Natural English
Phrasal Verbs
Verb + preposition/particle combinations that carry meanings you can't guess from the individual words — a core part of sounding natural in English.
Phrasal verbs (like "give up," "look into," or "run out of") are everywhere in spoken and informal written English. Native speakers use them constantly and often without noticing — which is exactly why they're worth learning deliberately.
Useful if you're: working on sounding more natural in conversation, preparing for listening/speaking sections of an exam, or building vocabulary beyond single-word verbs.
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Frequently asked
Questions about phrasal verbs
What's the difference between a phrasal verb and an idiom?
Phrasal verbs are verb + particle combinations (get up, look after) that function as a single verb. Idioms are broader — fixed expressions whose meaning isn't literal (break the ice, cost an arm and a leg), and some idioms happen to be built from phrasal verbs. See our full Idioms & Phrases section.
Why does English use so many phrasal verbs?
Phrasal verbs let English express nuanced meaning briefly and informally. "Look into" (investigate), "put up with" (tolerate), and "come across" (find by chance) all have more formal single-word equivalents, but the phrasal version usually sounds more natural in everyday speech.
What does 'separable' mean for a phrasal verb?
A separable phrasal verb allows an object to go between the verb and the particle: "turn off the light" or "turn the light off" are both correct. Inseparable ones don't allow this — you can say "look after the kids," but not "look the kids after."
More phrasal verbs notes are added every week.
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