Hablar inglés con fluidez va más allá de aprender gramática y palabras sueltas: es entender y utilizar expresiones que surgen en conversaciones reales.

En Twenix, lo hemos vivido una y otra vez: profesionales que entienden el inglés «clásico», pero se bloquean cuando escuchan un simple «give up» o «look after». Por eso, aprender los phrasal verbs no es opcional si de verdad quieres hablar inglés fluido en la vida real.

En este artículo, hemos preparado una lista de los 170 phrasal verbs más comunes en inglés, junto a ejemplos de uso y su significado en español para que puedas empezar hoy mismo a dominarlos.

Let’s go!

Clases de inglés particulares

¿Qué son los phrasal verbs y por qué son tan importantes en inglés?

Un phrasal verb es la combinación de un verbo + una partícula (preposición o adverbio), que juntos crean un significado totalmente nuevo.

Por ejemplo:

  • «Give up» no es «dar arriba», sino rendirse.
  • «Look after» no es «mirar después», sino cuidar de alguien.

Se usan todo el tiempo en contextos: si trabajas en una empresa internacional, tienes reuniones en inglés o simplemente quieres viajar sin parecer un robot con diccionario, necesitas manejarlos con soltura.

En Twenix, hemos diseñado nuestras clases particulares de inglés para que los estudiantes se enfrenten a estas expresiones de forma natural, hablando, y no memorizando.

Consejos para aprender phrasal verbs en inglés

¿La clave? Contexto y repetición activa.

Un phrasal verb que ves en una lista lo olvidas al día siguiente, pero uno que usas para contar algo de tu día se te queda grabado.

Algunos consejos que siempre damos:

  • Agrúpalos por verbo base. Ayuda a encontrar patrones y a recordar significados parecidos, como verás a continuación.
  • Crea tus propias frases con situaciones que te suenen familiares. Cuanto más personal sea el ejemplo, más fácil será recordarlo.
  • Escúchalos en series, pelis o pódcasts. Cuando los oyes en una conversación real, entiendes mejor cómo y cuándo se usan. No es lo mismo ver «break up» en una lista que escucharlo en medio de una escena de ruptura en tu serie favorita.
  • Practícalos en voz alta. No tengas miedo de sonar raro al principio. Cuanto más los uses, más naturales te saldrán.

Y ahora sí, aquí tienes la lista que estabas buscando.

Lista completa de los 170 phrasal verbs más usados en inglés

Phrasal verbs con GET

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Get up Levantarse I usually get up at 7 a.m. even on weekends.
Get along (with) Llevarse bien (con alguien) They really get along well despite their differences.
Get over Superar (una situación difícil o enfermedad) It took her months to get over the breakup.
Get by Arreglárselas, sobrevivir I don’t earn much, but I manage to get by.
Get in Entrar (a un vehículo o lugar cerrado) She got in the car and drove away.
Get out Salir (de un vehículo o lugar cerrado) Get out of the room, it’s not safe!
Get back Volver, regresar When did you get back from your trip?
Get away Escaparse, alejarse We’re planning to get away for the weekend.
Get ahead Progresar, avanzar profesionalmente You need to work hard to get ahead in this company.
Get through Superar algo complicado / Comunicarse por teléfono I couldn’t get through the book – it was too long.
Get down to Ponerse manos a la obra, centrarse en algo Let’s get down to business and start the meeting.
Get around Moverse por un sitio / evitar algo He gets around town by bike.
Get together Reunirse, quedar con alguien Let’s get together for lunch next week.
Get off Bajarse de un transporte / Librarse de un castigo She got off the train at the last station.
Get on Subirse a un transporte / Llevarse bien He got on the bus just in time.

Phrasal verbs con TAKE

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Take off Despegar (avión) / Quitarse (ropa) The plane took off on time. / He took off his jacket.
Take off (informal) Volverse popular rápidamente / Salir corriendo His career really took off last year. / He saw the police and took off.
Take up Empezar una actividad nueva / Ocupar espacio o tiempo I took up yoga last month. / This sofa takes up too much space.
Take over Asumir el control de algo She took over the project after the manager left.
Take in Entender / Asimilar / Acoger That’s a lot of information to take in. / They took in a stray cat.
Take out Sacar / Invitar a salir Could you take the trash out? / I’ll take you out to dinner.
Take back Devolver / Retractarse I need to take back this shirt. / I take back what I said.
Take on Aceptar un reto / Contratar She took on a new role at work. / We’re taking on new staff.
Take down Apuntar / Desmontar Let me take down your number. / They took down the decorations.
Take after Parecerse a alguien (físico o carácter) She takes after her father – same sense of humor.

