Los phrasal verbs son un aspecto fundamental del inglés, pero pueden resultar bastante difícil de comprender a veces. Si alguna vez has intentado aprenderlos, sabrás que dominarlos no es nada fácil, pero no desesperes, es cuestión de práctica y constancia. En este artículo encontrarás una lista de 200 phrasal verbs con ejemplos en inglés y español para que puedas mejorar tu comprensión y uso de estas estructuras verbales. Además, en esta misma web tienes muchos consejos útiles sobre phrasal verbs y un diccionario de phrasal verbs para que puedas seguir profundizando en el tema. ¡Vamos allá!
| PHRASAL VERB | EJEMPLOS | SIGNIFICADO/TRADUCCIÓN |
|---|---|---|
| act out | The children will act out a scene from a play. He has been acting out in school lately. | representar, comportarse mal |
| act up | My computer is acting up again. The children always act up when they haven’t had enough sleep. | comportarse mal, funcionar mal |
| add in | You can add in more vegetables. Add in the sugar slowly. | agregar, añadir |
| add up | Could you please add up these numbers for me? Her explanation just doesn’t add up. | sumar, tener sentido |
| agree on | They finally agreed on a date for the wedding. The two sides could not agree on the terms of the contract. | acordar, convenir |
| aim at | The company’s new product is aimed at teenagers. He aimed his criticisms at the policies, not the politicians. | apuntar, dirigir a |
| ask for | She asked for a glass of water. I didn’t ask for your opinion on the matter. | pedir, solicitar |
| back off | You’re too close to the edge! Back off! She decided to back off and give him some space. | retroceder, alejarse, desistir |
| back up | I’ll back you up if they don’t believe you. Could you back up your car a bit? | apoyar, respaldar |
| bail out | The government had to bail out the airline. He bailed his friend out of a difficult situation. | rescatar, sacar de apuros |
| be about | The book is about a young girl’s journey to adulthood. What’s this movie about? | tratar de, estar por |
| beat up | He got beaten up by some thugs on his way home. The old car looks pretty beat up. | golpear fuertemente |
| bite off | Don’t bite off more than you can chew. He bit off a big piece of meat. | morder un pedazo |
| blow away | The wind blew away my hat. The performance blew me away. | soplar lejos, impresionar gratamente |
| blow out | He blew out all the candles in one breath. The wind blew out our campfire. | soplar, apagar |
| blow over | The scandal will blow over in a few weeks. Let’s wait for the anger to blow over before we talk again. | calmar |
| blow up | The terrorists tried to blow up the railway station. Could you blow up this photo for me? I need a larger print. | explotar, ampliar |
| break away | They tried to break away from the group. The horse broke away from its rider. | escapar, separarse |
| break down | The car broke down on the way to the beach. Let’s break down the problem and solve it step by step. | descomponerse, romperse, desglosar |
| break in | Burglars broke in while we were on vacation. He broke in our conversation without any warning. | forzar la entrada, interrumpir |
| break out | War broke out after the assassination of the diplomat. Two prisoners broke out of jail last night. | estallar, escapar |
| break through | They finally broke through the barricade. He needs to break through his shyness. | abrirse paso, superar obstáculos |
| break up | They decided to break up after five years of dating. I could hardly hear him on the phone; his voice kept breaking up. | terminar, romper |
| bring about | The new president hopes to bring about a change in the country’s foreign policy. His betrayal brought about a bitter feud between the two families. | provocar, causar |
| bring in | We need to bring in more customers. The new policy brought in positive changes. | traer, introducir |
| bring up | She brought up an important point during the meeting. He was brought up by his grandmother after his parents died. | mencionar, criar |
| brush off | He brushed off my comments. She brushed him off and walked away. | ignorar, quitar el polvo |
| brush up | I need to brush up on my French before going to Paris. She decided to brush up her resume before applying for the job. | repasar, mejorar |
| burn out | The candle finally burned out after burning all night. She was totally burned out after the intense exam period. | quemarse, agotarse |
| burn up | The car burned up in the fire. The angry words burned her up. | quemar completamente |
| call in | You need to call in advance. They decided to call in sick. | llamar (por teléfono), pedir asesoramiento |
| call off | The game was called off due to rain. They had to call off the search when darkness fell. | cancelar, suspender |
| call out | She called out his name from across the room. The coach called out the play. | llamar, gritar |
| call up | I’ll call up the restaurant and make a reservation. He was called up for military service. | llamar, convocar |
