A phrasal verb (or particle verb) is a combination of a verb and one or two particles (preposition or adverb) that creates a new, often unpredictable meaning. For example, give means "donner", but give up means "abandonner". This list of 50 essential phrasal verbs, organised by theme, gives you for each one the meaning in French, an example in English and its translation — to learn quickly and retain durably.
Contents
- Movement and direction
- Everyday actions
- Interpersonal relationships
- Work and studies
- Communication
- Progress and pace
- Problem-solving
- Stopping and ending
- Professional and formal context
- How to learn phrasal verbs effectively
- The most-used phrasal verbs at work
- Summary table — Top 20 most useful
- FAQ
1. Movement and direction {#mouvement}
These phrasal verbs describe physical or abstract movement. They appear constantly in everyday conversations, professional texts and listening comprehension exercises.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| come back | revenir | She came back from the meeting with good news. | Elle est revenue de la réunion avec de bonnes nouvelles. |
| go ahead | continuer, aller de l'avant | Please go ahead with the presentation. | Veuillez poursuivre la présentation. |
| turn around | faire demi-tour / retourner la situation | The team managed to turn the situation around. | L'équipe a réussi à renverser la situation. |
| set off | partir, se mettre en route | We set off early to avoid the traffic. | Nous sommes partis tôt pour éviter les embouteillages. |
| move on | passer à autre chose, avancer | Let's move on to the next point on the agenda. | Passons au point suivant de l'ordre du jour. |
Tip: Go ahead and move on are very frequent in professional meetings and listening comprehension exams. Prioritise learning these two.
2. Everyday actions {#quotidien}
These phrasal verbs form part of the basic vocabulary of spoken English. They are used in podcasts, TV series and informal conversations.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| wake up | se réveiller | I wake up at 6 every morning. | Je me réveille à 6h chaque matin. |
| get up | se lever | He got up and made coffee. | Il s'est levé et a préparé du café. |
| pick up | ramasser / récupérer / apprendre | Can you pick up the kids from school? | Peux-tu récupérer les enfants à l'école ? |
| put down | poser | She put down her bag and sat down. | Elle a posé son sac et s'est assise. |
| take off | enlever (vêtement) / décoller (avion) | Please take off your shoes at the entrance. | Veuillez enlever vos chaussures à l'entrée. |
| put on | mettre (vêtement) / allumer | Put on a jacket — it's cold outside. | Mets une veste, il fait froid dehors. |
Watch out: Pick up has several meanings depending on context: to pick up an object, to collect someone, or to learn a language informally (He picked up Spanish in six months).
3. Interpersonal relationships {#relations}
These phrasal verbs describe the dynamics between people. They appear in reading comprehension texts and expression exercises.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| get along with | bien s'entendre avec | She gets along with all her colleagues. | Elle s'entend bien avec tous ses collègues. |
| break up with | rompre avec | He broke up with his girlfriend last month. | Il a rompu avec sa petite amie le mois dernier. |
| make up | se réconcilier / inventer | They argued but made up quickly. | Ils se sont disputés mais se sont vite réconciliés. |
| fall out with | se brouiller avec | He fell out with his business partner over money. | Il s'est brouillé avec son associé à cause de l'argent. |
| look after | s'occuper de, prendre soin de | She looks after her elderly parents. | Elle s'occupe de ses parents âgés. |
Memory tip: Associate get along with with its opposite fall out with — learning antonyms in pairs doubles memorisation efficiency.
4. Work and studies {#travail}
This group is particularly important for language exams (ECL, TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS) as these phrasal verbs appear in professional and academic texts.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hand in | remettre, soumettre | Please hand in your reports by Friday. | Veuillez remettre vos rapports avant vendredi. |
| give up | abandonner, renoncer | Don't give up — you're almost there. | N'abandonne pas, tu y es presque. |
| carry on | continuer | Carry on with your work — I'll be back in ten minutes. | Continuez votre travail, je reviens dans dix minutes. |
| look into | examiner, enquêter sur | The manager will look into the complaint. | Le responsable examinera la plainte. |
| find out | découvrir, apprendre | I need to find out what happened. | J'ai besoin de savoir ce qui s'est passé. |
| figure out | comprendre, trouver | Can you figure out how to fix this error? | Peux-tu comprendre comment corriger cette erreur ? |
In exams: Hand in (submit an assignment), carry on (continue a task) and figure out (solve a problem) are among the most frequent in B1–B2 level instructions and texts.
