B2 PHRASAL VERBS
Los phrasal verbs son una de las cuestiones gramaticales que más confusión causan entre los alumnos de B2 de las escuelas de inglés. Los phrasal verbs se forman cuando a un verbo se le añade una preposición o un adverbio, su significado cambia drásticamente, dificultando su comprensión. Sin embargo, como todo lo relacionado con los idiomas, la única forma de dominarlos es practicar.
Algunos phrasal verbs B2
Break down, call off, calm down, catch up
Break down /breɪk daʊn/ to separate into parts, analyze descomponerse
If John ever broke down in the woods, he’d always have a ready supply of kindling for a warm bonfire.
Before breaking down the door and arresting one of the suspects, the cops in crime novels have a couple of suspects.
Call off /kɔ:l ɔːf/ cancel an event cancelar, suspender
The union threatened a strike, but it was called off at the last minute.
That Mahatma Gandhi, rather than compromise, chose to call off his mass movement and postpone India’s independence.
Calm down /kɑːm daʊn/ become less angry, upset, or excited calmarse
When we last saw you in December, you told us that you expected 3 percent inflation in 2008 then things would calm down.
Once removed from direct sunlight, prickly heat will often calm down naturally but, lotions and sprays may help soothe and reduce itching.
Catch up (with/on) /kætʃ ʌp wɪθ ɑːn/ come up even, as by hurrying or by extra work; overtake ponerse al día
How long will politicians take to catch up with popular culture?
So, over some popcorn at her favorite movie theater, we caught up with her for all the gossip.
Carry out, clear up, come across, come down with, close down
Carry out /ˈkæri aʊt/ put (plans, instructions, etc.) into practice poner en práctica
You were the one who stated that we were dealing with zealots who would go to any length to carry out their plans.
But she’d take a message, and he’d be able to rely on someone from the Agence to carry out his wishes.
Clear up /klɪr ʌp/ make or become clear aclarar
Your ability to clear up misunderstandings that plague a family relationship is crucial.
You can clear up misunderstandings, calm emotions, and ensure that jealousy does not play a role in family relationships.
Close down /kloʊs daʊn/ shut or stop entirely dejar de operar
As she cleared the table and they continued talking, depression began to close down like a lid.
Restaurants are closing down all over the country because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Come across /kʌm əˈkrɔs/ meet by accident; find by chance encontrarse
Just round the corner, they came across a man clearing out an old barn.
How would you react if you were walking through the woods and came across a group of naked people?
Come down (with) /kʌm daʊn wɪθ/ contract (a cold, flu, etc.) caer enfermo
I’m hoping, like you, that she doesn’t come down with a terrible thud.
Some doctors also prescribe antiviral medications to people in the same household who come down with chickenpox.
Come up with, count on, cut down, cut off
Come up (with) /kʌm ʌp wɪθ/ propose, produce, find, suggest idear
You’ll have to come up with your own reasons for being over there.
If we don’t come up with a solution quickly, I’ll have to drop the charges against Ames.
Count on /kaʊnt ɑːn/ rely or depend on contar con algo
We want to count on the best professionals to help us grow our business.
You can count on the Russian delegation’s unwavering support and cooperation.
Cut down (on) /kʌt daʊn ɑːn/ make something shorter reducir
It is now up to all of us to put our efforts into action in order to increase efficiency and cut down on red tape.
Cut off /kʌt ɔːf/ separate from other parts by cutting; sever cortar, separar
She fought her way down to the fence that cut off both gardens from the highway.
They had a young man whose leg had been cut off by a train.
Deal with, do up, do without, dress up
Deal with /dil wɪð/ take action on actuar
Her mind hadn’t had time to deal with the broader implications of all that sadistic megalomania trapped within the woman who ruled Medallion.
Even in this day and age of greater transparency, someone must still enter the sewer to deal with the rats.
Do up /du: ʌp/ fasten, tie clothes abrochar, peinarse
This dress does up at the back. Could you help me?
Do up your shoelaces before leaving home, please.
Do without /du: wɪðˈaʊt/ get along without; dispense with no necesitar
This is also something you cannot do without seeking assistance, which you have already done by writing this letter.
Once you have the right habits, it becomes something you do without thinking and, then you are walking the right way.
Dress up /drɛs ʌp/ improve the appearance of, as by decorating disfrazarse
I explained to her when you dress up, put on make-up, and act, you transform into someone else.
I’m not sure why I bother dressing up in all these lovely clothes you buy for me.
Drop by/in, drop off, drop out of
Drop by/in /drɔp baɪ ɪn/ visit someone informally pasarse
They will hold the bill until the next time you drop by the branch.
To obtain certification, these must wait three years, during which time production – without the use of artificial fertilizer – can drop by 30%.
