15 Common Phrasal Verbs for Everyday Conversation, With Examples

Fifteen phrasal verbs that come up again and again in everyday English conversation are: find out, figure out, give up, look forward to, run out of, put off, turn down, come across, look after, carry on, show up, catch up, bring up, sort out and get over. Each one is a verb plus a small word such as up, out or off, and together they form a new meaning you cannot always guess from the parts. This guide gives you a clear meaning for each, a natural example sentence, the Cambridge Dictionary level, the grammar you need to use them correctly, and practical ways to remember them so they appear in your own speaking rather than just in your notebook.

What a phrasal verb is

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by one or two small words called particles, usually adverbs or prepositions such as up, out, off, on, over, after or across. The combination works as a single unit of meaning. Look means to use your eyes, but look after means to take care of someone. Run means to move fast, but run out of means to have none left.

Phrasal verbs matter for three reasons:

• They are everywhere in spoken English. In conversation, people say find out far more naturally than discover, and put off more than postpone. If you only know the formal one-word verb, you will understand the text of a report but miss a lot of what is said around you.
• Many have more than one meaning. Bring up can mean raising a child or mentioning a topic. Learning the most common sense first gives you the biggest return.
• A small set does most of the work. Researchers Mélodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt built the PHaVE List (2015), which lists the 150 most frequent phrasal verbs and the key meaning senses that cover more than 75% of their occurrences in the Corpus of Contemporary American English. You do not need thousands of phrasal verbs to understand everyday English; you need the common ones, used well.

The fifteen in this guide were chosen for everyday conversation: making plans, solving small problems, talking about people and feelings. They are not a ranked frequency list. They are a practical starter set for adult learners at roughly B1 to B2 level.

The 15 phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples

Read the meaning, then read the example aloud. The level column shows the CEFR label Cambridge Dictionary gives to the sense we teach, so you can see which ones to learn first.

Phrasal verb	Meaning (everyday sense)	Natural example	Cambridge level
find out	to get information about something, or learn a fact for the first time	"I'll call the station and find out what time the last train leaves."	A2
look after	to take care of or be in charge of someone or something	"Could you look after my plants while I'm away?"	A2
give up	to stop doing or using something, such as a habit; also, to stop trying because it is too difficult	"He gave up coffee in January and he's still not happy about it."	B1 (habit) / B2 (stop trying)
look forward to	to feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen	"I'm really looking forward to seeing you on Saturday."	B1
run out (of)	to use all of something so that there is none left	"We've run out of milk. Can you get some on your way home?"	B1
put off	to delay something until a later time or date	"I keep putting off calling the bank."	B1
carry on	to continue doing something	"Sorry for interrupting. Please carry on."	B1
show up	to arrive somewhere to join other people, especially late or unexpectedly	"Twenty people said they'd come, but only eight showed up."	B1
figure out	to finally understand something or find the solution to a problem after thinking about it	"I can't figure out how to turn off the notifications on this phone."	B2
turn down	to refuse an offer or request	"She turned down the job because it meant moving to another city."	B2
come across	to find something or meet someone by chance	"I came across some old photos while I was cleaning the cupboard."	B2
catch up (on / with)	to learn or discuss the latest news	"Let's get a coffee next week and catch up."	B2
bring up	to start to talk about a particular subject	"I didn't want to bring up money at dinner."	B2
sort out	to deal successfully with a problem or situation	"Don't worry about the booking. I'll sort it out."	B2
get over	to get better after an illness, or feel better after something has made you unhappy	"It took me two weeks to get over that cold."	Not shown

Source: Cambridge Dictionary entries linked in the first column, read 9 November 2026. Levels apply to the sense shown. Cambridge did not show a CEFR label for the sense of get over we use. Example sentences are written by Oxford English Global.

Other meanings to know about

Several of these verbs have a second meaning that you will also hear often. Learn the main sense first, then add these:

• Put off can also mean to make someone dislike something or not want to do it: "The long queue put me off." Cambridge labels this sense B2.
• Bring up also means to raise a child: "She was brought up in Lisbon." Cambridge labels this sense B1.
• Come across also describes the impression you make: "He comes across as quite shy." Cambridge labels this C1.
• Turn down also means to reduce the volume, heat or power of something: "Can you turn the music down?"
• Run out can also describe a document or agreement reaching its end date: "My passport runs out next year."

How they sound in real conversation

Phrasal verbs are easier to remember when you meet them in a situation instead of a list. Here are the fifteen grouped by three everyday topics, each with a short dialogue.

Plans and time: look forward to, put off, show up, catch up, carry on

A: Are you still coming on Friday? I'm really looking forward to it.

B: Me too. I nearly put it off because of work, but I'll be there.

A: Great. Last time half the team didn't show up.

B: Well, it's been ages. It'll be good to catch up properly.

A: Agreed. Anyway, I'll let you carry on with your work.

Problems and solutions: find out, figure out, sort out, run out of, give up

A: The printer's stopped again. I think we've run out of ink.

B: No, I checked. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong.

A: Did you find out who installed it?

B: IT. I've emailed them, and they said they'll sort it out this afternoon.

A: Good, because I was about to give up and print at home.

People and feelings: look after, bring up, turn down, come across, get over

A: How's your sister? Has she got over the flu yet?

B: Almost. I've been looking after her kids this week.

A: That's kind. Did she bring up the new job offer?

B: Yes, she turned it down. She came across a better one online.

Notice that most of these lines would sound stiff with a formal verb instead: "I nearly postponed it" or "I am attempting to determine what is wrong" are correct, but nobody talks like that to a colleague by the printer.