 

Phrasal verbs con LOOK

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Look after Cuidar de alguien She looks after her little brother every afternoon.
Look up Buscar información (en libro, internet…) I looked up the word in the dictionary.
Look for Buscar algo o a alguien I’m looking for my keys, have you seen them?
Look forward to Esperar con ilusión algo que ocurrirá I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
Look out Tener cuidado, estar atento Look out! There’s a car coming!
Look into Investigar, examinar algo The manager will look into the complaint.
Look up to Admirar a alguien She has always looked up to her older sister.
Look down on Menospreciar, mirar por encima del hombro He looks down on people who don’t have a degree.
Look back Recordar, mirar hacia el pasado When I look back on my childhood, I smile.
Look around Mirar alrededor, explorar un lugar We looked around the old town before heading home.

Phrasal verbs con GO

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Go on Continuar, seguir adelante Please, go on with your story.
Go out Salir (de casa, con alguien) We’re going out for dinner tonight.
Go over Revisar, repasar Let’s go over the report before submitting it.
Go back Volver, regresar I have to go back to the office this afternoon.
Go through Pasar por (una experiencia difícil), revisar algo a fondo She went through a lot last year.
Go off Sonar (alarma), explotar, estropearse (comida) The alarm went off at 6 a.m. / This milk has gone off.
Go ahead Adelante, continuar If you have a question, go ahead and ask.
Go up Subir (precios, temperatura), ascender Prices have gone up again this month.
Go down Bajar, disminuir / Ser recordado / ser bien recibido The temperature went down last night.
Go with Combinar con / Acompañar This shirt goes with your jeans. / I’ll go with you.

Phrasal verbs con COME

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Come in Entrar Please, come in and have a seat.
Come out Salir / Hacerse público / Resultar The truth finally came out.
Come up Surgir (un tema, una oportunidad) That issue came up during the meeting.
Come across Encontrarse por casualidad I came across an old friend at the market.
Come over Pasarse por un sitio, visitar Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?
Come back Volver She came back from her trip last night.
Come down with Caer enfermo con algo I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Come up with Inventar, proponer una idea She came up with a great marketing plan.
Come off Salir bien / Despegarse (pegatina, etc.) The plan came off better than expected. / The label came off easily.
Come through Lograr superar algo difícil / Cumplir una promesa He really came through in the end and saved the deal.

Phrasal verbs con TURN

Phrasal verb     Significado Ejemplo
Turn on Encender algo Can you turn on the light, please?
Turn off Apagar algo Don’t forget to turn off the TV before bed.
Turn up Aparecer / Subir el volumen He turned up late to the meeting. / Turn up the radio.
Turn down Rechazar / Bajar el volumen She turned down the job offer. / Can you turn down the music?
Turn around Dar la vuelta / Mejorar algo rápidamente Turn around and look at this. / The new manager turned the company around.
Turn into Convertirse en The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.
Turn over Voltear / Entregar Please turn over the paper. / He turned over the keys to the landlord.
Turn out Resultar / Acudir It turned out better than we expected. / Thousands turned out to protest.
Turn to Recurrir a alguien/algo In tough times, she always turns to her family.
Turn back Volver atrás It’s getting dark, we should turn back now.

Phrasal verbs con MAKE

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Make up Inventar (una historia, excusa) / Reconciliarse She made up an excuse for being late. / They finally made up.
Make out Entender, distinguir / Besarse apasionadamente I couldn’t make out what he was saying. / They were making out in the movie.
Make over Transformar, renovar They made over the living room completely.
Make up for Compensar por algo He worked extra hours to make up for his absence.
Make into Convertir algo en otra cosa They made the garage into a home office.
Make of Pensar o interpretar algo What do you make of this situation?
Make do (with) Arreglárselas con lo que se tiene We didn’t have much food, but we made do with what we had.
Make out to be Pretender ser algo / alguien He makes himself out to be smarter than he is.
Make after Perseguir The dog made after the cat as soon as it saw it.
Make away with Robar y huir The thieves made away with several valuable paintings.

