Phrasal Verbs for Daily Life in English

Updated: • Level: A1–B2 • Length: ~10–12 min

What are phrasal verbs? A verb + particle (preposition/adverb) that creates a new meaning: turn on, look after, run out of.

ما هي الأفعال المركّبة؟ هي فعل + حرف جر/ظرف يعطي معنى جديدًا: turn on يشغّل، look after يعتني بـ، run out of ينفد من.

Chart showing separable vs inseparable phrasal verbs and three-part verbs
Separable vs inseparable • Three-part verbs • Word order with pronouns

Quick Rules

  • Separable: You can put the object in the middle. With pronouns, separation is required.
    ✅ Turn the light on / Turn it on. ❌ Turn on it.
  • قابلة للفصل: يمكن وضع المفعول بين الفعل والجسيم. ومع الضمائر يجب الفصل: ✅ Turn it on ✖️ Turn on it.
  • Inseparable: The object goes after the particle.
    ✅ Look after the baby. ❌ Look the baby after.
  • غير قابلة للفصل: المفعول يأتي بعد الجسيم: ✅ Look after the baby ✖️ Look the baby after.
  • Three-part verbs (verb + particle + preposition) are inseparable; the object comes at the end.
    ✅ We ran out of sugar. ✅ We ran out of it.
  • أفعال من ثلاثة أجزاء: غير قابلة للفصل؛ المفعول يأتي في النهاية: ✅ ran out of it.
  • Transitive vs intransitive: Some need an object (turn off the TV), others don’t (wake up).
  • متعدّي/لازم: بعض الأفعال تحتاج مفعولًا (turn off) وأخرى لا (wake up).

Common Daily Phrasal Verbs (EN ⇄ AR)

Phrasal Verb Meaning (EN) المعنى بالعربية Type Example
wake upstop sleepingيستيقظintrans.I woke up at 7.
get upleave bedينهض من السريرintrans.She got up late.
get dressedput on clothesيرتدي ملابسهintrans.He got dressed quickly.
put onwear (clothes)يرتديseparablePut your coat on / Put it on.
take offremove (clothes)يخلعseparableTake your shoes off / Take them off.
turn onstart (device/light)يشغّلseparableTurn the light on / Turn it on.
turn offstop (device)يطفيءseparableTurn the TV off / Turn it off.
look fortry to findيبحث عنinseparableI’m looking for my keys.
look aftertake care ofيعتني بـinseparableShe looks after her brother.
pick upcollect; answer (phone)يلتقط/يأخذ؛ يرد على الهاتفseparableI’ll pick you up at 8.
drop offtake and leave (someone)يوصّل/ينزلseparableHe dropped me off at work.
put awayreturn to its placeيرتب/يضع في مكانهseparablePlease put the dishes away.
tidy upmake neatيرتّبseparableWe tidied the room up.
throw awaydiscardيرمي/يتخلّص منseparableDon’t throw it away.
find outdiscover/learnيكتشف/يعرفseparableWe found the truth out.
run out ofhave no moreينفد منthree-partWe ran out of milk.
work outexercise; solveيتمرّن؛ يحلّintrans./separableIt worked out fine. / Work it out.
set uparrange; installيجهّز/يعدّseparableThey set the meeting up.
check in/outregister/leave (hotel)يسجّل دخول/خروجintrans.We checked in at noon.
fill incomplete (a form)يملأ (نموذجًا)separablePlease fill this form in.
hang outspend time relaxingيتسكّع/يقضي وقتًاintrans.Let’s hang out later.
come acrossfind by chanceيعثر صدفةًinseparableI came across an old photo.
call backreturn a callيعيد الاتصالseparableI’ll call you back.
show uparrive/appearيظهر/يحضرintrans.He didn’t show up.
carry oncontinueيواصلintrans./separableCarry on with your work.

Mini Dialogues & Examples

  • A: Can you turn off the fan? B: Sure, I’ll turn it off.
  • أ: هل يمكنك إطفاء المروحة؟ ب: بالتأكيد، سأُطفِئُها.
  • We ran out of sugar, so I’ll pick up some.
  • نفدت السكّر لدينا، لذا سأشتري بعضًا.
  • She looked after her sister while their parents were away.
  • اعتنت بأختها أثناء غياب الوالدين.
  • I found out the answer and wrote it down.
  • اكتشفت الإجابة ودوّنتُها.

Exercises

1) Complete with the correct phrasal verb

turn on / turn off • look for • put on • run out of • pick up • throw away • call back • set up • find out

  1. Please ___ the lights; it’s getting dark.
  2. I can’t ___ my keys. Have you seen them?
  3. We ___ bread. Can you buy some?
  4. It’s cold. ___ your jacket.
  5. Don’t ___ that receipt; we need it.
  6. I’ll ___ the kids from school at 3.
  7. Can you ___ the meeting for Tuesday?
  8. He didn’t know, so he searched online to ___.
  9. When you finish, ___ the computer.

2) Rewrite with a pronoun (remember separable word order!)

  1. Turn off the TV → Turn ___ ___.
  2. Put on your shoes → Put ___ ___.
  3. Call back Ahmed → Call ___ ___.

3) Separable or inseparable?

  1. look after
  2. put away
  3. come across
  4. pick up
  5. run out of
Answers

1) Complete

  1. turn on
  2. look for
  3. ran out of
  4. put on
  5. throw away
  6. pick up
  7. set up
  8. find out
  9. turn off

2) Pronouns

  1. Turn it off.
  2. Put them on.
  3. Call him back. (him/her/them as needed)

3) Type

  1. inseparable
  2. separable
  3. inseparable
  4. separable
  5. three-part (inseparable)

1-Minute Quiz

Choose the best answer.

FAQ

Can we separate all phrasal verbs?

No. Many are inseparable (e.g., look after, come across). Separable verbs must split with pronouns: put it on.

لا. هناك أفعال غير قابلة للفصل مثل look after. والأفعال القابلة للفصل يجب فصلها مع الضمائر: put it on.

What are three-part phrasal verbs?

Verb + particle + preposition (e.g., run out of, get on with). They are inseparable: the object comes last.

فعل + جسيم + حرف جر مثل run out of. لا تُفصل؛ المفعول يأتي في النهاية.

Are phrasal verbs formal?

Often informal. In formal writing, use single-word equivalents: turn off → deactivate, find out → discover.

غالبًا غير رسمية. في الكتابة الرسمية نستخدم بدائل مثل: deactivate بدلاً من turn off.