50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

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  • Post last modified:09/01/2025
  • Post category:Phrasal Verbs
  • Reading time:29 mins read

Here are 50 essential phrasal verbs for ESL learners. I’ll teach you 50 common phrasal verbs that are widely used in daily English conversations. These English phrasal verbs are key to improving your communication skills, whether you’re learning English for work, travel, exams like IELTS or TOEFL, or simply to feel more confident when speaking.

Perfect for intermediate to advanced learners, this lesson will help you expand your English vocabulary, improve your speaking and listening skills, and feel more confident using English in your daily life.

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List of Phrasal Verbs

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

In this advanced English lesson, I’ve got a whopping 50 phrasal verbs for you—yes, five-zero! These aren’t just random phrases; they’re the kind of verbs British native speakers use every single day without even thinking about it. They’re a natural part of how we speak, flowing into conversations effortlessly.

Now, if you’re like many of the students I’ve worked with, you’re probably keen to learn phrasal verbs. You want to know which ones are worth your time, how to use them, and when to fit them into your speech. Well, you’re in the right place because this is a golden opportunity to dive into a comprehensive list of 50 essential phrasal verbs.

This lesson is a little bit of a marathon. But stick with me, and by the end, you’ll have a solid grasp of these key phrasal verbs. 

back down

Meaning: to retreat or give up your position in an argument or confrontation

Examples:

He eventually backed down and agreed to stay late for a couple of days.

She refused to apologise at first but backed down when she realised her mistake.

blow up

Meaning: to inflate something, like a balloon

Example:

Jack spent the morning blowing up balloons for his son’s birthday party.

Meaning: to explode or cause something to explode

Example:

The building blew up because of a gas leak.

break down

Meaning: to stop working or functioning (e.g., a car or machine)

Example:

My car broke down on the way to work, so I had to call for help.

Meaning: to collapse or fail (e.g., a relationship)

Example:

Their relationship broke down after years of constant arguments.

Meaning: to divide something into smaller parts

Example:

The accountant broke down the €10,000 expenses into individual categories.

bring up

Meaning: to vomit

Example:

The child felt sick and brought up his breakfast after coughing.

Meaning: to mention or introduce a topic in a discussion

Examples:

I’d like to bring up a point here.

Several important issues were brought up during yesterday’s meeting.

bump into

Meaning: to meet somebody by accident

Examples:

I bumped into Michael as I was walking down the high street.

Guess who I bumped into yesterday?

call off

Meaning: to suspend or to stop

Examples:

The police eventually called off their search for the missing man because it got very dark.

The football match was called of late because the pitch became waterlogged.

catch up

Meaning: to meet and spend time with someone to reconnect

Example:

We caught up with our friends at the pub after a long week at work.

Meaning: to reach the same level or position as others

Examples:

I walked faster to catch up with my friend.

After missing two weeks of school, she had a lot of lessons to catch up on.

check on

Meaning: to see what’s happening

Examples:

We’ll come back to that later, and I’ll check on it and see what the progress is.

I went to check on the cake to make sure it wasn’t burning.

The kids were unusually quiet upstairs, so I went to check on them.

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners. Advanced English learning. English lessons on Zoom at www.englishlessonviaskype.com #learnenglish #englishlessons #EnglishTeacher #vocabulary #ingles

check out

Meaning: to pay for items at a store and complete the purchase process

Example:

I scanned my groceries and checked out using my credit card.

Meaning: to settle your bill and leave a hotel

Example:

We need to check out of the hotel by 11 a.m. to avoid extra charges.

Meaning: to investigate or examine something to learn more about it

Example:

Before booking the trip, we checked out the location online to see what the area was like.

come across

Meaning: to find or encounter something by chance

Example:

While walking through the market, I came across a beautiful scarf that my wife would love.

Meaning: to give a certain impression or appear in a particular way to others

Example:

During the meeting, he came across as confident and knowledgeable.

come back

Meaning: to return

Examples:

He came back from holidays after three weeks.

He came back to the office after being out sick.

come in

Meaning: to enter a place; to become available

Examples:

Please come in and make yourself comfortable.

The latest reports have just come in, and the results look promising.

come up with

Meaning: to think of, invent, or create an idea, suggestion, or solution

Examples:

The team came up with several creative solutions to the problem.

I’d like everybody to come up with at least one, if not two, new ideas.

We’re planning next year’s holiday. Can you come up with some fun suggestions for the group?

cut down

Meaning: to reduce the amount or quantity of something

Example:

The doctor advised him to cut down on red meat to improve his health.

Meaning: to chop or remove something by cutting it

Example:

The workers cut down several trees to clear space for the new building.

drop by

Meaning: to visit someone or a place briefly and informally, often without prior notice

Examples:

I’ll drop by my mum’s house on the way home to check if she needs anything.

The boss asked me to drop by his office on my way to lunch to discuss the project.

drop off

Meaning: to take somebody somewhere

Examples:

I dropped off the kids at school before heading to the office.

