Phrasal Verbs: Break, Come, Drop, and More

Posted on Feb 5, 2025 in English

Essential Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Break’

  • Break away: To leave a political party or other group, especially in order to start another one. (separarse, escapar)
  • Breakdown: An analysis by an accountant. (crisis nerviosa). The situation where a car or other machine has stopped working (avería).
  • Breakthrough: To make a discovery. (descubrimiento)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Come’

  • Come over: To communicate the intended meaning or impression (hacerse entender)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Cut’

  • Cut down to: To reduce (recortar)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Drop’

  • Drop in: To make a short visit somewhere (dejarse caer)
  • Drop in on: Visit (pasar por)
  • Drop off: A reduction in the amount or level of something. (disminuir, dormirse)
  • Dropout: A person who abandons education or career to lead a different life (persona que abandona los estudios)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Fade’

  • Fade away: To disappear slowly. (desvanecerse, apagarse, consumirse)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Fall’

  • Fallout: The results or consequences of an action (resultado). The radioactive cloud after an atomic explosion (lluvia radioactiva)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Flare’

  • Flare up: To burst suddenly into fire or light (reavivarse)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Fly’

  • Flyover: A road bridge built over another road (paso elevado).

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Get’

  • Get away: To escape from a person or place. (escapar, irse)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Give’

  • Give up: Stop doing something (darse por vencido)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Hand’

  • Handout: Something given as an act of charity. (limosna, donativo). OR a document containing information. A handout (folleto)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Hang’

  • Hangover: The feeling of being tired and sick because you have drunk too much alcohol or taken too many drugs (Resaca)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Hold’

  • Holdup: A robbery at gunpoint. (Atraco)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Knock’

  • Knock down: To reduce a price or amount (bajada de precios, rebajas)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Lay’

  • Lay-by: A place for drivers to stop at the side of a main road. (área de Descanso)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Mix’

  • Mixed-up: Mentally confused. (confundido)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Make’

  • Make-up: To beautify the face with lipstick, powder… (maquillaje)
  • Make up: To invent (inventar)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Out’

  • Outbreak: Disease (brote, erupción, comienzo)
  • Outfit: A set of clothes (traje, uniforme, conjunto)
  • Outset: A start, beginning (comienzo, inicio, principio)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Pin’

  • (a) Pinup: Poster of a glamorous woman (póster de una chica de calendario)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Set’

  • Setback: Something which happens to spoil your plans (un revés, contratiempo).

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Slip’

  • Slip away: To leave secretly. (escabullirse)
  • Slip in: To place, insert, or convey quickly or stealthily (incluir, entrar desapercibido)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Speak’

  • Speak out against: To protest (manifestar oposición)
  • Speak up: Express your opinion freely (dar la opinión)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Stand’

  • Stand-by: Of an airline passenger, fare, or seat, not booked in advance but awaiting or subject to availability (de reserva).
  • Stand in for: To replace (reemplazar)
  • Stand up for: To defend (alzarse a favor)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Stop’

  • Stopover: A place where you stay at to break a long journey (apeadero).

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Stride’

  • Stride in: To walk with long steps into some place (zancadas)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Tail’

  • Tailback: Long traffic jam, a queue of traffic. (atasco)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Take’

  • Take away: To carry something. (para llevar)
  • Take-off: The moment when a plane leaves the ground (despegue). An amusing imitation of someone (parodia).

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Throw’

  • Throwaway: Anything designed to be discarded after use rather than reused (desechable)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Tip’

  • Tip-off: Information about a crime given to the police (un soplo).

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Work’

  • Work out: Solve a problem. (calcular, encontrar, resolver). Get better (mejorar)

Phrasal Verbs with ‘Worn’

  • Worn-out: Too old or damaged to use any longer (desgastado)