| calm down | Calm down, everything will be okay. He had to calm down before he could speak. | calmar, tranquilizarse |
| carry on | Despite the difficulties, we decided to carry on. Carry on with your work, don’t let me interrupt you. | continuar, seguir |
| catch on | He’s slow to catch on to new trends. The new fashion quickly caught on among teenagers. | darse cuenta, hacerse popular |
| catch up | We need to catch up soon, it’s been too long! I need to catch up on my homework this weekend. | ponerse al día, alcanzar |
| check in | We need to check in before 8 pm. I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see how you’re doing. | registrarse, llamar para confirmar |
| check out | We need to check out of the hotel before midday. You should check out that new movie, it’s great! | salir, revisar |
| cheer up | Cheer up, things will get better soon! She bought me a gift to cheer me up. | animar, alegrar |
| chill out | After a long day at work, I just want to chill out. You’re overreacting, you need to chill out. | relajarse, calmarse |
| chip in | Everyone chipped in to buy a gift for the boss. I don’t have enough money for the bill. Can you chip in? | contribuir, cooperar |
| chip off | The paint chipped off the wall. He chipped off a piece of wood. | desprenderse, quitar un trozo |
| clean up | Can you help me clean up after the party? The oil spill took months to clean up. | limpiar, ordenar |
| clear out | I’m planning to clear out the garage this weekend. Everyone clear out of the room, we need to clean. | limpiar, vaciar |
| clear up | The sky cleared up after the storm. Can you clear up this misunderstanding? | aclararse, resolver, limpiar |
| close down | The factory had to close down due to new regulations. The police closed down the illegal gambling operation. | cerrar, clasurar |
| come about | How did such a misunderstanding come about? The opportunity came about unexpectedly. | ocurrir, surgir |
| come across | I came across my old diary while cleaning the attic. He comes across as a bit arrogant at times. | encontrar, toparse con |
| come along | Are you coming along to the party? How is your project coming along? | acompañar, avanzar |
| come down | The rain started to come down heavily. The decision will come down to what the committee thinks. | bajar, caer |
| come in | Please come in and have a seat. They were late to come in the party. | entrar |
| come up | A good job opportunity has come up for me. Please come up to my office when you arrive. | subir, surgir |
| cool down | You should let the engine cool down before checking the oil. She needs some time to cool down before we talk. | enfriarse, calmar |
| cope with | How do you cope with stress? She’s coping well with the changes. | lidiar con, manejar |
| count on | You can always count on me for support. We’re counting on this deal to go through. | contar con, depender de |
| cross off | Cross off the items on the list. She crossed him off her friend list. | tachar |
| cross out | Cross out the wrong answers. Her name was crossed out from the list. | tachar, cruzar |
| cut back | We need to cut back on spending. They cut back the trees to let more light in. | reducir, recortar |
| cut off | The phone was cut off in the middle of our conversation. They had to cut off the water supply to fix the pipes. | cortar, interrumpir |
| deal out | She dealt out the cards for a game of poker. Life has dealt out a fair share of challenges to him. | repartir |
| deal with | I don’t want to deal with this problem right now. How do you deal with difficult customers? | tratar con, lidiar con |
| die down | The noise finally died down after midnight. We waited for the storm to die down before we went outside. | disminuir, calmarse |
| die out | The fire slowly died out. His hopes died out after the rejection. | extinguirse, desvanecerse |
| do in | She did in her opponent. I’m feeling completely done in. | acabar con, agotar |
| do up | He did up his shoelaces. They plan to do up the old house and sell it. | abrochar, decorar |
| draw in | The bus drew in and stopped. The painting drew her in. | acercarse, atraer |
| draw up | The lawyer will draw up the contract. They drew up a list of all the items needed. | elaborar, redactar |
| dress down | It’s a casual event, so you can dress down. The boss dressed him down for his poor performance. | vestirse informalmente, reprender |
| dress up | We need to dress up for the formal event. The children love to dress up for Halloween. | vestirse elegantemente, disfrazarse |
| drop by | Drop by anytime you are in the neighborhood. I’ll drop by your office in the afternoon. | visitar, pasar por |
| drop off | Can you drop me off at the airport? I need to drop off these packages at the post office. | dejar, llevar |
| drop out | He dropped out of school at 16 to start working. Several players dropped out of the tournament due to injuries. | abandonar, desertar |
| dry up | The lake will dry up if we don’t get any rain soon. The conversation dried up after their argument. | secarse, acabarse |