5. Communication {#communication}
These phrasal verbs are essential for understanding phone conversations, meetings and informal exchanges.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| bring up | mentionner, soulever (un sujet) | She brought up an important point during the meeting. | Elle a soulevé un point important pendant la réunion. |
| point out | signaler, indiquer | He pointed out a mistake in the document. | Il a signalé une erreur dans le document. |
| speak up | parler plus fort / s'exprimer | Please speak up — I can't hear you at the back. | Parlez plus fort, on ne vous entend pas au fond. |
| hold on | attendre / tenir | Hold on a moment, please. | Attendez un instant, s'il vous plaît. |
| hang up | raccrocher (téléphone) | She hung up before I could answer. | Elle a raccroché avant que je puisse répondre. |
| call back | rappeler | I'll call you back in five minutes. | Je vous rappelle dans cinq minutes. |
Phone context: Hold on, hang up and call back are an inseparable trio for any phone conversation in professional English.
6. Progress and pace {#progression}
These phrasal verbs describe how quickly you are moving forward — or falling behind. They are very useful for talking about learning, projects and performance.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| catch up | rattraper son retard | I need to catch up on my reading. | Je dois rattraper mon retard de lecture. |
| keep up with | suivre le rythme de | It's hard to keep up with all the changes. | C'est difficile de suivre toutes les évolutions. |
| fall behind | prendre du retard | He fell behind with his coursework. | Il a pris du retard dans ses cours. |
| move forward | avancer, progresser | We need to move forward with this project. | Nous devons faire avancer ce projet. |
| step up | intensifier / monter en puissance | The team stepped up its efforts in the final week. | L'équipe a intensifié ses efforts dans la dernière semaine. |
Direct application: If you are preparing a language exam, you can use these phrasal verbs to describe your progress: I'm trying to catch up on grammar / I need to keep up with my vocabulary practice.
7. Problem-solving {#resolution}
These phrasal verbs are essential in professional contexts, meetings and situations where difficulties need to be managed.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| sort out | régler, résoudre | We need to sort out this misunderstanding. | Nous devons régler ce malentendu. |
| deal with | gérer, traiter | How do you deal with stressful situations? | Comment gérez-vous les situations stressantes ? |
| come up with | trouver (une idée), proposer | She came up with a creative solution. | Elle a trouvé une solution créative. |
| work out | résoudre / faire de l'exercice / se dérouler | I'm sure it will work out in the end. | Je suis sûr que ça finira par s'arranger. |
| iron out | aplanir (des difficultés) | Let's iron out the details before we sign. | Réglons les détails avant de signer. |
Important nuance: Work out is a multi-meaning phrasal verb: to solve a problem (work out a solution), to exercise (work out at the gym), or to turn out well (things worked out well). Context is always decisive.
8. Stopping and ending {#arret}
These phrasal verbs describe different forms of cessation, whether a resource running out, an action being interrupted or an activity coming to an end.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| run out of | être à court de, manquer de | We've run out of time. | Nous n'avons plus de temps. |
| cut off | couper, interrompre | The call was cut off suddenly. | La communication a été coupée brusquement. |
| shut down | fermer, éteindre | The factory shut down last year. | L'usine a fermé l'année dernière. |
| close down | fermer définitivement | The shop closed down after 30 years. | Le magasin a fermé définitivement après 30 ans. |
| give in | céder, capituler | After hours of negotiation, he finally gave in. | Après des heures de négociation, il a finalement cédé. |
Useful distinction: Shut down is often used for machines and systems (shut down the computer), while close down applies more to establishments and commercial activities.
