Phrasal verbs más frecuentes

averiarse; venirse abajo

Our car broke down on the motorway.

Sin objeto.

romper (una pareja)

They broke up after five years together.

Romper con alguien: break up with.

criar; sacar (un tema)

She was brought up by her grandparents.

devolver la llamada

I'm busy now; can I call you back later?

cancelar

The match was called off because of the rain.

seguir, continuar

Carry on reading while I make some tea.

Va con -ing o con with + sustantivo.

llevar a cabo, realizar

The researchers carried out a survey of 500 students.

Es el «realizar» de un estudio o un experimento.

encontrar por casualidad

I came across some old photos while I was tidying my room.

surgir

Something urgent has come up, so I can't meet you tonight.

idear, proponer

Who came up with the idea of a car-free day?

contar con, confiar en

You can always count on me.

reducir el consumo de

I'm trying to cut down on sugar.

acabar (en un sitio o una situación)

We missed the last bus and ended up taking a taxi.

Va con -ing o con un lugar.

pelearse con

She fell out with her sister over money.

entender, resolver

I can't figure out how this machine works.

rellenar (un impreso)

Please fill in this form before you see the doctor.

averiguar, enterarse

I found out the truth from a friend.

Con pronombre: find out about it, no find it out.

salir impune de

He cheated in the test and got away with it.

volver

When did you get back from your holiday?

Recuperar algo: get something back, que sí se separa.

bajarse (de un transporte)

Get off the bus at the next stop.

Para un coche o un taxi se dice get out of.

llevarse bien con

I get on really well with my flatmates.

Sin persona detrás: We get on well.

superar, recuperarse de

It took me weeks to get over the flu.

devolver

I lent him my charger and he never gave it back.

ceder, rendirse

After hours of arguing, his parents finally gave in.

dejar (un hábito); rendirse

He gave up smoking two years ago.

Va con -ing.

sonar (una alarma); estropearse (la comida)

My alarm didn't go off this morning.

pasar, ocurrir; continuar

What's going on in the kitchen?

go on + -ing: seguir haciendo lo mismo.

crecer, criarse

I grew up in a small town near the coast.

entregar (un trabajo, un impreso)

You must hand in your essay by Friday.

entregar, traspasar (algo o un cargo a otra persona)

He handed over the keys to the new owner.

seguir el ritmo de

She walks so fast that I can't keep up with her.

omitir, dejar fuera

Don't leave anyone out of the list.

decepcionar, fallar

I promised to help, and I don't want to let her down.

cuidar de

Who will look after the dog while we're away?

recordar (el pasado)

She looks back on her school years with affection.

menospreciar

He looks down on people who earn less than him.

tener ganas de

I'm looking forward to seeing you next week.

to es preposición: va con -ing, no con infinitivo.

investigar, estudiar

The police are looking into the case.

buscar (en un diccionario o una lista)

If you don't know the word, look it up.

inventar (una historia, una excusa)

He made up a story about a broken alarm clock.

make up for: compensar; make up your mind: decidirse.

devolver (dinero)

Thanks for lending me the money; I'll pay you back on Friday.

dar fruto, salir bien

All that hard work finally paid off.

Pagar del todo una deuda también es pay off, y ahí sí se separa.

recoger; aprender sin estudiar

Could you pick me up from the station?

señalar, hacer notar

She pointed out a mistake in my calculations.

aplazar

Don't put off your homework until Sunday night.

Va con -ing. También «quitar las ganas».

ponerse (ropa); engordar

Put your coat on; it's cold outside.

Engordar: put on weight.

aguantar, soportar

I can't put up with this noise any longer.

encontrarse con (alguien)

I ran into an old friend at the station.

quedarse sin

We've run out of milk, so I'll go to the shop.

salir (de viaje)

We set off early to avoid the traffic.

ponerse en camino; proponerse (con to)

They set out to climb the mountain in a single day.

montar, fundar

They set up their own company in 2019.

solucionar, ordenar

Don't worry, we'll sort it out tomorrow.

destacar

Her bright red coat made her stand out in the crowd.

parecerse a (un familiar)

She takes after her mother; they're both very calm.

devolver (a una tienda); retirar (lo dicho)

I took the shoes back because they were too small.

quitarse (ropa); despegar

Please take off your shoes when you come in.

Despegar (un avión) va sin objeto.

contratar; aceptar (un trabajo, una responsabilidad)

The company is taking on new staff this summer.

hacerse cargo de; comprar (una empresa)

A larger firm took over the company last year.

empezar (una afición); ocupar (espacio, tiempo)

I've taken up yoga to help me relax.

pensar bien, meditar

Think it over and give me an answer tomorrow.

probarse (ropa)

Can I try these jeans on?

rechazar; bajar (el volumen)

She turned down the job offer because the pay was too low.

apagar

Remember to turn off the lights when you leave.

encender

Could you turn on the heating, please?

resultar

The film turned out to be better than I expected.

aparecer, presentarse

Only half the guests turned up on time.

Subir el volumen también es turn up, y ahí sí se separa.

calcular, resolver

Can you work out how much we owe?

Sin objeto: hacer ejercicio (I work out every morning) o salir bien (It all worked out in the end).

apuntar, anotar

Write the address down before you forget it.