Phrasal

verb
back up

be taken in
be carried
away
blow up

Definition

Translation

Examples

to support or encourage
(computing) to make a copy of the information stored
on the computer or disk
to be fool by someone

sostener
hacer una copia de
seguridad
Dejarse engaar por
alguien
dejarse llevar

The new evidence backs up my arguments

You should back up those files as
a safety measure.
Don't let yourself be taken in by appearances

volar, explotar, estallar

The bridge blew up / was blown up.

He blew up the balloon
My car has broken down.

to be overcome by ones feelings

break down

to break into pieces, or be broken into pieces, by

an explosion
to fill with air or a gas
to stop working properly

break in

to be overcome with emotion

to enter (a house etc) by force or unexpectedly

inflar
estropearse, dejar de
funcionar
derrumbarse
allanar una morada

to
to
to
to

detenerse
estallar, desatarse
evadirse, escapar(se)
Abrirse camino

break of
break out
break
through
break up

stop
appear or happen suddenly
escape (from prison, restrictions etc)
force a way through something

to divide, separate or break into pieces

romper, hacer pedazos,

bring out

to end a relationship
to elicit

Romper una Relacin

sacar (a relucir)

bring up
build up

to rear or educate
to increase (the size or extent of)

educar
aumentar

to strengthen gradually (a business,

ones health, reputationetc)
to enter a room or building suddenly and without
warning
to suddenly say something loudly
to demand of presence
to cancel

crear

burst in
burst out
call in
call of
call on

irrumpir

to visit
to ask someone to speak at a meeting etc

estallar
Hacer pasar
cancelar, suspender,
anular
pasar a ver, visitar
ceder la palabra a

to ask someone publicly to something

pedir

She was/got carried away by the excitement.

She broke down and wept.

Thieves broke into the museum at night and
stole the painting.
She broke off in the middle of a sentence.
War has broken out.
A prisoner has broken out (noun breakout).
Protesters broke through the barriers.
He broke up the old wooden furniture and burnt
it.
John and Mary broke up last week.
A squirt of fresh lemon will bring out the flavor
of that grilled salmon.
Her parents brought her up to be polite.
The traffic begins to build up at around five
oclock.
His father built up that grocery business from
nothing.
The side door of the bar flew open and three
men burst in.
"Don't go!" he burst out.
It's time to call the children in for supper
The partys been called off.
Ill call on him tomorrow.
The magistrate finally called on
the prosecution to open their case.
The UN Secretary-General called on both sides
to stop the fighting.

care for
carry on
catch on
catch up
with
check on

to
to
to
to
to
to
to

look after (someone)

be fond of
continue
manage (a business etc)
become popular
understand
come level (with), to reach

cuidar
querer
continuar, proseguir
dirigir
ponerse de moda
entender, darse cuenta
alcanzar

to verify state

comprobar

check out
clear away

to leave (a hotel), paying ones bill etc

to put away neatly

dejar el hotel
Guardar y ordenar

clear up

to make clean, tidy etc

to become better etc
to meet or find by chance

ordenar
despejar
encontrar, tropezarse
con
acompaar
ir, marchar
bajar
caer enfermo

come across
come along
come down
come down
with
come of

to
to
to
to

come with or accompany the person speaking etc

progress
decrease; to become less
fall ill

Come along with me!

How are things coming along?
Tea has come down in price.
I've just come down with a cold.

to become known
to be removed
(also come around) to visit
to regain consciousness

caerse, soltarse
tener lugar, suceder
entrar en escena
date prisa!, vamos!,
venga!
revelarse, salir a la luz
salir, quitarse
hacer una visita
volver en s

come to
come up

to regain consciousness
to be mentioned/raised

volver en s
salir, surgir

come up
against
come up
with
count on
cross out
cut across

to compete with sb

competir contra

to think of; to produce

ocurrirse

The truth finally came out.

