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A2 · ElementaryEnglish

Phrasal Verbs

By the flumi team About 7 min read 30 vocabulary wordsPractice exercises
Common phrasal verbs

1. What Are Phrasal Verbs?

A phrasal verb is a verb + another word (often a short word like up/off or a preposition like after/into). Together they make a new meaning.

Many phrasal verbs are not literal, so it’s best to learn them as a single unit (a ‘chunk’).

Often, the meaning is different from the original verb alone.

For example, look after does not mean “look + after,” but take care of.

Other examples:

  • turn off → make a TV/light/phone stop working
  • get up → leave your bed

2. Two Questions to Ask

Don’t worry about learning every grammar label. The important thing is the word order and whether the verb needs an object.

2.1 Does it need an object?

Some phrasal verbs are complete without an object:

  • “I woke up at 7 a.m.”
  • “The car broke down yesterday.”

Other phrasal verbs need someone or something after them:

  • “Please turn off the light.”
  • “I look after my little brother.”

Short answers are ellipsis

In a short answer, did stands for the whole verb phrase, including its object. This is called ellipsis:

  • “Did you pick up the tickets?” — “Yes, I did.”
  • “Did you pick up the tickets?” — “Yes, I picked them up.”

Both answers are correct. “Yes, I picked up” is not natural because it starts the full verb phrase but leaves out its necessary object.

2.2 If it needs an object, can the object move?

With some phrasal verbs, a noun object can go in two positions:

  • “Turn the TV off.”
  • “Turn off the TV.”

If the object is a pronoun such as it, him, or them, it must go in the middle:

  • “Turn it off.”
  • Not: “Turn off it.”

With other phrasal verbs, the object always stays after the complete phrase:

  • “Look after the baby.”
  • “Look after him.”
  • Not: “Look the baby after” or “Look him after.”

For a long noun object, the particle-first order is usually easier to understand:

  • “Turn off the light in the living room.”

Learn each phrasal verb together with its object pattern. Some can be used with or without an object:

  • no object: “I woke up at 7 a.m.”
  • object can move: “I woke my sister up.” / “I woke her up.”

3. Common Phrasal Verbs for A2 Learners

Phrasal verb Meaning Object pattern Example
wake up stop sleeping; make someone stop sleeping with or without an object; if there is an object, it can move “I woke up early.” / “I woke her up.”
show up arrive no object “He showed up late.”
break down stop working no object “The car broke down.”
come in enter no object “Please come in.”
turn off make something stop working object can move “Turn off the TV.” / “Turn it off.”
pick up lift or collect object can move “Pick up the book.” / “Pick it up.”
put down place something down object can move “Put down the pen.” / “Put it down.”
take off remove clothing object can move “Take off your shoes.” / “Take them off.”
call back return a phone call object can move “Call your friend back.” / “Call him back.”
look after take care of object stays after the phrase “She looks after the baby.”
run into meet unexpectedly object stays after the phrase “I ran into my teacher.”
come across find by chance object stays after the phrase “She came across some old photos.”
deal with handle object stays after the phrase “He deals with emails at work.”
get over recover from object stays after the phrase “She got over her cold.”
run out of have no more of something object stays after of “We ran out of milk.”

Multiple meanings

Many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning, so learn the meaning and pattern together:

  • take off: remove clothing (Take off your coat) or leave the ground (The plane took off).
  • pick up: lift (Pick up the book), collect (Pick up the tickets), or learn informally (She picked up some Spanish).
  • get over: recover from an illness (get over a cold) or recover from an upsetting experience (get over a disappointment).

4. Common Mistakes

Incorrect Correct Why?
“Turn off it.” “Turn it off.” A pronoun goes in the middle when the object can move.
“Look the baby after.” “Look after the baby.” The object stays after look after.
“Yes, I picked up.” “Yes, I did.” / “Yes, I picked them up.” Yes, I did omits the whole verb phrase; Yes, I picked up is an incomplete full answer.
“We ran milk out of.” “We ran out of milk.” The noun comes after the complete phrase run out of.

Quick check

Try one question now

1
When my alarm rings at 6:30, I and open the curtains.

Check your answer when you are ready.

5. Quick Summary

Situation Rule Example
The phrasal verb is complete without an object Stop after the phrase “The car broke down.”
It needs a noun object, and the object can move Put the noun in either position “Turn off the light.” / “Turn the light off.”
The object can move, and it is a pronoun Put the pronoun in the middle “Turn it off.”
The object must stay after the phrase Keep nouns and pronouns there “Look after the baby.” / “Look after him.”

6. Tips for Learning Phrasal Verbs

  • Learn them in small groups (5–10 at a time).
  • Learn whether each verb needs an object and whether that object can move.
  • Make example sentences for each phrasal verb.
  • Try to use them in your daily English when writing or speaking.

In natural speech, the particle is often stressed: turn OFF, pick UP. Listening for the particle can help you recognise a phrasal verb, but stress can change with context.

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Common phrasal verbs

A2

Common A2 Phrasal verbs

30 words

Last updated August 23, 2026