📋10 Phrasal Verbs You'll Hear Every Day in English
The most common English phrasal verbs, explained with real example sentences — no memorizing long lists needed.
Phrasal verbs — a verb plus a small word like up, out, or on — are everywhere in spoken English. The meaning is often nothing like the individual words, which is exactly why they trip learners up. Here are ten you'll hear constantly, with the meaning that actually matters.
1. Give up
Meaning: to stop trying, or to quit a habit.
He tried to learn guitar but gave up after a month. · She gave up smoking last year.
2. Look forward to
Meaning: to feel excited about something coming up. Always followed by a noun or -ing form.
I'm really looking forward to the weekend. · I look forward to hearing from you. (the standard email closing — note hearing, not hear)
3. Run into
Meaning: to meet someone unexpectedly.
I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket yesterday.
4. Put off
Meaning: to delay or postpone something.
Stop putting off your homework — start now. · The meeting's been put off until Friday.
5. Figure out
Meaning: to understand or solve something after thinking about it.
It took me a while to figure out how the coffee machine works.
6. Come across
Meaning: to find something by chance, without looking for it.
I came across an old photo while cleaning my room.
7. Turn down
Meaning: to refuse an offer or invitation.
She turned down the job offer because the salary was too low.
It has a second, literal meaning too: Could you turn down the music? (reduce the volume)
8. Bring up
Meaning: to mention a topic in conversation.
I didn't want to bring up the accident, so I changed the subject.
9. Get along with
Meaning: to have a friendly relationship with someone.
I get along with all of my coworkers.
10. Get over
Meaning: to recover from something difficult — an illness, bad news, or a breakup.
It took her a few weeks to get over the flu.
Where does the object go?
This is the part that's rarely explained, and it decides whether your sentence sounds right.
Separable — a noun can go either side, but a pronoun must go in the middle:
- ✅ Turn down the offer. / Turn the offer down. / Turn it down.
- ❌ Turn down it.
Separable in this list: give up, put off, turn down, bring up.
Inseparable — the two words never come apart:
- ✅ I ran into her. · ❌ I ran her into.
Inseparable in this list: run into, come across, get along with, get over, look forward to.
The pronoun test settles it. Say the sentence with it or them. If turn it down sounds right, the verb is separable. If only ran into her works, it isn't. You don't need to memorise which is which — you need to check with a pronoun.
The particles carry patterns
The small word isn't random. Noticing these makes new phrasal verbs much easier to guess:
| Particle | Often means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| up | completing, finishing | eat up, finish up, use up |
| out | discovering, or removing | find out, figure out, throw out |
| off | cancelling, separating | put off, call off, take off |
| on | continuing | carry on, go on, hold on |
| down | reducing, recording | turn down, cut down, write down |
The pattern is a hint, not a rule — give up doesn't mean "finish giving". But it's right often enough to be worth knowing.
Why these are worth learning first
Notice that none of these are rare or academic — every one of them shows up constantly in everyday conversation, casual emails, and TV shows. Learning ten common phrasal verbs well beats memorizing a hundred you'll never use.
There's also a register point: the phrasal verb is usually the spoken option and its one-word equivalent the formal one. Put off / postpone, find out / discover, turn down / decline, bring up / raise. In an email to a colleague the phrasal verb is right; in a formal report the single word usually is.
Bumping into someone
A: I ran into Dana this morning.
B: Really? I haven't seen her since she gave up teaching.
A: She's fine. She brought up the reunion, actually — it's been put off again.
B: Again? I was looking forward to that.
Five of the ten, in an exchange nobody would notice as unusual.
Try it yourself
The quiz below gives you a real sentence for each phrasal verb above — pick the one that fits.