This dirty mark wont come out.
Come round and see us soon.
After receiving anesthesia, dont expect to
come round for at least twenty minutes.
When will he come to after the operation?
The senator knew that questions about his
campaign would come up.
Davies will come up against last year's
champion in the semi-final of the competition.
Hes come up with a great idea.

to rely on (a person or happening)

to draw a line through
to go straight from one side of an area to another

contar con
tachar
atajar

Im counting on you to persuade her.

He crossed out all her mistakes.
If we cut across the field, it'll save time.

come on

come out
come round

to fall of
to turn out (well); to succeed
to appear on stage or the screen
hurry up!

The nurse will care for you.

I dont care for him enough to marry him.
You must carry on working
He carries on a business as a grocer.
The fashion soon caught on.
Hes a bit slow to catch on.
I walk faster than he does, so I wait at each
corner for him to catch up with me.
When Janet left the children alone at home, she
called frequently to check on them.
You have to check out before 12 oclock.
After the meal, Fiona began clearing away the
plates.
Clear up this mess!
If the weather clears up, well go for a picnic.
He came across some old friends.

Her shoe came off.

The gamble didnt come off.
They waited for the comedian to come on.
Come on well be late for the party!

cut down

cut out
deal with

instead of going around

to cause to fall by cutting
to reduce (an amount taken etc)

talar, cortar
reducir

to stop
to
take action about, especially in order to solve a proble
m, get rid of a person, complete a piece of business etc
to be concerned with

dejar de
abordar, ocuparse de

do away
with
do up
do without

to get rid of

abolir, eliminar, acabar

con
ajustar
pasar sin, arreglrselas
sin, prescindir de

draw up

to arrange in an acceptable form or order

alinear, disponer;
redactar, preparar

face up to
fall for

to meet or accept boldly

to be deceived by (something)

afrontar; plantar cara

dejarse engaar por,
picar
enamorarse de
reir, pelearse
fracasar, quedar en nada
rellenar

to fasten
to manage without and accept the lack of

tratar de

get across

to fall in love with (someone)

to quarrel
(of plans etc) to fail or come to nothing
to complete (forms, application etc) by putting in the
information required
to be easily assimilated
to be or make (something) understood

get at

to reach (a place, thing etc)

llegar a, acceder

to
to
(a
to

querer decir, insinuar

meterse con, atacar,
tomar el pelo a
(poder) salir

fall out
fall through
fit in (with)

get away
(from)
get away
with
get down
get down to

suggest or imply (something)

point out (a persons faults) or make fun of
person)
(be able to) leave

to escape
to do (something bad) without being punished for it
to make (a person) sad
to begin to work (hard) at

encajar
hacer entender

escapar, darse a la fuga

salir impune, quedar sin
castigo
deprimir, desanimar
ponerse a

He has cut down the apple tree.

I havent given up smoking, but
Im cutting down.
Ive cut out smoking.
She deals with all the customer inquiries.
This book deals with methods
of teaching English.
They did away with uniforms at
that school years ago.
Come on honey, let grandma do up your coat.
Well just have to do without a phone / If youre
too lazy to fetch the ice cream, you can just do
without
They drew up the soldiers
in lineThe solicitor drew up a contract for them
to sign.
She had to face up to a difficult situation.
I made up a story to explain why I had not been
at work and he fell for it.
He has fallen for your sister.
I have fallen out with my sister.
Our plans fell through.
Have you filled in your tax form yet?
His lifestyle doesn't fit in with the group.
The lecturer was struggling to get
his point across.
The farm is very difficult to get at because it is
so remote.
What are you getting at?
Hes always getting at me.
I usually get away (from the office) at fourthirty.
The thieves got away in a stolen car.
Murder is a serious crime and people rarely get
away with it.
Working in this place really gets me down.
I must get down to work tonight, as the
exams start next week.