The grammar you need: separable or not

The biggest grammar question with phrasal verbs is where the object goes. Some phrasal verbs let you put the object between the verb and the particle. Others do not.

Type	From this list	Correct	Wrong
Separable: object can go in the middle or at the end	put off, turn down, figure out, sort out, bring up, give up	"I put off the meeting." / "I put the meeting off."	(both word orders are fine with a noun)
Separable with a pronoun: the pronoun must go in the middle	the same verbs	"I put it off." / "She turned him down."	"I put off it." / "She turned down him."
Inseparable: object always goes after the particle	look after, come across, get over	"I looked after them." / "I came across it."	"I looked them after."
No object	show up, carry on, catch up (when used alone)	"He showed up at ten."	"He showed up the party." (use "showed up at the party")
Three-part: verb + two particles	look forward to, run out of, catch up with / on	"We've run out of time."	"We've run out time."

Two more rules that catch many learners:

• Look forward to is followed by a noun or an -ing form. The to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. Say "I look forward to hearing from you," not "I look forward to hear from you." Cambridge also lists a formal use at the end of formal letters: "I look forward to hearing from you."
• Put off and give up take an -ing form too. "I can't put off going to the dentist any longer." "She gave up smoking."

A good dictionary tells you which pattern a phrasal verb follows. Cambridge shows it in the headword: look after someone/something (inseparable) compared with put something off (separable, with the object shown in the middle).

Tips to remember phrasal verbs

Most learners have met put off or turn down many times and still do not use them. Recognising a phrasal verb and producing it in conversation are different skills. These techniques focus on the second one.

1. Learn them by situation, not alphabetically. Group them as we did above: plans, problems, people. When you are in that situation, the whole group comes to mind together. An alphabetical list puts bring up next to carry on, which have nothing in common.
2. Notice what the particle often means. Particles are not random, even if they are not perfectly regular. Out often means discovering or ending: find out, figure out, sort out, run out. Off often means away or delayed: put off. Up often means appearing or completing: show up, bring up, give up. Treat these as helpful patterns, not fixed rules.
3. Write one true sentence about your own life for each. "I keep putting off renewing my passport" is more memorable than any textbook example because it is about you. Our guide to learning vocabulary in chunks explains why whole phrases stick better than single words.
4. Pair each one with its formal equivalent. Write put off = postpone, turn down = refuse / decline, find out = discover, look after = take care of. This helps you recognise both, and it teaches you register: the phrasal verb for conversation, the formal verb for a report or a formal email.
5. Test yourself instead of rereading. Cover the meaning column in the table above and try to say a sentence for each verb. Then check. Pulling a word from memory is harder than reading it again, and that effort is what makes it stick.
6. Space your reviews. Review the list tomorrow, then in three days, then in a week. Five minutes at the right time does more than an hour once. Our article on how often to practise has a simple schedule.
7. Say them aloud, in full sentences. Phrasal verbs are mainly spoken. The stress usually falls on the particle (put OFF, show UP, turn DOWN), and saying them aloud trains both the rhythm and the word order.
8. Collect them from real English. When you hear one in a podcast or series, write down the whole sentence. You will start noticing the same fifteen verbs everywhere, which is the best sign you are learning the useful ones.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Splitting an inseparable verb: "She looks her mother after" should be "She looks after her mother."
• Putting a pronoun at the end of a separable verb: "Can you sort out it?" should be "Can you sort it out?"
• Forgetting the second particle: "We ran out milk" should be "We ran out of milk." "I look forward your reply" should be "I look forward to your reply."
• Using the wrong form after look forward to: "I look forward to meet you" should be "I look forward to meeting you."
• Using phrasal verbs in very formal writing: In a formal report, postpone or decline may fit better than put off or turn down. In conversation and most emails, the phrasal verb is more natural.

Quick practice: fill the gaps

Choose the right phrasal verb in the correct form. Answers are below.

1. I can't ______ how this coffee machine works.
2. We've ______ sugar. Can you buy some?
3. She offered me a lift, but I ______ it ______ because I wanted to walk.
4. I'm ______ the holidays. Only two weeks to go!
5. Who's going to ______ the dog while we're on holiday?
6. He always ______ late to meetings.
7. I ______ a great little café while I was walking around the old town.
8. It's been months since we spoke. Let's meet and ______.

Answers: 1 figure out; 2 run out of; 3 turned … down; 4 looking forward to; 5 look after; 6 shows up; 7 came across; 8 catch up.

Want to use these in real conversation with feedback? The Speaking Lab and our free lessons give you a place to practise, and our guide on practising English speaking without a partner has solo exercises that work well with a list like this one. For a much bigger bank of expressions, download the free English Idioms & Phrasal Verbs PDF.

What this article cannot tell you

• Every meaning of every verb. We teach the most useful everyday sense of each phrasal verb and mention a few others. Many have further meanings, some informal or regional. Check the full Cambridge Dictionary entry when you meet a use that does not fit.
• A frequency ranking. These fifteen were selected for everyday conversation, not taken from a corpus count. If you want a research-based frequency list, the PHaVE List by Garnier and Schmitt is the place to start.
• Regional differences. All fifteen are used in both British and American English, but frequency and secondary meanings can vary between varieties and regions.
• Whether you are using them naturally. A list cannot tell you if your sentence sounds right. Feedback from a teacher, a speaking partner or a well-designed practice tool can.

This page is independent guidance from Oxford English Global. It contains no affiliate links, and we receive nothing from Cambridge University Press or any other publisher mentioned.