Learning English Phrasal Verbs
- David Fisher
- Nov 16
- 4 min read
Understanding Phrasal Verbs in English: A Simple Guide for Hebrew Speakers
Learning English is a fun and rewarding experience, but sometimes, it feels like you’re learning a completely different language, even if you already speak another language.
One of the challenges that many English learners face is phrasal verbs. These are expressions made up of a verb + preposition or + an adverb.
In this blog post, I will explain what phrasal verbs are, why they’re important, and how to use them correctly. By the end, you’ll understand why phrasal verbs are crucial to mastering English and how they will help you sound more natural and fluent.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
In simple terms, a phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles (which are either prepositions or adverbs). These combinations create a new meaning that is often different from the meaning of the verb alone.
For example:
Give up doesn’t mean to give something to someone, like the verb give alone. It means to stop trying or quit.
Look after doesn’t just mean to look with your eyes, but to care for or take care of someone or something.
Run into doesn’t just mean to run and hit something, but to meet someone unexpectedly.
In Hebrew, you often don’t have these kinds of verb + preposition combinations that change the meaning of the verb so drastically. This is why they are confusing at first for Hebrew speakers learning English. But don’t worry! Once you understand how they work, using them will become easier.
Why Are Phrasal Verbs Important?
Phrasal Verbs Are Very Common in Everyday English - If you want to sound like a native English speaker, it’s important to use phrasal verbs. Native speakers use them all the time, in both spoken and written English. Phrasal verbs help you communicate more naturally and make you sound more fluent. For example, native speakers might say, I’ll pick up the phone or She broke down in tears, rather than more formal alternatives like I will take the phone or She started crying.
Phrasal verbs are often simpler and shorter than their formal counterparts -Instead of using long, formal phrases, English speakers often choose a phrasal verb. Instead of saying arrive at, people often say get in. Instead of don’t waste time, you might hear don’t mess around. This makes phrasal verbs an easy shortcut to sound more natural and fluent.
Phrasal Verbs Change the Meaning of the Verb Completely - Some phrasal verbs have meanings that you won’t find in any dictionary definition of the individual words. This is why learning them as phrases is so important. Using the example of the verb turn, we find phrasal verbs such as turn up, meaning to appear or arrive unexpectedly, turn down, meaning to reject or refuse something, and turn off meaning to stop something from working, like a light or a device. Without understanding the phrasal verb, you could easily misunderstand the meaning.
Phrasal Verbs Help You Understand Native Speakers - English speakers often use phrasal verbs in conversations, movies, TV shows, and songs. If you don’t know them, it's hard to follow along. For example, if someone says let’s wrap up this meeting, it’s much easier to understand when you know that wrap up means to finish or complete something.
How to Learn Phrasal Verbs Effectively
Begin with the most common phrasal verbs that native English speakers use every day. Here are some examples:
Get up - to rise from bed
Look for - to search for something
Give up - to quit or stop trying
Pick up - to collect or lift something
Run into - to meet someone unexpectedly
Learn Them in Context - It’s not enough to just memorize phrasal verbs. You need to learn them in context. By seeing and hearing them used in sentences. For example: She picked up the book from the table, and, I ran into my old friend at the store yesterday. This way, you will understand how they work and how they fit into different situations.
Practice, Practice, Practice Just like anything else in language learning, the key to mastering phrasal verbs is regular practice.
Watch English movies and TV shows with subtitles.
Read books or articles in English.
Write sentences using new phrasal verbs you learn.
Speak with native English speakers or other learners.
Don’t Worry About Making Mistakes Learning a language is about communication, not perfection. Don’t be afraid to use phrasal verbs, even if you’re not 100% sure. Native English speakers will appreciate your effort, and over time, you’ll improve.
A Few Examples of Phrasal Verbs and Their Meanings
Look up - to search for information. I need to look up the word in the dictionary.
Turn on - to activate. Please turn on the lights.
Give in - to surrender or stop resisting. He finally gave in to pressure.
Check out - to examine or inspect. I recommend you check out that new movie.
Bring up - to mention or start talking about something. She brought up an interesting point.
Phrasal verbs are a unique and important part of English. Even though they are tricky at first, with practice and patience, you will get the hang of them.
They will help you understand English better, sound more natural when speaking, and make your conversations flow more smoothly. So, don’t be afraid to give them a try. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become.
Do you have a favorite phrasal verb in English? Or maybe you’ve encountered one that you found confusing? Feel free to share in the comments, and I’d be happy to help.
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