get in

to send for (a person)

llamar, hacer venir

get into

to put on (clothes etc)

to begin to be in a particular state or behave in
a particular way
to afect strangely
to work, live etc in a friendly way

ponerse
ponerse

get on with
get out

to leave or escape
(of information) to become known

get out of

to (help a person etc to) avoid doing something

get over

to recover from
(an illness, surprise, disappointment etc)

get round to

to manage to (do something)

get through

to finish (work etc)

to pass (an examination)
to arrive, usually with some difficulty
to make oneself understood

get
together
get up

recuperarse de,
reponerse; superar,
vencer
poder hacer, encontrar
tiempo para hacer algo
terminar, dejar listo
aprobar
llegar

to meet

hacerse entender, lograr

comunicar con
reunirse

to (cause to) get out of bed

levantarse

to stand up

ponerse de pie,
levantarse
aumentar
dar, regalar; deshacerse
de
revelar, descubrir, dejar
escapar
rendirse

give in

to increase (usually speed)

to give etc (something) to someone (eg because one no
longer wants it)
to cause or allow (information)
to become known usually accidentally
to stop fighting and admit defeat; to yield

give up

to hand or bring (something) to someone (often

a person inauthority)
to stop, abandon

go ahead

to take place as scheduled

give away

pasar algo a alguien

llevarse bien (con),
avenirse,
salir, escaparse
salir a la luz, hacerse
pblico, llegar a saberse
librarse, ahorrar(se),
evitar, zafarse de

entregar
dejar de, abandonar;
rendirse
seguir adelante

The television is broken well need to get a

man in to repair it.
Get into your pyjamas.
He got into a temper.
I dont know what has got into him
We get on very well togetherI get on well with
him.
No-one knows how the lion got out.
Ive no idea how word got out that you were
leaving.
I wonder how I can get out of washing the
dishesHow can I get him out of going to
the party?
Ive got over my cold nowI cant get over her
leaving so suddenly.
I dont know when Ill get round to (painting)
the door.
We got through a lot of work today.
Luckily she got through her history test.
The food got through to the fort despite the
enemys attempts to stop it.
I just cant get through to her any more.
We usually get together once a week.
I got up at seven oclockGet John up at seven
oclock.
Terry got up and walked over to the window.
We soon got up to maximum speed.
Im going to give all my old clothes away
to charity.
He gave away our hiding-place
The soldiers were outnumbered and gave in to
the enemy.
Do we have to give in our books at the end of
the lesson?
They gave up the search.
The meeting will go ahead

go by

to base an opinion on

go down
with
go for

(with well/badly) to be approved or disapproved of

to attack physically or in words

guiarse por, fundarse

sobre, basarse en
ser bien/mal acogido, ser
bien/mal recibido
tirarse sobre, atacar

go of

(of a bomb etc) to explode

estallar, explosionar

to leave
to become rotten

go on
go over

to stop working
to continue
to study or examine carefully

go through

to search in

marchar(se), irse, partir

pasarse, estropearse,
echarse a perder
apagarse, parar(se)
continuar, seguir
examinar, estudiar
detenidamente, revisar
registrar, rebuscar

to sufer

pasar por, sufrir

hand over

to give or pass; to surrender

entregar

head for
hold back

go to, go towards
to refuse to tell someone (something)

hold on
keep away

to prevent from happening, being seen etc, with

an efort
(often with to) to keep (a grip on) (something)
to stop or wait
to (cause to) remain at a distance

dirigirse hacia
esconder, guardarse
algo, ocultar
retener, contener(se),
reprimir(se)
agarrar(se), sujetar
esperar
mantener a distancia

keep back

not to tell or make known

ocultar

keep down

to control or put a limit on

limitar

keep of

to stay away

mantenerse a distancia

keep up
with
knock down

(often with with) to move fast enough not to

be left behind (by)
to cause to fall by striking

seguir

to reduce the price of (goods)

rebajar

to make unconscious by a blow, or

dejar sin conocimiento

knock out

derribar

We cant go by what he says.

