Highlighted words are explained at the end of the article.

Al final del artículo se detalla el significado de las palabras resaltadas.

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
PULSA EN EL LOGO interactivo. Esta impresionante colección está acompañada de ejemplos bilingües,
para ingresar ejercicios en diferentes niveles con respuestas automáticas y ofrece amplias posibilidades
para estudiantes y profesores de inglés ESL.

Con mucha frecuencia los estudiantes, sintiéndose incapaces de aprender

cientos de verbos frasales, nos preguntan: Si apenas 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).

(intransitive) have finished.

1 be over e.g. You're late the meeting is already over.

(intransitive) stop functioning properly (if we're talking about a

machine), or, lose control of your emotions and start crying (if
2 break down
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!

care for, educate in a specific set of ethical ideas and prepare

3 bring so. up
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.

discover information.
5 find (sth.) out 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.

try to find.
7 look for sth. / so. e.g. Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr Page, the cashier.

try to find (in a book or on a list).

8 look sth. up e.g. Look up the words you don't know in a dictionary.

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

continue.
10 carry on (doing) e.g. He carried on making noise as if nothing had happened.

perform, undertake, execute (instructions).

11 carry sth. out e.g. I told him to carry out your orders to the letter.

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

delay.
13 hold so. / sth. up
e.g. I was held up in the traffic jam for an hour and missed the
meeting.

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

start to wear (clothes).

15 put sth. on
e.g. Put your jersey on, Jimmy. It's getting cold.
The opposite is to take sth. off.

extinguish (fire, lights, etc.).

16 put sth. out e.g. Put that cigarette out! You can't smoke in here.

tolerate, accept.
17 put up with so. / e.g. I'm not going to put up with his insolence any longer.
sth.
use completely, finish.
18 run out of sth.
e.g. We have run out of bread! What are we going to offer our
guests for breakfast?

activate.
e.g. She turned on the music centre.
19 turn sth. on turn so. on means to excite (sexually). The opposite of both
meanings is turn sth. / off.

20 wear sth. out

weaken, deteriorate.
e.g. That jersey has worn out at the elbows, throw it away.
 wear so. out means to exhaust.
e.g. Looking after the children really wears me out.

GLOSSARY
properly: correctly, adequately; dose: regular quantity (dosis); set: group; to surrender: accept
someone's victory over you (rendirse); to the letter: to the T, in every detail (al pie de la letra); to
delay: postpone, make sth./so. late (demorar); traffic jam: a large number of vehicles moving
slowly or not moving (embotellamiento); any longer: any more time; elbows: joints between the
forearm and upper arm (codos)