He dropped her off at the airport so she wouldn’t need to book a taxi.

Meaning: to fall asleep, usually unintentionally

Example:

After a long day at work, he sat on the sofa and dropped off within minutes.

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ease up on

Meaning: to slow down a bit or take things a little slower

Examples:

The kids were talking too fast, so I told them to ease up and speak more slowly.

Can you ease up on the speed? I’m feeling a bit carsick.

You should ease up on the overtime and try leaving the office by 6:00pm.

She decided to ease up on the alcohol and focus on drinking more water instead.

fall apart

Meaning: to collapse or fail, to lose stability

Examples:

After the argument, their relationship completely fell apart.

She started to fall apart emotionally after hearing the bad news.

Meaning: to break into pieces physically

Example:

The cake fell apart when I tried to take it out of the oven.

fall down

Meaning: to collapse to the ground

Example:

She stood up too quickly, felt dizzy, and fell down.

Meaning: to decrease or drop, particularly in prices or value

Examples:

During the recession, property prices fell down significantly.

An oversupply of fruit and vegetables can cause their prices to fall down.

find out

Meaning: to discover

Example:

I will find out what’s going on and I will let you know.

I hope Mum and Dad don’t find out that we broke the window in the garage.

get along

Meaning: to have a friendly or harmonious relationship with someone 

Examples:

She gets along well with her neighbours and often chats with them over coffee.

Despite their differences, he gets along with his siblings really well.

He has such an easy-going personality that he gets along with everyone he meets.

get away

Meaning: to leave for a period of time

Examples:

I’d love to get away for the weekend. Why don’t we go this weekend?

Can you get away early from the office?

I’ve been trying to get away from this for ages.

get by

Meaning: to manage to survive or cope with a situation

Examples:

I get by on very little money these days.

I get by without spending much on food, thanks to my diet and exercise.

I don’t know how he gets by on that pension. It’s really, really small.

get over

Meaning: to recover physically or emotionally from an illness, disappointment

Examples:

Don’t worry, it might take some time, but you’ll get over it and move on.

It took her weeks to get over the flu, but she’s feeling much better now.

Meaning: to successfully climb and move past something

Example:

With a bit of effort, he managed to get over the wall and continue on his way.

get up

Meaning: to rise from a lying or sitting position, usually from bed

Examples:

I try to get up in the morning at a decent time.

Harry always gets up very early because he likes to have a long day.

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners. Advanced English learning. English lessons on Zoom at www.englishlessonviaskype.com #learnenglish #englishlessons #EnglishTeacher #vocabulary #ingles

give away

Meaning: to donate or give something to someone for free

Examples:

He decided to give away his stamp collection to his cousin, as he didn’t need it anymore.

She gave away her old clothes to a charity shop to help raise money for a good cause.

He accidentally gave away his friend’s secret by mentioning it during a conversation.

give in

Meaning: to stop resisting or yield to temptation, pressure, or a desire

Examples:

After walking past the bakery and smelling the fresh bread, he finally gave in and bought a slice of cake.

He said no TV during the week but gave in when his son begged to watch the big football match.

give up

Meaning: to quit a habit or activity

Examples:

I’ll give up alcohol for the month before Christmas.

I’ll give up eating sweets for the period before Easter.

He gave up red meat and started eating chicken and fish to improve his health.

The government are constantly asking us to give up driving our cars for every journey.

go ahead

Meaning: to continue, to proceed with something

Examples:

I let the elderly lady go ahead in the queue.

The officer reviewed my form and said everything was fine, so I could go ahead.

After passing security at the airport, I was told to go ahead.

go out

Meaning: to leave your current location to do something socially or for leisure

Examples:

We decided to go out for dinner and a movie over the weekend.

Why don’t we go out at the weekend? We haven’t been out for ages.

grow up

Meaning: to mature or become an adult; to spend your childhood in a particular environment

Examples:

You didn’t always live in this country. So where did you grow up?

You need to grow up and take responsibility for your actions.

hang on

Meaning: to wait for a short period of time

Examples:

Can you hang on a minute while I finish this work? I’ll be with you in two minutes.

Can you just hang on for a minute? I’ll finish this other call quickly.

hang out

Meaning: to spend time relaxing or socialising with friends or others

Examples:

I like to hang out with my friends from school. We usually play football together.

These days, I’ve been hanging out with my old classmates.

kick out

Meaning: to force someone to leave a place or group

Examples:

He got kicked out of school for smoking in the toilets.

She was kicked out of the country for staying without proper documentation.

That guy James, he got kicked out of the office because they found he had been taking stationery home.

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50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners. Advanced English learning. English lessons on Zoom at www.englishlessonviaskype.com #learnenglish #englishlessons #EnglishTeacher #vocabulary #ingles

let in

Meaning: to allow someone or something to enter

Examples:

After the dog finished playing in the garden, I let him in to rest in his basket.

I opened the window to let in some fresh air after working in the room all day.

