Hemos resumido aquí, de un modo práctico, los 20 Verbos Frasales más conocidos y de uso más frecuente. No pretende, por lo tanto, convertirse en un tratado verbal académico. Para ampliar tus conocimientos visita nuestra flamante sección OM PHRASAL donde encontrarás 1000 frasales ordenados alfabéticamente mediante un índice interactivo. Esta colección está acompañada de ejemplos bilingües, ejercicios en diferentes niveles con respuestas y ofrece amplias posibilidades para estudiantes y profesores.

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Con frecuencia los estudiantes, sintiéndose incapaces de aprender cientos de verbos frasales, nos preguntan: Si sólo puedo retener 20 verbos en mi cabeza, ¿cuáles elijo?

Desde luego, cualquier listado de este tipo es incompleto y subjetivo. Por otra parte, con el tiempo te darás cuenta que tu propia actividad, estudios o distracciones te irán señalando cuáles son los verbos frasales de mayor utilidad en tu caso. Este es sólo un listado general y no hemos incluido necesariamente los frasales más fáciles (wake up, get out) porque generalmente no presentan problemas entre los estudiantes. Hemos utilizado estas abreviaturas en el texto: so. por someone (alguien) y sth. por something (algo).

1

be over

(intransitive) have finished.
e.g. You're late the meeting is already over.

2

break down

(intransitive) stop functioning properly (if we're talking about a machine), or, lose control of your emotions and start crying (if we're talking about people).
e.g. He broke down when he saw that the coffee-machine had broken down and he couldn't get his dose of caffeine!

3

bring so. up

care for, educate in a specific set of ethical ideas and prepare so. for adult life.
e.g. She was brought up by her aunt after her mother died.

4

catch up with so.

(literally) reach the place where so. else is, by going faster than him/her (e.g. in a race).
(metaphorically) reach the level of more advanced learners by studying faster than them.
e.g. I worked hard to catch up with the other students because I didn't want to repeat the course the following year.

5

find (sth.) out

discover information.
e.g. I only found out later that he had lied to me.

6

give up

(intransitive) stop trying.
e.g. This is too difficult, I give up!
give yourself up means to surrender (to the enemy or the police).
e.g. The bandit gave himself up to the police.
give sth. up (transitive) means to stop doing (an activity) or to surrender an object.
e.g. I'm going to give up smoking in May.

7

look for sth. / so.

try to find.
e.g. Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr Page, the cashier.

8

look sth. up

try to find (in a book or on a list).
e.g. Look up the words you don't know in a dictionary.

9

set sth. up

establish, create.
e.g. In 1999 they set up their own company; now they are rich.

10

carry on (doing)

continue.
e.g. He carried on making noise as if nothing had happened.

11

carry sth. out

perform, undertake, execute (instructions).
e.g. I told him to carry out your orders to the letter.

12

give sth. back

back return.
e.g. You promised to give the CD back last week and I still haven't got it!

13

hold so. / sth. up

delay.
e.g. I was held up in the traffic jam for an hour and missed the meeting.

14

put sth. off

postpone.
e.g. The decision has been put off until next month.
put s.o. off means distract, break so.'s concentration.
e.g. The noise of TV put me off and I couldn't concentrate