The story went down well (with them).
The two dogs went for each other as soon as
they met.
The boy was injured when the firework went off
in his hand.
He went off yesterday.
That meat has gone off.
The fan has gone off.
Go on reading I wont disturb you.
I want to go over the work you have done
before you do any more.
Ive gone through all my pockets, but I still
cant find my key.
You have no idea what I went through to get
this finished in time.
We know you have the jewels, so hand them
over
To find the party, head for the noise!.
The police were convinced that the man was
holding something back.
The little girl succeeded in holding back her
tears.
She held on to me to stop herself slipping
Hold on Im not quite ready yet
Keep away from the crocodiles
theyre dangerous!
I feel hes keeping the real story back for
some reason.
They are taking steps to keep down
the rabbit population.
There are notices round
the bomb warning people to keep off
Dont run I cant keep up with you.
He was so angry with the man that he knocked
him down
She bought a coat that had been knocked down
to half-price.
The boxer knocked his opponent out in the third

(in boxing) unable to recover within the required time

to defeat and cause to retire from a competition

eliminar

knock over
leave out
let down

to cause to fall from an upright position

not to include or put in
to disappoint or fail to help when necessary etc

volcar, tirar
omitir, excluir
fallar, defraudar

let of

to fire (a gun) or cause (a firework etc) to explode

hacer explotar, hacer

estallar
perdonar
vivir para

live up to

to allow to go without punishment etc

to have something or someone as the most
important thing in life
to keep oneself alive by eating
to be supported (financially) by
to behave in a manner worthy of

live with

live under the same roof

convivir con

lock in

to prevent from getting out of a building etc by using a

lock
to prevent from getting into a building etc by using a
lock
to watch
to dwell on the past

encerrar

look
forward to
look into
look on

to wait with pleasure for

esperar con inters

to inspect or investigate closely

(with as) to think of or consider

investigar
considerar

look out

to find by searching
beware! take care!
to look at or study briefly

buscar
cuidado!
revisar

to respect the conduct, opinions etc of

to go towards

respetar, admirar
dirigirse hacia

make into
make out

to transform
to make it seem that

transformar
pretender

make up
make up for

to invent
to supply a reward, substitute etc for disappointment,
damage, loss

inventar
compensar

live for
live on

lock out
look at
look back

look
through
look up to
make for

sobrevivir
vivir con
cumplir con

cerrar la puerta
mirar
Rememorar, mirar atrs

round.
That team knocked us out in the semi-finals
(noun knock-out
The dog knocked over a chair as it rushed past.
Youve left out a word in that sentence.left over
You must give a film show at the party you
cant let the children down
He let the gun off accidentally.
The policeman let him off (with a warning).
My son lives for sports
He lives on fish and potatoes.
He lives on $40 a week.
He found it difficult to live up to
his reputation as a hero.
I once lived with someone who would never
wash the dishes
She found she was locked in, and had
to climb out of the window.
Dont lock yourself out (of the house) by
forgetting to take your key with you.
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
As I look back on the past, I must remind myself
to look towards the future to better days.
I am looking forward to seeing you / to the
holidays.
The manager will look into your complaint.
I have lived with my aunt since I was a baby,
and I look on her as my mother.
Ive looked out these books for you.
Look out! Theres a car coming!
Ive looked through your report.
He has always looked up to his father.
We were making for home when something
happened
She made her old pair of jeans into a new skirt.
He made out that he was earning a huge
amount of money.
He made up the whole story.
Next week well try to make up for lost time.

miss out on

(often with on) to be left out of something

perderse algo

mix up
pass around

to blend together
to confuse or muddle
to ofer something to each person in a group of people

mezclar
confundir
repartir

pass away
pass out

to die
to faint

pay of

to give to several diferent people

to pay in full and discharge (workers) because they are
no longer needed

fallecer
desmayarse, perder el
conocimiento
repartir, distribuir
liquidar el sueldo, dar el
finiquito, pagar y
despedir
valer la pena, dar
resultado, ser rentable,
compensar
escoger, elegir, designar

to have good results

pick on

pick up

to choose (someone) to do a usually difficult or

unpleasant job
to speak to or treat (a person) angrily or critically

meterse con, criticar

mucho
recoger, pasar a buscar

point out

to let (someone) into a car, train etc in order to take

him somewhere
to choose or select

pull down
pull in

to destroy or demolish (buildings)