Drop off /drɔp ɔːf/ start to sleep, fall asleep dormirse, disminuir
My husband usually drops off in front of the TV.
Business often dropped off a little during the summer.
Drop out (of) /drɔp oʊt ʌv/ stop being a member or participant abandonar, dejar
His father and grandfather were both severely injured, and Dad was forced to drop out of school.
He decided to drop out of active politics and spend his life traveling.
Face up to, fall out (with), figure out
Face up to /fɛɪs ʌp tuː/ face with courage; confront and resist afrontar
When people begin to accept and face up to what has occurred, they are able to deal with it and grow from the experience.
Unambiguous and authoritative scientific evidence is now overwhelming, emphasizing the critical need to face up to this global challenge.
Fall out (with) /fɑːl oʊt wɪθ/ argue with someone and stop being friendly with them pelearse
My sister-in-law left home after falling out with her parents.
We do not want to fall out with the competition.
Figure out /ˈfɪɡjər aʊt/ understand; reason out entender
She couldn’t figure out anything about them other than the fact that they obviously had a lot of money.
Meanwhile, Bob was racking his brains to figure out what had happened.
Get across, get away from/with, get by on/in/with, get (sb) down
Get across /gɛt əˈkrɔs/ clarify or explain convincingly hacerse entender
Nearby stands a beautiful woman who asks for help getting across.
The one thing that a parent has to do is get across the idea that going to school is mandatory.
Get away (from/with) /gɛt əˈwɛɪ frəm wɪθ/ succeed in doing or taking without being discovered or punished escaparse, salirse con la suya
I’m going to be an example to all the others who are trying to get away with what I tried.
A police officer grabbed him, but he got away with all the money and some jewels.
Get by (on/in/with) /gɛt baɪ ɑːn ɪn wɪθ/ manage or live/deal with a situation by having very little of something you need money arreglarsélas
Honestly, I don’t know how she can get by on six hours of sleep a night.
I can get by with my computer at the moment, but a more powerful one would be much better.
Get (sb) down /gɛt daʊn/ make someone feel unhappy deprimirse
Doing the same thing every single day can get you down.
Your words get Julian down because his parents abandoned him.
Get through, get over, get off
Get through /gɛt θruː/ deal with/experience something, sometimes difficult or unpleasant superar
She got through her driving test without too much trouble.
To be honest, I don’t know how I got through the first few months after my mother died.
Get over /gɛt ˈoʊvər/ recover from/overcome something unpleasant recuperarse
Tell your husband that you love him but that you need his support to get over the experience.
It caused a slew of issues, but we got over it and, things have been fine for a long time.
Go off /goʊ ɔːf/ go away; leave, esp. suddenly marcharse
I got a lot of flak for letting you two go off without informing the Special Forces Brigade first.
If we break up, I can borrow Dad’s car and go off on long, moody weekend drives.
Let (sb) down, look back (on/at), look down on
Let (sb) down /lɛt daʊn/ disappoint somebody by failing to help/support them defraudar
I’m counting on your assistance tomorrow; please don’t let me down.
This vehicle won’t let you down.
Look back (on/at) /lʊk bæk ɑːn/æt/ remember something that happened in the past mirar hacia atras
We’ll look back on this and laugh one day.
Honestly, looking back now, I admit I didn’t always do the right thing.
Look down on /lʊk daʊn ɑːn/ regard as an inferior menospreciar
She looks down on people who haven’t attended a university.
But I’m not going to stand on a gravestone and look down on life, exclaiming, “Oh lovely!”
Look into, look up, look up to, make up for
Look into /lʊk ˌɪnˈtuː/ examine carefully; investigate investigar
We are looking into the possibility of relocating.
He was also correct about the need to look into our mortgage situation; we will set up an appointment.
Look up /lʊk ʌp/ search for in a book of reference, etc. Buscar en un listado
If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you can look it up in the dictionary.
I went online and looked up her phone number.
Look up to /lʊk ʌp tuː/ regard with great respect admirar
Moreover, the gang leader often becomes the role model that younger members look up to in the absence of a father.
You are the true heroes I will look up to among all the men and women who serve our country.
Make up (for) /meɪk ʌp fɔr/ invent: explanation, story, excuse, etc. in order to deceive or entertain inventarse
He made up some excuse about his dog eating his homework.
Cedric and Hermione had insisted on having titles, allowing art to make up for what nature had denied them.
Pass out, point out, put off, put up with
Pass out /pæs aʊt/ distribute, become unconscious repartir, desmayarse
He struggled to his feet, wondering if he’d pass out and who could handle die-casting the best.
The teacher passed out the examination papers to have a review.
Point out /pɔɪnt aʊt/ indicate or specify señalar
They pointed out that we had two hours before dinner.