| eat in | Let’s eat in tonight. They prefer to eat in rather than out. | cenar en casa, comer dentro |
| eat out | We usually eat out on Fridays. Let’s eat out tonight, I don’t feel like cooking. | comer fuera |
| eat up | Eat up, we have a long day ahead. The picnic food was quickly eaten up. | comer todo |
| end up | If you don’t study, you might end up failing the course. They ended up at a charming little cafe. | acabar, terminar |
| face up to | You need to face up to your responsibilities. He couldn’t face up to the truth. | enfrentar, aceptar |
| fade out | The music slowly faded out at the end of the scene. The actor’s fame has faded out over the years. | desvanecerse, desaparecer |
| fall apart | The plan fell apart at the last minute. The old book fell apart when I tried to read it. | desmoronarse, desintegrarse |
| fall back | When in doubt, fall back on your training. The team fell back to defend. | retroceder, replegarse |
| fall for | She fell for his charms. I can’t believe you fell for that trick. | enamorarse de, caer en la trampa |
| fall out | They fell out over money issues. He had a fall out with his brother and they haven’t spoken since. | discutir, pelear |
| fall through | Our plans for the trip fell through. The deal fell through at the last minute. | fracasar, no ocurrir |
| figure out | I need to figure out how to fix this problem. It took me a while to figure out the puzzle. | resolver, comprender |
| fill in | Could you fill in this form, please? She filled me in on the latest gossip. | completar, informar |
| fill out | Please fill out this application form. It took me an hour to fill out the paperwork. | completar, rellenar |
| fill up | Can you fill up my glass, please? The gas tank is filled up. | llenar, abastecer |
| find out | I need to find out what time the train leaves. She found out that he had been lying to her. | descubrir, averiguar |
| get across | I’m struggling to get my point across. We need to get across the river before dark. | transmitir, cruzar |
| get along | I get along well with my colleagues. Do your children get along? | llevarse bien |
| get back | I need to get back home before it gets dark. She finally got her book back. | regresar, recuperar |
| get by | I can get by with my Spanish when I travel. How do you get by on such a small salary? | arreglárselas |
| get off | We need to get off at the next stop. She got off the bus just in time. | bajar, desembarcar |
| get on | Could you help me get on the horse? How are you getting on in your new job? | subir, progresar |
| get over | It took him a while to get over the breakup. She finally got over her cold. | superar, recuperarse |
| give away | He gave away most of his fortune to charity. Don’t give away the end of the movie! | regalar, revelar |
| give back | He gave back the keys. We should give back to our community. | devolver, retribuir |
| give in | She gave in to temptation and ate the cake. After hours of debate, he finally gave in. | rendirse, ceder |
| give in to | She gave in to their demands. Don’t give in to peer pressure. | ceder ante, sucumbir a |
| give off | The flowers give off a pleasant aroma. The machine gives off smoke. | emitir, desprender |
| give up | I won’t give up, I’ll keep trying. She gave up smoking a year ago. | rendirse, dejar |
| go ahead | Go ahead, I’m listening. You can go ahead and start without me. | continuar, proceder |
| go back | We need to go back, I forgot my wallet. She went back to her home town after the divorce. | regresar, volver |
| go off | The alarm went off at 6 AM. The milk has gone off. | sonar, estropearse (alimento) |
| go on | The show must go on. What’s going on here? | continuar, ocurrir |
| go over | Let’s go over our plans one more time. She went over the report to make sure there were no errors. | repasar, revisar |
| grow up | I grew up in a small town. It’s time to grow up and take responsibility. | crecer, madurar |
| hand out | The teacher handed out the worksheets. They are handing out free samples. | repartir, distribuir |
| hand over | Hand over your homework at the end of class. The criminal was forced to hand over his weapon. | entregar |
| hang around | We used to hang around after school. Don’t hang around here, it’s not safe. | pasar el tiempo |
| hang out | We used to hang out at the park after school. Do you want to hang out this weekend? | pasar el tiempo, quedar |
| hang up | I didn’t mean to hang up on you, my phone died. She hung up before I could say anything. | colgar |
| hold back | She held back tears as she said goodbye. Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think. | contener, retener |
| hold on | Hold on, I’m almost there. Hold on to the railing while going down the stairs. | esperar, agarrar |
| iron out | We need to iron out the details of the plan. They managed to iron out their differences. | resolver |
| jump in | Sorry to jump in, but I have a comment. The pool is warm, jump in! | interrumpir, entrar rápidamente |
| jump out | The cat jumped out from behind the sofa. The bright red color jumps out against the white background. | saltar, sorprender |