The skylight was opened to let in the warm afternoon sunshine.

look after

Meaning: to provide care, support, or supervision for someone or something

Examples:

I stayed home to look after the children while my partner went shopping.

She spends her weekends looking after her elderly parents.

Don’t worry about the issue. I’ll look after it.

look for

Meaning: to search, to try to find something or someone

Examples:

I’m looking for a dress to go with these shoes for the wedding next week.

I’m looking for a nanny for my kids. I’m going back to work in September, and I need somebody to collect them from school.

I’ll call in to the supermarket on the way home from work and look for something quick for dinner.

look up

Meaning: to search for information

Example:

I didn’t know the answer, so I looked it up on the internet.

Meaning: to contact or visit someone after a long time

Example:

While visiting my hometown, I decided to look up an old friend I hadn’t seen in years.

make up

Meaning: to reconcile after a fight or argument

Example:

The easiest way to get over an argument is to make up quickly.

Meaning: to invent a story, excuse, or lie

Example:

Tom made up a story that his dog ate the homework to avoid getting in trouble.

He made up a story about losing his phone to avoid answering her calls.

pay back

Meaning: to return money that you have borrowed or owed to someone

Examples:

He borrowed money from the bank and had to pay it back with interest.

When he was young, my son used to borrow money from me but never paid it back.

pick up

Meaning: to collect someone or something

Examples:

I promised to pick them up at the airport when they return from their trip.

On my way home, I stopped to pick up a couple of pizzas for dinner.

Meaning: to lift something from the ground or another surface

Example:

She dropped her pen during the meeting and quickly bent down to pick it up.

put off

Meaning: to postpone or delay

Examples:

Can we put off the meeting until next week? I don’t feel so well.

Many couples put off their weddings during the Covid pandemic because they couldn’t invite guests.

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners

50 Essential Phrasal Verbs for ESL Learners. Advanced English learning. English lessons on Zoom at www.englishlessonviaskype.com #learnenglish #englishlessons #EnglishTeacher #vocabulary #ingles

put together

Meaning: to gather or to assemble

Examples:

They put together a plan to improve the company’s performance.

After a long day, we put together a quick dinner with whatever was in the fridge.

He took apart the engine to fix it and then put it together again.

put up with

Meaning: to accept something unpleasant, even if you don’t like it

Examples:

I have to put up with my neighbour’s constant noise during his renovations.

Parents often have to put up with their children’s bad moods.

People in Ireland eventually put up with the incessant rain.

run out

Meaning: to use up all of something, leaving none remaining

Examples:

We ran out of coffee this morning, so I’ll need to buy some more.

The car broke down on the motorway because it ran out of petrol.

We’ve run out of time. We’ll have to carry forward these items to the next meeting.

take off

Meaning: to leave the ground

Example:

The plane will take off in 10 minutes, and we’ll be on our way to a sunny holiday.

Meaning: to remove something, such as clothing

Example:

After getting home from the rain, I took off my wet clothes and changed into pajamas.

turn on

Meaning: to activate or start something

Examples:

Oh it’s chilly. We’ll have to turn on the heating next week.

She turned on the TV to catch up on the latest news.

Turn on Spotify and listen to Harry’s podcast to improve your English skills.

turn up

Meaning: to arrive at a place, especially unexpectedly

Example:

I only invited five, but somehow 20 people turned up to the party.

Meaning: to appear or be found, often unexpectedly

Example:

I couldn’t find the book last week, but it just turned up today. I don’t know why I didn’t look there the first time.

Meaning: for something unexpected to happen or occur

Example:

I’m not going to be able to meet you guys tonight. Something has turned up unexpectedly.

wait up

Meaning: to stay awake and not go to bed until someone arrives

Examples:

Send me a message when your plane arrives, and I’ll wait up for you so we can have a chat.

I’m going to be a bit later than I thought. Don’t wait up for me.

Meaning: to ask someone to slow down or stop so you can catch up

Example:

Wait up! You’re walking too fast, and I can’t keep up with you.

watch out

Meaning: to be careful or alert to danger

Example:

Watch out! Something’s about to fall—move out of the way!

Meaning: to look for or anticipate something, often exciting or worth noticing

Example:

Watch out for that new movie. It should be in cinemas in the next few weeks, and it’s really good.

If I visit this new office block, what should I be watching out for?

Well, that was a long one, wasn’t it? Hopefully, you stayed with me and enjoyed it. More importantly, I hope you’ve learned a lot of simple, everyday phrasal verbs that native British English speakers use all the time instead of more formal words.

Take your time with them—listen again or break it into parts if needed. Practise using them in both your spoken and written English. If you need more examples or have any questions, feel free to contact me at englishlessonviaskype.com

Thanks for watching this video. I enjoyed making it, and I hope you found it useful. Join me again soon!

more information

For more information on English grammar rules, English collocations and English idioms, check out the links below:

11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Written English

English Collocations Connected with Taste and Smell

You can always study English advanced level at Learning English with the BBC and British Council Learn English.

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