Phrasal verbs are an important part of everyday English.
Native speakers use them naturally in daily conversations, at work, and in social situations.
Even if you know grammar and vocabulary, avoiding phrasal verbs can make your English sound unnatural or too formal.
Learning common phrasal verbs helps you understand spoken English better and speak more confidently.
In this blog post, you will learn the 30 most common English phrasal verbs with clear and simple meanings.
This topic is part of our English Phrasal Verbs for English learners.
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning that is different from the original verb.
The additional word(s) change the meaning of the original verb in a way that makes phrasal verbs idiomatic – their meanings aren’t easily deduced from the individual words that make them up.
For example, the verb “get” means to acquire or obtain something.
But when you combine it with the particle “up,” you get the phrasal verb “get up,” which means to rise from a lying or sitting position.
As you can see, the meaning is completely different from the original “get.”
Phrasal verbs are extremely common in casual, spoken English.
Even native English speakers use them constantly without realizing it.
As a non-native speaker, mastering phrasal verbs is key to sounding more natural and fluent in English.
To get you started, here are 30 of the most common English phrasal verbs explained in simple terms with examples:
1. Break down
Meaning: To separate into smaller parts, or stop functioning
Example: I need to break this project down into smaller tasks.
2. Bring up
Meaning: To start talking about a particular topic
Example: My boss brought up the issue of tardiness at the meeting.
3. Call off
Meaning: To cancel
Example: They had to call off the baseball game due to rain.
4. Carry on
Meaning: To continue
Example: Just carry on with your work while I’m gone.
5. Check out
Meaning: To investigate, or to pay for items when leaving a store
Example: Be sure to check out the museum exhibit before it ends.
6. Come across
Meaning: To find or discover by chance
Example: I came across this interesting book at the library.
7. Drop off
Meaning: To deliver someone or something briefly
Example: Can you drop me off at the mall on your way home?
8. Figure out
Meaning: To solve or understand something
Example: I can’t figure out how to solve this math problem.
9. Get along
Meaning: To have a friendly relationship
Example: My coworkers and I get along really well.
10. Get up
Meaning: To rise from a lying or sitting position
Example: What time do you get up in the morning?
11. Give up
Meaning: To quit or stop trying
Example: I’ve given up looking for that missing sock.
12. Go over
Meaning: To review or check
Example: Let’s go over the plan one more time before the meeting.
13. Hang up
Meaning: To end a telephone call
Example: She forgot to hang up after her call last night.
14. Hold on
Meaning: To wait
Example: Hold on a minute while I grab my keys.
15. Keep up
Meaning: To continue at the same pace
Example: I can’t keep up with all this new slang!
16. Look into
Meaning: To investigate
Example: The police are looking into the robbery.
17. Make up
Meaning: To invent, or to reconcile after an argument
Example: Let’s make up after our fight yesterday.
18. Pick up
Meaning: To get someone or something by vehicle, or to lift
Example: I need to pick up my dry cleaning this afternoon.
19. Point out
Meaning: To identify or indicate
Example: She pointed out a grammatical error in my essay.
20. Put off
Meaning: To postpone or delay
Example: I kept putting off my chores all weekend.
21. Run into
Meaning: To meet someone by chance
Example: I ran into an old friend at the grocery store.
22. Show up
Meaning: To become visible, or to arrive
Example: He never showed up for our lunch date.
23. Sort out
Meaning: To organize or arrange
Example: I need to sort out my finances before my next trip.
24. Take off
Meaning: To remove something, or for an aircraft to become airborne
Example: She took off her coat when she came inside.
25. Talk over
Meaning: To discuss
Example: We need to talk over the plan with our boss.
26. Try on
Meaning: To sample clothing by wearing it briefly
Example: Can I try these jeans on in the dressing room?
27. Turn down
Meaning: To reject or deny
Example: He turned down my invitation to dinner.
28. Wake up
Meaning: To rouse from sleep
Example: I need to wake up earlier for my new job.
29. Watch out
Meaning: To be cautious or careful
Example: Watch out for that pothole in the road!
30. Work out
Meaning: To exercise, or to resolve
Example: I need to work out a plan for this weekend.
Final thoughts
While this list covers 30 of the most common phrasal verbs, there are hundreds more used frequently in English.
As you continue learning the language, make a point of studying phrasal verbs and their meanings.
Use them regularly, and they’ll start feeling more and more natural over time.
Conclusion:
Phrasal verbs are used everywhere in real English.
By learning these 30 most common English phrasal verbs, you can understand conversations better and express yourself more naturally.
These phrasal verbs are useful for daily life, work, travel, and social situations.
Practice them regularly in simple sentences, and your English fluency and confidence will improve step by step.
