Most used Phrasal verbs
7 Most Commonly Used Phrasal Verbs
By now we know what phrasal verbs but they can be very intimidating to learn as a beginner in English. Therefore, we have compiled a list of the 7 most commonly used phrasal verbs in English.
“Come down with”
To come down with something is to start to suffer from a mild illness. You might feel like you’re coming down with something if you’re about to catch a cold. So, if you’re feeling tired and achy you could say:
“I think I’m coming down with something.” or,
“I think I’m coming down with a cold.”
“Check up on”
To check up on someone is to investigate their work. Your boss might check up on your work to see if it’s done properly.
But you can also check up on a friend or a family member to see if they’re feeling well. So, in casual contexts, you can use this phrase when you want to ask a friend if they’re feeling okay. Let’s say someone close to you hasn’t been feeling well lately, then you could say:
“Hey! Just wanted to check up on you. Are you feeling any better?”
“Show up”
To show up somewhere is to be present at a place where someone is waiting for you. You might show up early or late to a meeting, and your boss will be glad if you show up to work on time every day.
If you’re at a popular concert, thousands of people might show up. And if you had a plan to meet someone and they never made it, you could say:
“They never showed up!”
“Go/come over”
To come or go over is to visit someone in their house. If you’re home and waiting for a friend, you might say:
“A friend is coming over tonight.”
But if you’re on your way to your friend’s house, you could say:
“I’m going over to a friend’s place right now.”
“End up”
To end up somewhere is to arrive in a place after a series of events, especially when you didn’t plan it. You might travel around Europe for some time and end up in Spain. And if you like it so much that you decide to stay there permanently, you could say,
“I came to Spain just to visit but I ended up staying.”
To end up with a result can mean to experience it. If you’re at a favorite restaurant with some friends, you might end up eating too much. You can end up stressed if you work too much, and your friend might end up getting upset if you make too many jokes about his new haircut.
“Figure out”
To figure something out is to find a solution for it, or to understand it. If you can’t solve a math problem, you might say,
“I can’t figure it out!”
And if a new friend’s behavior is confusing you, you could say,
“I can’t figure out why she’s being so strange.”
To figure something out can also mean finding a way to do it. You might finally figure out how to stop your dog from eating everything in sight. And if you’re out late and no buses are running, you will need to figure out a way to get home.
“Put up with”
To put up with bad behavior or a situation is to tolerate it even though you don’t like it. You might not understand how your friend puts up with her brother. And if someone is irritating you because they’re not making any sense, you might say,
“I can’t put up with this nonsense.”