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50 Common English Phrasal Verbs Every Intermediate Learner Should Know

Learning English phrasal verbs is one of the best ways to improve your English fluency. Native speakers use phrasal verbs every day in conversations, movies, TV shows, and business English. If you want to speak English naturally, you must learn common phrasal verbs and how to use them correctly.

In this lesson, you will learn 50 common English phrasal verbs, their meanings, and two simple example sentences for each one. These phrasal verbs are perfect for intermediate English learners who want to improve their vocabulary, speaking, listening, and writing skills.

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb is a combination of:

  • A verb
  •  
  • A preposition or adverb

Example:

  • Wake up
  • Turn on
  • Give up

The meaning of a phrasal verb is usually different from the original verb.

Example:

  • “Give” means to provide something.
  • “Give up” means to stop trying.

Learning phrasal verbs will help you:

  • Speak English naturally
  • Understand native speakers
  • Improve your English conversation skills
  • Increase your vocabulary
  • Sound more fluent in English

1. Wake Up

Meaning: Stop sleeping

  • I wake up at 6 a.m. every day.
  • She woke up late this morning.

2. Get Up

Meaning: Leave your bed

  • He got up quickly after hearing the noise.
  • I usually get up before sunrise.

3. Turn On

Meaning: Start a machine or device

  • Please turn on the TV.
  • She turned on the computer.

4. Turn Off

Meaning: Stop a machine or device

  • Don’t forget to turn off the lights.
  • He turned off his phone during the meeting.

5. Pick Up

Meaning: Collect something or someone

  • I will pick you up after school.
  • She picked up her bag from the floor.

6. Put On

Meaning: Wear clothes

  • He put on his jacket before leaving.
  • She put on a beautiful dress.

7. Take Off

Meaning: Remove clothing or leave the ground

  • Please take off your shoes.
  • The plane took off on time.

8. Give Up

Meaning: Stop trying

  • Don’t give up on your dreams.
  • He gave up smoking last year.

9. Look For

Meaning: Try to find

  • I am looking for my keys.
  • She looked for her phone everywhere.

10. Find Out

Meaning: Discover information

  • We found out the truth yesterday.
  • She wants to find out more about the job.

11. Go On

Meaning: Continue

  • Please go on with your story.
  • The show went on despite the rain.

12. Come Back

Meaning: Return

  • He came back home late.
  • Please come back tomorrow.

13. Sit Down

Meaning: Take a seat

  • Please sit down here.
  • She sat down near the window.

14. Stand Up

Meaning: Rise to your feet

  • Everyone stood up when the teacher entered.
  • Please stand up and introduce yourself.

15. Call Back

Meaning: Return a phone call

  • I will call you back later.
  • She called him back after work.

16. Run Out Of

Meaning: Have no more left

  • We ran out of milk.
  • He ran out of money during the trip.

17. Look After

Meaning: Take care of

  • She looks after her little brother.
  • Can you look after my dog?

18. Grow Up

Meaning: Become an adult

  • I grew up in a small town.
  • Children grow up very fast.

19. Bring Up

Meaning: Mention a topic

  • She brought up an important question.
  • Don’t bring up that subject again.

20. Clean Up

Meaning: Make something clean

  • We cleaned up the kitchen.
  • Please clean up your room.

21. Show Up

Meaning: Arrive

  • He showed up late to class.
  • She didn’t show up at the party.

22. Set Up

Meaning: Arrange or organize

  • They set up the meeting yesterday.
  • He set up his new computer.

23. Break Down

Meaning: Stop working

  • My car broke down on the highway.
  • The washing machine broke down again.

24. Break Up

Meaning: End a relationship

  • They broke up last month.
  • She was sad after breaking up with him.

25. Carry On

Meaning: Continue

  • Please carry on with your work.
  • They carried on talking for hours.

26. Check In

Meaning: Register at a hotel or airport

  • We checked in at 3 p.m.
  • She checked in online before the flight.

27. Check Out

Meaning: Leave a hotel or examine something

  • We checked out early in the morning.
  • Check out this new restaurant.

28. Come In

Meaning: Enter

  • Please come in and sit down.
  • He came in quietly.

29. Fill Out

Meaning: Complete a form

  • Please fill out this application form.
  • She filled out the document carefully.

30. Get Along

Meaning: Have a good relationship

  • I get along well with my coworkers.
  • They don’t get along with each other.

31. Give Back

Meaning: Return something

  • Please give back my book.
  • He gave the money back to me.

32. Go Back

Meaning: Return

  • She went back home early.
  • I want to go back to Paris someday.

33. Hang Out

Meaning: Spend time relaxing

  • We hung out at the mall yesterday.
  • Teenagers like hanging out with friends.

34. Hold On

Meaning: Wait briefly

  • Hold on for a minute.
  • Please hold on while I check.

35. Keep On

Meaning: Continue

  • Keep on practicing English every day.
  • He kept on talking nonstop.

36. Look Out

Meaning: Be careful

  • Look out! There’s a car coming.
  • She told the kids to look out.

37. Make Up

Meaning: Invent or reconcile

  • He made up a funny story.
  • They made up after the argument.

38. Pass Away

Meaning: Die

  • Her grandfather passed away last year.
  • The famous actor passed away peacefully.

39. Put Away

Meaning: Place something in its proper place

  • Please put away your clothes.
  • He put the dishes away.

40. Take Care Of

Meaning: Protect or care for

  • She takes care of her parents.
  • Can you take care of my cat?

41. Take Out

Meaning: Remove or invite outside

  • He took out his wallet.
  • She took her friend out for dinner.

42. Think About

Meaning: Consider

  • Think about your future carefully.
  • I will think about your idea.

43. Try On

Meaning: Test clothes before buying

  • She tried on the shoes.
  • Can I try on this jacket?

44. Turn Down

Meaning: Reject or reduce volume

  • He turned down the job offer.
  • Please turn down the music.

45. Turn Up

Meaning: Increase volume or appear

  • Turn up the TV volume.
  • She turned up unexpectedly.

46. Work Out

Meaning: Exercise or solve a problem

  • I work out at the gym every day.
  • We worked out the problem together.

47. Write Down

Meaning: Record information

  • Write down your phone number.
  • She wrote down the address.

48. Cut Down On

Meaning: Reduce

  • I want to cut down on sugar.
  • He cut down on spending.

49. End Up

Meaning: Finally reach a situation

  • We ended up staying home.
  • She ended up becoming a doctor.

50. Go Through

Meaning: Experience or examine carefully

  • He went through many difficulties.
  • She went through the report carefully.

Tips for Learning English Phrasal Verbs

1. Learn Phrasal Verbs in Context

Always learn phrasal verbs with example sentences.

2. Practice Daily

Use phrasal verbs in your daily English conversations.

3. Watch English Videos

Movies and TV shows are excellent for learning natural English expressions.

4. Write Your Own Sentences

Creating your own examples helps you remember faster.

5. Review Regularly

Repeat and review phrasal verbs every week.

Final Thoughts

These 50 common English phrasal verbs are extremely useful for daily English conversations. If you practice them regularly, you will sound more natural and fluent in English.

Remember: learning English takes time, practice, and patience. Start using these phrasal verbs every day in speaking and writing, and your English skills will improve quickly.

Keep practicing English every day and never give up!