The paper went out of its way to point out that the “vast majority” of prearrangement companies were honest with their customers.
Put off /pʊt ɔːf/ leave until later; postpone; delay aplazar
Women who put off having a baby often make the best mothers.
The Association has put the event off until October.
Put up with /pʊt ʌp wɪð/ bear or suffer patiently; tolerate tolerar
They were willing to put up with a lot to get what they wanted.
Your father will no longer put it with your bad behavior/smoking!
Sell out of, set off, set out
Sell out (of) /sɛl aʊt ʌv/ get rid of completely by selling agotarse
The T-shirts sold out in the first few hours on the online store.
But without the reef, people are forced to sell out at rock-bottom prices to pay their debts.
Set off /sɛt ɔf/ start (a person) doing something desencadenar, salir
The president’s comments set off a debate on education.
She set off on these trips, often in the small hours of the morning, leaving Peter to the ostensible care of Mickey.
Set out /sɛt aʊt/ limit; define; mark out comenzar un viaje
The manager set out his plans for the coming year.
I packed my suitcase and set out on a journey.
Set up, show off, slow down
Set up /sɛt ʌp/ place in an upright position configurar, ajustar
The set of icons you see depends on which programs or services you have installed and how your computer manufacturer set up your computer.
Attachments can be limited to a certain size file chosen by the person who set up the forum.
Show off /ʃoʊ ɔːf/ behave in a manner intended to attract attention presumir
She couldn’t wait to start walking around in a full hedgehog costume so she could show off the entire ensemble.
They like to show off by wearing expensive shoes wherever they go.
Slow down /sloʊ daʊn/ become/go slower, or to make someone or something go at a slower speed reducir la velocidad
It’s especially beneficial for older women whose lashes are thinning, as it has been shown in studies to slow down shedding.
Now that your hectic workweek is coming to an end, it’s time to slow down and relax.
Take after, take off, take up, tell (sb) off
Take after /teɪk ˈæftər/ resemble (another person, as a parent) physically, temperamentally parecerse
My brother takes after my mother’s side of the family.
I hope the children don’t take after their grandfather.
Take off /teɪk ɔf/ leave the ground or water in flight despegar
It is the human capital that Africa south of the Sahara required to take off.
The plane took off ten minutes after the last passenger had sat down.
Take up /teɪk ʌp/ assume protection or custody of asumir
Ladies and gentlemen, almost all of you have mentioned the Convention, which will take up a great deal of our attention as of 28 February.
There are some key characteristics that we are looking for in the type of people who are suited to take up this exciting opportunity.
Tell (sb) off /tɛl ɔːf/ speak angrily to somebody for doing something bad regañar
Bernat pissed his pants, wetting the seat but, his father didn’t even tell him off, as if he were only waiting to get home.
I’m going to tell you off for being late again.
Think over, turn down, turn out, turn up
Think over /θɪŋk ˈoʊvər/ give thought to; ponder well, as for reconsideration reflexionar
I think that over the last few weeks, people have been attempting to shake up the entire club.
I’ll think over your proposal and respond to you next week.
Turn down /tɝːn daʊn/ reject the request, advice, etc. of (someone) rechazar, reducir
You see, if you turn over my generous offer, I’ll have to destroy you three.
Please turn the volume down a little.
Turn out (to/that) /tɝːn aʊt tuː ðæt/ result/prove to be, or develop/happen in a particular way resultar
The job turns out to be more difficult than we anticipated.
Charles turned out to be a friend of my sister’s.
Turn up /tɝːn ʌp/ be found, especially by accident, after being lost aparecer, subir la intensidad
Turning DIGITAL SAFETY on may allow you to turn up the volume a little more.
You can’t just sit around and wait for the next job to turn up.
Use up, work on, work out, run out of
Use up /juːz ʌp/ finish (a supply); consume completely agotar
They claimed that was why the man had the right to use up the world as a chick uses its egg: so that we could hatch from it.
They spent their days idling around the void, using up gasoline.
Work on /wɜ:k ɑːn/ be dealing with, or try hard to improve/repair something trabajar
Have you found a sitter yet? Not yet, but I’m working on it.
You must work on your listening skills more.
Work out /wɜ:k aʊt/ train/do physical exercise hacer ejercicio
I try to work out five times a week.
Some people are obsessed with working out their bodies these days.
Watch out (for) /wɔtʃ oʊt fɔːr/ be alert and on one’s guard; be careful tener cuidado
Watch out! You’re going to hit that car!
You weren’t aware of watching out for the potential pitfalls.
Run out (of) /rʌn aʊt ʌv/ use up a supply of (something) agotarse
I ran out of gas on the way home, but luckily, I was very close to a garage.
When you run out of potential coalition partners, the game is over.