Phrasal verbs con SET

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Set up Establecer, organizar They set up the meeting room before the presentation.
Set off Partir (de viaje) / Hacer explotar / Activar We set off early in the morning. / The smoke set off the alarm.
Set out Emprender un viaje o meta / Exponer He set out to become a doctor. / She set out her ideas clearly.
Set back Retrasar / Costar dinero The accident set us back several weeks. / The repairs set me back $200.
Set in Comenzar algo negativo Winter has set in early this year.
Set aside Apartar, reservar He set aside some money for the holidays.
Set down Colocar / Poner por escrito She set the tray down carefully. / He set down his thoughts in a notebook.
Set against Enfrentar, oponer The story sets brother against brother.
Set upon Atacar The hikers were set upon by wild animals.
Set forth Exponer, presentar (formal) He set forth his vision during the conference.

Phrasal verbs con GIVE

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Give up Rendirse, dejar de intentar algo I gave up trying to fix the printer.
Give in Ceder, rendirse (ante presión) He finally gave in to their demands.
Give out Repartir / Agotarse They gave out free samples at the store. / The batteries gave out.
Give away Regalar / Revelar un secreto She gave away her old clothes. / Don’t give away the surprise!
Give off Despedir, emitir (olor, luz, calor…) The flowers gave off a lovely scent.
Give back Devolver algo Don’t forget to give back the book you borrowed.
Give over to Dedicar tiempo/espacio a algo The entire room was given over to storage.
Give on to Dar a (una calle, jardín…) My room gives on to the courtyard.
Give it to Regañar fuertemente The boss really gave it to him after the mistake.
Give way Ceder el paso / Colapsar You must give way at the junction. / The bridge gave way.

Phrasal verbs con CUT

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Cut off Cortar, desconectar The phone call was cut off suddenly.
Cut down on Reducir el consumo de algo I’m trying to cut down on sugar.
Cut out Eliminar / Recortar algo Cut out the pictures from the magazine. / I cut out dairy.
Cut back Recortar (gastos, consumo) We had to cut back on our spending.
Cut in Interrumpir, meterse en una conversación She kept cutting in while I was speaking.
Cut up Cortar en pedazos He cut up the vegetables for the salad.
Cut across Atajar, tomar un camino más corto We cut across the field to save time.
Cut into Interrumpir / Reducir His comments cut into my time.
Cut out for Ser apto para algo I’m not cut out for office work.
Cut off from Aislar, desconectar The village was cut off from the rest of the world.

Phrasal verbs con BRING

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Bring up Mencionar un tema / criar (a un niño) She brought up an interesting point. / They brought up their children in Spain.
Bring about Provocar, causar The new law brought about many changes.
Bring out Sacar, resaltar That shirt really brings out your eyes.
Bring down Hacer caer / Reducir The scandal brought down the politician. / We need to bring down costs.
Bring in Introducir / Generar (dinero o personas) The new product brought in a lot of revenue.
Bring forward Adelantar (una fecha) They brought the meeting forward to Monday.
Bring back Devolver / traer recuerdos Can you bring back my book? / This song brings back memories.
Bring along Traer contigo Don’t forget to bring along your ID.
Bring over Llevar o traer a alguien a casa I’ll bring my friend over for dinner.
Bring together Reunir, unir The event brought people from all backgrounds together.

Phrasal verbs con CALL

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Call off Cancelar algo They called off the wedding at the last minute.
Call back Devolver una llamada I’ll call you back in five minutes.
Call out Llamar la atención / Desafiar públicamente The manager called out the employee in front of everyone.
Call up Llamar por teléfono / Recordar She called up her friend to share the news. / That smell calls up memories.
Call on Pedir / Visitar / Recurrir The teacher called on Tom to answer. / We called on our neighbors.
Call for Requerir, demandar This situation calls for a quick response.
Call in Pedir que alguien venga / Llamar al trabajo They called in an expert. / I had to call in sick.
Call over Llamar para que se acerque He called the waiter over to complain.
Call at Hacer parada en (trenes, buses) The train calls at several stations.
Call by Pasar brevemente por un lugar I’ll call by your office later today.

