Sound more natural in everyday English: phrasal verbs.

A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word (up, on, off, into...) that together mean something you can't guess from the parts — "give up" doesn't mean "give" + "up", it means to stop trying. Native speakers use these constantly in everyday conversation, and they're one of the fastest ways to sound more natural instead of overly formal.

Why this matters This lesson connects directly to your progress: it covers everyday routine phrasal verbs; social and communication phrasal verbs; separable vs. inseparable phrasal verbs. Mastering this content lets you move forward confidently, and reinforces patterns you'll use again later. Take time to review every example before moving to the assessment — repetition is what actually locks knowledge in long-term.

01

What will you be able to do?

The goals of this lesson.

02

Before you start

You already have a solid grammar base. This lesson adds something different: phrasal verbs, a huge part of natural, everyday English that you'll hear constantly in real conversations, shows, and at work.

03

Everyday routine phrasal verbs

These are some of the most common phrasal verbs, used for daily routines and simple actions.

Phrasal verbMeaning
wake updespertarse
get uplevantarse
turn on / offencender / apagar
put onponerse (ropa)
take offquitarse (ropa)
look forbuscar

Examples

I wake up at seven every day.
wake up = despertarse
She got up late this morning.
get up = levantarse
Can you turn on the lights?
turn on = encender
Please turn off the TV.
turn off = apagar
He put on his jacket before leaving.
put on = ponerse (ropa)
I'm looking for my keys.
look for = buscar

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Social and communication phrasal verbs

These phrasal verbs come up constantly in conversations about people, relationships, and ideas.

Phrasal verbMeaning
look aftercuidar
run intoencontrarse con alguien por casualidad
get along withllevarse bien con
give uprendirse / dejar de hacer algo
find outdescubrir / averiguar
come up withocurrírsele (una idea)

Examples

Can you look after my dog this weekend?
look after = cuidar
I ran into an old friend yesterday.
run into = encontrarse por casualidad
She gets along with everyone at work.
get along with = llevarse bien con
Don't give up on your goals.
give up = rendirse
We found out the truth too late.
find out = descubrir
He came up with a great idea.
come up with = ocurrírsele

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Separable vs. inseparable

Some phrasal verbs can be split by their object ("turn on the light" or "turn the light on") — these are separable. Others can never be split — these are inseparable. When the object is a pronoun (it, him, them), separable phrasal verbs MUST split.

TypeRuleExample
Separableverb + it/him/her/them + particleTurn it on.
Inseparableverb + particle + object (never split)Look after them.

Examples

Turn on the light.
Separable — either order works
Turn it on.
With a pronoun, it must split
Pick up your clothes.
Separable — either order works
Pick them up.
With a pronoun, it must split
I looked after my sister's kids.
Inseparable — never splits
I looked after them.
Inseparable, even with a pronoun
We ran into her at the mall.
Inseparable — never splits
Please turn off the lights before you leave.
Separable — either order works
Could you look up that word for me?
Separable (look up = buscar información)
Could you look it up for me?
With a pronoun, it must split

06

Reading

Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.

Every morning, Jake wakes up at six and gets up right away — he doesn't like staying in bed. He turns on the coffee machine, puts on his running clothes, and goes for a quick run before work. His neighbor usually looks after his dog while he's out.

Last week, Jake ran into his old college roommate at the gym. They hadn't seen each other in years, but they still get along really well. His roommate mentioned he almost gave up on his fitness goals last year, but he found a way to stay motivated. Jake came up with an idea: they decided to train together every weekend.

1. What time does Jake wake up?

2. Who looks after Jake's dog?

3. Where did Jake run into his old roommate?

4. What almost happened with the roommate's fitness goals?

5. What did Jake and his roommate decide to do?

💪 You can now use everyday phrasal verbs naturally, and you know when they can split and when they can't. Keep building your fluency!

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Key Points

The essentials of this lesson, summarized.

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Vocabulary in This Lesson

Key terms to remember.

to look after
/lʊk ˈæf.tər/

to take care of someone or something

cuidar
"Can you look after my dog?"
run into
/rʌn ˈɪn.tuː/

to meet someone unexpectedly

encontrarse por casualidad
"I ran into an old friend."
give up
/ɡɪv ʌp/

to stop trying or quit

rendirse
"Don't give up on your goals."
to find out
/faɪnd aʊt/

to discover information

descubrir
"We found out the truth."
come up with
/kʌm ʌp wɪð/

to think of an idea or plan

ocurrírsele
"He came up with a great idea."
look up
/lʊk ʌp/

to search for information, e.g. in a dictionary

buscar información
"Look up that word."

09

Build the Sentence

Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.

10

Choose the Correct Verb

Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.

I up at seven every day

She up late this morning

I into an old friend yesterday

We out the truth too late

He up with a great idea

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Assessment

You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.

1. Choose the equivalent of: "Can you look after my dog?"

2. What does this mean: "I ran into an old friend."?

3. Select the correct match for: "Don't give up on your goals."

4. What does this mean: "He came up with a great idea."?

5. "Turn it on." — which one is correct?

6. What does this mean: "I looked after them."?

7. Select the correct match for: "She gets along with everyone at work."

8. "I wake up at seven." — which one is correct?

9. Choose the equivalent of: "We found out the truth too late."

10. Select the correct match for: "Could you look it up for me?"

Review — Lesson 43 What matches: "The letter was written by Ana."?

Review — Lesson 41 What matches: "She said she was tired."?

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Summary and next step

You now use everyday phrasal verbs naturally, and know when they split and when they don't. You've completed B1! Next: B2, where the language gets more precise and nuanced, starting with the Third Conditional.

🗣️ Practice out loud

Use the conversational tutor to practice this topic.

Open the tutor

00

Games

Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.

Word Search

Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).

Flashcards

Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.

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