| keep away | Keep away from the fire, it’s dangerous. The sign said, «Keep away from the edge». | mantener alejado |
| keep on | Keep on working, you’re doing great. He kept on talking despite our attempts to interrupt. | continuar, seguir |
| keep up | I can’t keep up with all these changes. She walks so fast, it’s hard to keep up. | mantener el ritmo |
| kick off | The meeting will kick off at 10 am. The game kicks off in one hour. | empezar, iniciar |
| knock down | The old building was knocked down to make way for a park. She was knocked down by a speeding car. | derribar, desmantelar |
| knock out | The boxer managed to knock out his opponent in the first round. I was knocked out after the long hike. | noquear, agotar |
| lay off | They had to lay off a lot of workers due to budget cuts. Lay off me, I’m trying to work. | despedir, dejar en paz |
| let down | I won’t let you down. He felt let down by his friends. | decepcionar, defraudar |
| let go of | She finally let go of her past. You need to let go of your anger. | soltar, dejar ir |
| light up | Her smile lights up the room. Smoking is bad for your health, don’t light up. | iluminar, encender un cigarrillo |
| log in | Log in to your account to check your messages. I can’t log in, I forgot my password. | iniciar sesión |
| log out | Remember to log out when you finish your work. He logged out of his email account. | cerrar sesión |
| look after | Can you look after my dog while I’m away? She looks after her younger brother. | cuidar, atender |
| look back | When I look back, I feel I could have done things differently. Looking back, I see how much I’ve grown. | recordar, repasar |
| look for | I’m looking for my glasses, have you seen them? She’s looking for a job. | buscar |
| look forward to | I’m looking forward to the weekend. We look forward to your visit. | esperar con ansias |
| look into | We will look into the matter and inform you about our findings. The police are looking into the incident. | investigar |
| look out for | Look out for pedestrians while driving. They always look out for each other. | cuidarse de, estar atento a |
| look up | You can look up the word in the dictionary. I looked up the address on the internet. | buscar, consultar |
| make over | She made over her old clothes into something fashionable. The house needs a complete makeover. | renovar, transformar |
| make up | He made up an excuse for being late. She takes too much time to make up in the morning. | inventar, maquillarse |
| mix up | I always mix up the twins’ names. She mixed up the ingredients for the cake. | confundir, mezclar |
| move in | They are planning to move in next week. When are your new roommates moving in? | mudarse |
| move on | It’s time to move on from this issue. Let’s move on to the next topic. | seguir adelante, pasar a |
| move out | She decided to move out and live on her own. The tenants were asked to move out immediately. | mudarse, desalojar |
| pass away | His grandfather passed away last night. The famous author passed away at the age of 89. | fallecer |
| pass out | He passed out from exhaustion. Please pass out these papers to everyone in the room. | desmayarse, distribuir |
| pick up | Can you pick up some groceries on your way home? She picked up a few German phrases while staying in Berlin. | recoger, aprender |
| play down | He tried to play down his mistakes. The government played down the impact of the crisis. | restar importancia |
| pull off | It was a difficult task, but she pulled it off. He pulled off a great performance despite being unwell. | lograr, conseguir |
| pull over | The police officer signaled for him to pull over. I had to pull over to check the map. | detener el coche |
| put away | Put away your toys before dinner. He put away his savings for retirement. | guardar, guardar (en su lugar), recoger |
| put off | We had to put off the meeting until next week. Don’t be put off by the negative reviews, the book is really good. | posponer, desalentar |
| put on | She put on her coat and left. They are putting on a show next week. | ponerse, colocar |
| put up with | I don’t know how she puts up with his behavior. I can’t put up with the noise anymore. | tolerar, soportar |
| rip off | That shop rips off tourists with high prices. He accidentally ripped off the poster while cleaning. | estafar, arrancar |
| roll out | The company is rolling out a new product line. They rolled out the red carpet for the celebrity. | desplegar, lanzar |
| round up | The shepherd rounded up the sheep before nightfall. Can you round up the team for a meeting? | redondear, reunir |
| run away | The thief ran away when he saw the police. The circus lion ran away from its cage. | escapar, huir |
| run by | Can I run a few ideas by you? I’ll run the plan by the team tomorrow. | consultar, informar |
| run into | I ran into an old friend at the supermarket. We ran into some problems with the project. | encontrarse con, tropezar con |