Phrasal verbs con PICK

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Pick up Recoger / Aprender / Ligar I’ll pick you up at 8. / She picked up some Spanish in Mexico. / He tried to pick up someone at the bar.
Pick out Elegir, seleccionar She picked out a beautiful dress for the wedding.
Pick on Molestar, meterse con alguien The kids at school used to pick on him.
Pick at Comer con desgana / Hurgar He was just picking at his food. / Stop picking at that scab!
Pick over Examinar cuidadosamente (normalmente comida u objetos) They picked over the fruit before buying.
Pick apart Criticar en exceso / Analizar en detalle The critics picked apart the film.
Pick yourself up Recuperarse emocional o físicamente It’s time to pick yourself up and keep going.
Pick off Eliminar uno por uno (objetivos) The sniper picked off the targets one by one.
Pick up on Notar, captar She picked up on his nervousness.
Pick through Buscar entre cosas He picked through the box looking for his keys.

Phrasal verbs con CARRY

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Carry on Continuar Carry on with your work, please.
Carry out Llevar a cabo They carried out a detailed investigation.
Carry over Transferir, trasladar The balance will be carried over to the next month.
Carry off Llevarse / Lograr con éxito She carried off the award with grace.
Carry around Llevar encima He carries around a notebook everywhere.
Carry through Superar / Sacar adelante Her determination carried her through the hard times.
Carry forward Arrastrar a otro periodo Unused vacation days will be carried forward.
Carry back Hacer recordar el pasado This music carries me back to my childhood.
Carry on with Seguir con algo en particular Let’s carry on with the lesson.
Carry off (disease) Llevarse la vida (enfermedad) The illness carried him off suddenly.

Phrasal verbs con BE

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Be in Estar en casa o disponible I’ll be in all afternoon if you want to stop by.
Be out Estar fuera / No estar disponible She’s out right now, can I take a message?
Be up Estar despierto / Haber terminado I was up until 2 a.m. / Time’s up!
Be over Haber terminado The movie is over now, let’s go.
Be off Estar libre / Haber salido / Cancelar I’m off today. / The meeting is off.
Be into Estar interesado en algo He’s really into jazz lately.
Be back Regresar I’ll be back in 10 minutes.
Be out of No tener algo We’re out of milk again!
Be down Estar deprimido / Haber bajado He’s been down since the breakup. / Sales are down this quarter.
Be on Estar encendido / En emisión / En cartelera The lights are on. / What’s on TV tonight? / That film is on at the cinema.

Phrasal verbs con KEEP

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
Keep on Continuar haciendo algo He kept on talking even after everyone left.
Keep up Mantener el ritmo / Continuar Keep up the good work! / I couldn’t keep up with the pace.
Keep out Mantenerse fuera Keep out of my room!
Keep in Mantener en el interior / No dejar salir They kept the children in during the storm.
Keep back Retener / Mantenerse alejado Please keep back from the edge. / He kept back information.
Keep down Hacer menos ruido / Controlar / Retener Try to keep your voice down. / She could barely keep the food down.
Keep off No pisar / Evitar Keep off the grass! / He was told to keep off alcohol.
Keep to Ceñirse a algo Please keep to the plan.
Keep from Evitar hacer algo I couldn’t keep from laughing.
Keep away Mantenerse alejado Keep away from the fire.

Phrasal verbs con SEE

Phrasal verb Significado Ejemplo
See off Despedirse de alguien que se va We went to the airport to see them off.
See to Encargarse de algo I’ll see to the arrangements.
See through Ver a través de / No dejarse engañar She saw through his lies.
See out Acompañar hasta la salida / Esperar a que algo termine I’ll see you out. / Let’s see out the final episode.
See over Inspeccionar We went to see over the new house.
See about Ocupare de, considerar I’ll see about getting tickets.
See in Recibir algo o a alguien (especialmente en casa) We always see in the New Year with fireworks.
See beyond Ver más allá de algo She could see beyond the surface.
See out (illness) Sobrevivir, aguantar hasta el final He managed to see out the illness.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Cuántos phrasal verbs existen en inglés?

Aunque no hay una cifra oficial, se estima que existen más de 5.000 phrasal verbs en inglés.

¿Es necesario aprender phrasal verbs para hablar inglés?

Sí, totalmente. Los phrasal verbs son parte del inglés cotidiano, y dominarlos te permite sonar más natural, entender mejor a los nativos y expresarte con soltura.

¿Dónde puedo practicar phrasal verbs?

Existen muchas webs y apps, pero si quieres una experiencia más guiada y enfocada en tus objetivos, plataformas como Twenix te ayudan a practicarlos con profesores en clases de 26 minutos centradas en situaciones reales.

Además, en Twenix contamos con varios microcursos específicos de Phrasal Verbs para que puedas aprenderlos de forma clara y práctica.

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