to park

derribar
estacionar

pull out

Irse (vehculo)

pull over

If a vehicle pulls out, it starts moving onto a road or

onto a diferent part of the road
move vehicle to kerb

pull up
put aside

(of a driver or vehicle) to stop

to keep (something) for a particular person or occasion

Desviarse hacia la
cuneta
parar, detenerse
reservar, guardar

put down

to subdue (a rebellion etc)

sofocar

put
put
put
put

to
to
to
to

aplazar, posponer
ponerse
molestarse
cerrar, despachar; llevar
a cabo
levantar
soportar, aguantar

of
on
out
through

put up
put up with

delay; to postpone
dress oneself in
annoy
arrange (a deal, agreement etc)

to raise (a hand etc)

to bear patiently

elegir, escoger

George missed out (on all the fun) because of

his broken leg.
I need to mix up another tin of paint.
Im always mixing the twins up.
Could you do me a favour and pass these
sandwiches around?
Her grandmother passed away last night.
I feel as though Im going to pass out.
The teacher passed out books to her class.
Hundreds of steel-workers have been paid off.
His hard work paid off.
Why do they always pick on me to do the
washing-up?
Dont pick on me it wasnt my fault
I picked him up at the station and drove him
home.
She picked out one dress that she particularly
liked.
Theyve pulled down that old tower block.
When her dad's car pulled in driveway, she ran
out to greet him.
A car pulled right out in front of me
When he saw the flashing lights in the rear-view
mirror, he pulled over
He pulled up at the traffic lights.
Would you put this book aside for me and
Ill collect it later
The revolt was swiftly put down
by government troops.
He put off leaving / his departure till Thursday.
Which shoes are you going to put on?
I was put out by his decision.
Were doing all we can to put the deal through.
He put up his hand to ask a question.
I cannot put up with all this noise.

run away
run down
run into

to escape
to speak badly of
to meet

run out (of)

run over

(with of) to have no more

to repeat for practice
(of a vehicle or driver) to knock down or drive over

see of

to accompany (a person starting on a journey) to the

airport, train station etc from which he is to leave
not to be deceived by (a person, trick etc)

see through
see to
send of
set back
set of

to attend to or deal with

to accompany (a person) to the place, or be at the
place, where he will start a journey
to delay the progress of
(sometimes with on) to start a journey

escaparse
criticar, hablar mal de,
topar con, encontrarse
con
acabarse
revisar, repasar
atropellar
despedir
calar (a), verle el
plumero (a), no dejarse
engaar
atender a, ocuparse de
ir a despedir
retrasar, atrasar
partir, salir, ponerse en
camino
partir, salir
establecerse
exhibir(se), lucir(se)

set out
set up
show of

to start a journey
to establish
to try to impress others with ones possessions, ability
etc

stand back

to move backwards or away

apartarse

stand
stand
stand
stand
stand

to be ready to act
to be an abbreviation for
to be an abbreviation for
(often with up) to rise to the feet
to support or defend

estar a la espera
ser una abreviacin de
ser una abreviacin de
ponerse de pie
apoyar

stand up to

to show resistance to

resistirse

stay away
from
stay on

to not go near or become involved with someone

alejarse de
quedarse

stay up

to continue to be in a place, job, or school after the

other people who were with you have left
to remain out of doors and not return to ones house
etc
not to go to bed

stick out

to be noticeable

destacarse

by
for
out
up
up for

stay out

estar fuera
estar levantados

He ran away from school.

