Phrasal Verbs You Need to Know!
Here are more than 20 common and essential phrasal verbs you need to know! Sometimes we can avoid phrasal verbs by using a word that has a similar meaning, but there are some phrasal verbs which are very difficult to avoid. In this video I act out several common phrasal verbs for daily use.
1. wake up
2. get up
3. turn on
4. turn off
5. put on
6. take off
7. get on
8. pick up
9. look up
10. try on
11. put away
12. sit down
13. stand up
14. throw out
15. go out
16. grow up
17. sign in
18. log in
19. sign out
20. log out
Video Transcript
Hi guys. Welcome back to English with Max.
In this video we’re going to look at 20 very common phrasal verbs that you need to know.
There are lots of phrasal verbs which have non-phrasal verb equivalents.
In other words you can often use other words so you don’t have to use a phrasal verb.
However, there are some phrasal verbs which are very difficult to avoid.
In this video we’re going to look at some of those phrasal verbs.
If you want to speak English well, you really need to know these ones.
My mum is actually filming this video for us – hi mum – (hi) and I’m going to act out most of these phrasal verbs.
Some of these have several meanings, so I’m just going to focus on the main ones.
As usual, if you’d like to follow me on social media, I have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
And if you would like to sign up for my free advanced English email lessons, you’ll find the link in the description.
This phrasal verb is: to wake up.
“To wake up” means to go from sleeping to being awake.
And of course I always wake up looking like this, just like in the movies.
The next phrasal verb is: to get up. “To get up” means to leave your bed.
So now I’m getting up.
“To get up” also means to stand up.
So if you go from sitting to standing up, that’s getting up as well.
Now we have: to turn on.
I’m turning on the light.
This is a separable phrasal verb, so you can say: I’m turning on the light, I’m turning the light on, or I’m turning it on.
Similarly, I’m turning on the lamp.
You can also say “switch on” instead of “turn on”.
They mean the same thing.
“Turn on” also has another meaning, which is a bit sexual, but I’ll let you look that up in a dictionary.
The opposite of “turn on” is “turn off”.
I have turned off the lamp.
I am now turning off the light.
You can also say “switch off”.
I have switched off the lamp and the light.
And now we have: put on.
Before I go out I’m going to put on some earrings.
This is a separable phrasal verb as well, so you can also say: I’m going to put some earrings on… When I find the hole.
Got it!
I’m also going to put on a jacket.
Now be careful.
Lots of people who are learning English say: I’m going to put a jacket.
But you need the word “on”.
I’m going to put on a jacket.
Or: I’m going to put a jacket on.
“Put on” can also mean turn on.
I’m putting on the light, for example.
So you could say “turn on”, “put on”, or “switch on” for the light, but because I’m leaving the room and I like to think I’m ecological, I’m going to turn it off.
I’m now actually a bit hot, so I’m going to take off my jacket.
“To take off” is the opposite of “put on”.
Now “to take off” is also what a plane does when it leaves the ground, so if a plane is going like that, it is taking off.
The next phrasal verb is: to get on.
You can also say to get along.
This means to have a good relationship with somebody.
For example, my mum and I get on, which is good because we currently live together.
You can also say: to get on WELL. So: We get on well.
And I could also say: I get on well with my mum.
Or: I get along well with my mum.
The next one is: to pick up.
I am now picking up the book.
I am now going to try to pick up Monty.
I have picked up Monty.
And now I’m going to put Monty down.
Okay. I have put Monty…
He’s not very happy.
Okay, I picked up Monty and I have put Monty down.
So we have “to pick up”, and “to put down”.
So “to put down” is the opposite of “to pick up”.
And now we have: to look up.
Now “to look up” has two main meanings.
Firstly it can mean to do that.
So to look towards the ceiling if you are inside, or to look towards the sky if you are outside.
Don’t bite me, Monty.
Okay. Now if you’re, for example, at a desk and you have your head down and you go like that, that’s also looking up.
For example, you could say: I looked up when I heard a noise.
I am now looking down at Monty because I don’t know what he’s going to do.
“To look up” can also mean to try to find information in a book, on a computer, on the internet, etc.
For example, this is a dictionary and if I want to know the meaning of a word, I can look it up in the dictionary.
And now we have: to try on.
Normally if you buy new shoes or new clothes, you want to know if they fit you or suit you before you buy them.
Nowadays sometimes we buy them in a shop and bring them home to do that, and sometimes we order things online and then we try them on at home.
But yes, the verb for this is: to try on.
I’m now going to try on a cardigan.
Let’s see.
Do you like the colour, Mum?
(Yes, the colour’s nice.)
Let’s see. What do you think, Monty?
Do I look beautiful?
(It’s a little bit big.)
Yeah, this is probably a little bit big.
This is actually my dad’s cardigan.
And now we have: to put away.
“To put away” means to put something in the place where it is usually kept.
For example: I am now going to put Frank away.
No, I’m kidding.
Frank doesn’t actually live in a cupboard.
He lives in a drawer.
But this cup belongs in the cupboard, so I’m going to put the cup away.
Now after all that activity, I’m feeling a bit tired, so I’m going to sit down.
This is me sitting down.
This phrasal verb is a bit interesting because it has two main meanings, and the first one is to do what I just did – to go from a standing position to a sitting position.
But it can also mean to be in a sitting position.
Right now I am sitting down.
The opposite is: to stand up.
And as I said before, you can also say “to get up”.
And now: to throw out.
“To throw out” means to get rid of something that you don’t need or want.
For example, this is rubbish and I’m going to throw it out.
Don’t worry, I am going to put it in the recycling.
Oh and these are Frank’s empty beer bottles.
And now I’m going to go out to put these in the recycling.
“To go out” has lots of meanings, but the main meaning is to leave a building or a room.
“To go out” can also mean to go somewhere for entertainment.
For example: I like to go out on the weekends to have drinks with my friends.
Frank likes to go out every night.
Another very common phrasal verb is: to grow up.
“To grow up” means to develop from a child into an adult.
For example: I grew up in this house.
So when I was a child, this was the house that I lived in.
It’s also something that you can say if you think someone is behaving immaturely.
For example: Frank, stop pulling George’s tail and grow up.
And now a couple of phrasal verbs related to computers.
If I want to check my emails, I first need to sign in.
I could also say: I need to sign into my email account.
Another phrasal verb which basically means the same thing is: log in.
I’m going to log in.
Or: I’m going to log into my email account.
The opposite of “sign in” and “log in” is “sign out” or “log out”.
When I’ve finished reading my emails, I could say: I’m going to sign out.
Or: I’m going to sign out of my email account.
Thanks very much for watching, everyone.
I hope you found this helpful.
If you would like to practise using one of these phrasal verbs, please write a sentence in the comments and I will try to correct it for you.
See you next time!
Where’s Monty?
You want to be on the computer?
Mum’s arm’s getting sore.