| run out | We’ve run out of milk. Time is running out, we need to make a decision. | agotarse, acabarse |
| run over | The car ran over a pothole. Can you run over the main points? | atropellar, repasar |
| set aside | I set aside some money for emergencies. We should set aside our differences and work together. | apartar, reservar |
| set off | They set off on their trip early in the morning. The fire alarm was set off by the smoke. | empezar un viaje, provocar |
| set out | They set out on a journey around the world. She set out her plans for the day. | comenzar, emprender |
| set up | We set up a tent for the night. They are setting up a new company. | instalar, organizar |
| show up | She didn’t show up for the meeting. A strange cat showed up at our door. | aparecer, asistir |
| slip up | Everyone slips up sometimes, don’t worry about it. We can’t afford to slip up on this project. | equivocarse |
| stand by | I will stand by you no matter what. The medical team is standing by for any emergencies. | apoyar, permanecer listo |
| stand out | Her red dress made her stand out in the crowd. This painting stands out in the gallery. | destacar, resaltar |
| step in | The teacher had to step in and stop the fight. The government needs to step in and help those in need. | intervenir |
| step up | We need to step up our efforts if we want to finish on time. She stepped up to take on the leadership role. | aumentar, elevar |
| take in | I tried to take in all the information. They decided to take in a foster child. | absorber, aceptar |
| take off | The plane will take off in 20 minutes. He took off his hat as he entered the room. | despegar, quitarse |
| take over | The new manager will take over next month. He took over the family business. | tomar el control de, hacerse cargo de |
| take up | She decided to take up yoga. This couch takes up too much space. | empezar a practicar, ocupar |
| tear up | She tore up the letter and threw it away. I accidentally tore up the concert tickets. | romper en pedazos |
| think over | I need to think over your proposal before making a decision. She thought over the job offer for several days. | considerar, reflexionar |
| throw away | Don’t throw away this receipt, we might need it. I had to throw away the spoiled milk. | tirar, descartar |
| try on | Try on this dress, it looks good on you. He tried on several pairs of shoes before deciding on one. | probarse |
| turn away | The doorman turned away the uninvited guest. She turned away from the mirror. | rechazar, apartar la vista |
| turn down | She turned down the job offer. Could you turn down the music? I’m trying to study. | rechazar, bajar |
| turn off | Please turn off the lights when you leave. This button is used to turn off the machine. | apagar, desactivar |
| turn on | Can you turn on the radio? I turned on the computer to start working. | encender, activar |
| turn up | He didn’t turn up for his appointment. Can you turn up the volume? I can’t hear the TV. | aparecer, subir |
| use up | We’ve used up all the milk. The car uses up a lot of fuel. | usar completamente |
| wait on | She’s waiting on her exam results. The waiter is trained to wait on customers efficiently. | servir, esperar |
| wake up | I wake up at 7 am every day. The noise woke me up. | despertar, despertarse |
| wake up to | She woke up to the sound of birds singing. He finally woke up to the truth. | despertar(se) ante, darse cuenta de |
| walk away | He just walked away without saying a word. She could simply walk away from the deal. | alejarse, irse |
| wash up | Wash up before dinner. Who’s going to wash up the dishes? | lavarse, lavar los platos |
| watch out | Watch out for pickpockets in the area. You should watch out, the floor is slippery. | tener cuidado |
| wipe out | The virus could wipe out the entire population. He was so tired, he wiped out as soon as he got home. | eliminar, extinguir |
| work out | I work out at the gym three times a week. I hope everything works out for you. | hacer ejercicio, resolver |
| work up | She worked up the courage to ask for a raise. He needs to work up an appetite. | generar, desarrollar (sentimientos, apetito, etc.) |
| wrap up | Let’s wrap up the meeting, we’re running out of time. She wrapped up the gift in colorful paper. | envolver, concluir |
| write down | Write down the recipe so you don’t forget it. He wrote down the address on a piece of paper. | escribir, anotar |
| write off | The car was a write off after the accident. They had to write off their investment. | dar por perdido |
| zone out | I zoned out during the meeting and missed the important points. She tends to zone out when she’s tired. | desconectar, perder la concentración |
Espero que esta lista de 200 phrasal verbs con ejemplos en inglés y español te haya resultado útil y te haya ayudado a mejorar tu comprensión en este tema. Recuerda que practicar con frecuencia es la clave para dominar estas estructuras verbales. Si tienes alguna duda, no dudes en dejarnos un comentario y con gusto te ayudaremos a resolverla. ¡Sigue aprendiendo y mejorando tu inglés!