He is always running me down.
I ran into her in the street.
Weve run out of money.
Lets run over the plan again.
Dont let the dog out of the garden or hell get
run over.
He saw me off at the station.
We soon saw through him and his little plan.
I must see to the baby.
A great crowd gathered at the station to send
the football team off (nounsend-off)
His illness set him back a bit at school.
We set off to go to the beach.
He set out to explore the countryside.
When was the organization set up?
She is just showing off she wants everyone to
know how well she speaks French (show-off a
person who does this).
A crowd gathered round the injured man, but a
policeman ordered everyone to stand back.
The police are standing by in case of trouble.
HQ stands for Headquarters.
HQ stands for Headquarters.
He pushed back his chair and stood up
She stood up for him when the others bullied
him.
He stood up to the bigger boys who tried to
bully him
My parents told me to stay away from her.
Gill decided to stay on at university to do
further research
The children mustnt stay out after 9 p.m.
The children wanted to stay up and watch
television.
She has red hair that sticks out in a crowd.

stick to
stick
together
stick with

not to abandon
(of friends etc) to remain loyal to each other

stop over

to make a stay of a night or more

take after

to be like (someone, especially a parent or relation) in

appearance or character
buy to consume of premises
to make a note or record of
to understand and remember

not vary or deviate from

seguir con
mantenerse
juntos/unidos
ceirse a

take of
take on

(of an aircraft) to leave the ground

to agree to do (work etc); to undertake
to employ

parar, pasar la noche,

hacer noche, hacer
escala
parecerse (a), tener
parecido (con)
Para llevar
anotar
entender, comprender,
captar,
despegar
aceptar
contratar

take out

Apply for

sacar, adquirir

take over

to take control (of)

take to

to find acceptable or pleasing

take up
talk into

to begin doing, playing etc

To persuade

tomar las riendas,

hacerse con el poder;
entrar en funciones
simpatizar con, empezar
a gustar
empezar a, emprender
Convencer a alguien

talk over
think over

discutir, hablar de/sobre

reflexionar

think
through
throw away
throw out
throw up

to discuss
to think carefully about; to consider all aspects of (an
action, decision)
to carefully consider the possible results of doing
something
to get rid of
to get rid of by throwing or by force
a slang expression for to vomit

try out
turn back

to test (something) by using it

to (cause to) go back in the opposite direction

turn down
turn out
turn to

to say no to; to refuse

to happen or prove to be
To seek help from

probar, experimentar
retroceder, volverse
atrs
declinar, rechazar
resultar
Recurrir a

take away
take down
take in

sopesar, pensar bien

tirar, deshacerse de
expulsar, echar; rechazar
vomitar

Weve decided to stick to our previous plan

Theyve stuck together all these years.
If I stick with this diet, I should be able to wear
that cocktail dress by Christmas.
Were planning to stop over in Amsterdam
(nounstop-over).
She takes after her father.
Shall we buy some chips to take away?
He took down her name and address.
I didnt take in what he said.
The plane took off for Rome ( noun take-off).
He took on the job.
They are taking on five hundred more men at
the factory.
We advise you to take out travel insurance
before you leave.
He has taken the business over ( noun takeover).
I soon took to her children/idea.
He has taken up the violin/teaching.
She talked him into going to the cinema that
night.
We talked over the whole idea.
He thought it over, and decided not to go.
I need some time to think it through - I don't
want to make any sudden decisions.
He always throws away his old clothes.
He was thrown out of the meeting
She had too much to eat, and threw up on the
way home.
We are trying out new teaching methods.
He got tired and turned back
He turned down her offer/request.
He turned out to be right
I'm in such a bad situation that I don't know

turn over
turn up

to give (something) up (to)

to appear or arrive

watch out
wear of
wear out
work on

to be careful (of)
to become less
so damaged by use as to be unfit for further use
To put efort into

entregar
aparecer; presentarse,
venir
tener cuidado, vigilar
disminuir; desaparecer
gastado, estropeado
Esforzarse en

work out
write up

to come to a satisfactory end

Write out in full

solucionar, resolver
Redactar (un informe)

who to
He turned the money over to the police.
He turned up at our house.
Watch out for the cars!
The pain is wearing off.
These shoes are worn out
You really need to work on controlling your
temper
Dont worry it will all work out (in the end).
Please write up your notes from the classroom
observation