

"When the football match was over, we went to the pub."

be up (estar levantado)

"Phil isn't up yet: he's still in bed. Phone again in ten minutes."

blow up (estallar — una bomba)

"The bomb blew up killing six people."

blow up (inflar)

"We blew up a hundred balloons for the Christmas party."

break down (averiarse)

"My car broke down on the way to Motril."

call back (volver a llamar)

"I'm afraid the manager is out. Could you call back later?"

carry on (seguir, continuar)

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you. Please carry on."

carry out (cumplir — una promesa)

"The President carried out his promise to reduce taxation."

carry out (llevar a cabo)

"The execution was carried out at seven in the morning."

clear up (poner en orden)

"It took four hours to clear up after the party."

come across (encontrarse con)

"I came across an old friend on the metro in Madrid."

come back (regresar)

"I'm going to England but I'm coming back on the fifth."

come in (entrar)

"Good morning. Come in and sit down."

come on (¡Vamos!)

"Come on. We're going to be late."

cut down on (consumir menos)

"You must cut down on cholesterol."

cut off (cortar, desconectar)

"When we didn't pay the bill, the electricity was cut off."

cut up (cortar en pedazos)

"We cut up the birthday cake and gave everyone a slice."

do up (abrochar, atar)

"I was five before I knew how to do up my shoelaces."

do with (tener algo que ver con)

"What's MS DOS?" "It's got something to do with computers."

do without (prescindir de)

"The shops are shut so we'll have to do without sugar."

draw up (pararse)

"The car drew up at the zebra crossing."

get back (volver, regresar)

"Cinderella had to get back by twelve o'clock."

get in(to) (entrar)

"I lost my keys and so I couldn't get into the house."

get off (bajar — de un autobús, tren)

"You have to get off the bus at the next stop."

get on (subir — a un autobús, tren…)

"Quick! Get on the train, it's about to leave."

get up (levantarse)

"When I got up this morning, it was still dark."

give back (devolver)

"If he doesn't like it, the shop will give you your money back."

give up (perder la esperanza, rendirse)

"If you find phrasal verbs difficult, don't give up."

give up (dejar — de fumar, beber)

"You'll get cancer if you don't give up smoking."

go ahead (por supuesto, adelante)

"Can I use the telephone?" "Yes, go ahead."

go away (irse, marcharse)

"Are you going away for Christmas?"

go back (volver, regresar)

"She's going back to University to study French."

go down (bajar)

"The price of fruit goes down in the summer."

go out (salir)

"I always go out and have a few drinks on Saturday night."

go up (subir)

"The price of cigarettes went up in January 1992."

hang on/hold on (esperar)

"Hold on for a minute as Pablo will be back in five minutes."

hang up (colgar — el teléfono)

"My ex-girlfriend hung up when I phoned her."

keep up with (mantener el ritmo)

"I can't keep up with my father when we go cycling."

knock down (derribar, demoler)

"My grandfather's old house was knocked down."

leave behind (olvidar, dejar)

"I realized I had left my passport behind."

let in (dejar entrar)

"She opened the door and let in the cat."

look after (cuidar)

"My mother looks after the children when we go away."

look for (buscar)

"I spent an hour looking for my glasses before I found them."

look forward to (estar deseando)

"I'm looking forward to the Easter holidays."

look out (tener cuidado)

"Look out! There's a car coming."

look up (buscar — en un diccionario)

"If you don't understand the word, look it up in a dictionary."

put in (meter, introducir)

"Put ten pence in the machine and you will get a coffee."

put on (encender)

"Put on the light, it's getting dark."

put on (ponerse — la ropa)

"Put your coat on or you'll get cold."

run out of (quedarse sin algo)

"We ran out of petrol so we had to get the bus."

set off (ponerse en camino)

"We set off to Madrid at five o'clock to avoid the traffic."

take after (parecerse a)

"Pablo takes after his mother: they are both optimistic."

take off (despegar)

"The plane eventually took off at 6 p.m."

take off (quitarse la ropa)

"Take off your coat and make yourself comfortable."

take out (extraer, sacar)

"He took out a cigarette and lit it."

throw away (tirar — a la basura)

"Don't throw these papers away: they're important."

turn down (bajar — el volumen)

"Turn down the radio: it's too loud."

turn up (subir el volumen)

"Turn up the radio. I can't hear it."

turn on (encender — luces, TV, etc.)

"Turn on the television, please, I want to see the news."

Sarah and John 1996 (c) Lingolex