9. Professional and formal context {#formel}
These phrasal verbs are frequent in formal texts, official instructions and B1–B2 comprehension exercises. They include verbs used in organisational and coordination contexts.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning 🇫🇷 | Example 🇬🇧 | French translation 🇫🇷 |
|---|---|---|---|
| carry out | exécuter, effectuer | The team carried out a full inspection. | L'équipe a effectué une inspection complète. |
| take over | prendre en charge / reprendre | She took over as manager last June. | Elle a pris la direction du service en juin dernier. |
| stand down | se retirer, démissionner | The director stood down after the vote. | Le directeur s'est retiré après le vote. |
| pull back | se retirer, reculer | They decided to pull back from the deal. | Ils ont décidé de se retirer de l'accord. |
| call off | annuler | The event was called off due to bad weather. | L'événement a été annulé en raison du mauvais temps. |
For the ECL exam: Carry out, take over and call off are particularly frequent in B1–B2 reading comprehension texts. They appear in varied organisational contexts: meetings, projects, administrative decisions.
10. How to learn phrasal verbs effectively {#apprendre}
Phrasal verbs are often the bane of French-speaking learners. Here is a structured method to assimilate them durably.
Rule #1 — Learn in context, never as a bare list
Memorising give up = abandonner in isolation is not enough. The brain retains semantic and emotional associations better. Create personal sentences:
- I gave up chocolate for a month. → Personally relevant.
- She gave up her dream of becoming a doctor. → A strong, memorable image.
Rule #2 — Group by verb base
Learn all the phrasal verbs built on the same verb together:
- Get: get up, get along with, get over, get back, get on with, get through
- Put: put on, put down, put off, put up with, put forward
- Take: take off, take over, take back, take on, take up
This approach reduces cognitive load and reveals logical patterns.
Rule #3 — The 3-exposure method
For a phrasal verb to pass into long-term memory, you need to encounter it at least three times in different contexts:
1. Reading (article, book)
2. Listening (podcast, series)
3. Production (writing or saying it in a real sentence)
Rule #4 — Spaced-repetition flashcards
Use a spaced-repetition system (Anki, flashcards) with the format:
- Front: The phrasal verb in English + an example sentence
- Back: The French translation + a synonym
Rule #5 — Targeted immersion
Watch series in English with English subtitles (not French). Every time you hear a phrasal verb, pause and note it down. After 10 episodes of a series, you will have naturally assimilated around fifty phrasal verbs in their natural context.
11. The most-used phrasal verbs at work {#travail-pro}
In a professional English-speaking context, these phrasal verbs recur constantly in emails, meetings and presentations.
In meetings
| Phrasal verb | Typical usage |
|---|---|
| Go ahead | Give the floor: "Please go ahead." |
| Bring up | Introduce a topic: "I'd like to bring up a concern." |
| Point out | Signal a fact: "I should point out that…" |
| Move on | Change subject: "Let's move on to item three." |
| Come up with | Suggest: "Has anyone come up with a solution?" |
In professional emails
| Phrasal verb | Example in context |
|---|---|
| Follow up | "I'm following up on my email from last week." |
| Look into | "I will look into this matter and get back to you." |
| Call back | "Please call me back at your earliest convenience." |
| Find out | "I'll find out and let you know." |
| Sort out | "Let's sort out the details by phone." |
In project management
| Phrasal verb | Example in context |
|---|---|
| Carry out | "The audit was carried out last month." |
| Hand in | "Please hand in your reports by Thursday." |
| Fall behind | "We're falling behind schedule." |
| Step up | "We need to step up our efforts." |
| Iron out | "We still need to iron out a few details." |
Practical tip: If you are preparing for a job interview in English or a professional certification, focus first on these three tables. They cover 80% of workplace communication situations.
Summary table — Top 20 most useful {#top20}
| # | Phrasal verb | Main meaning 🇫🇷 | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | give up | abandonner | A2 |
| 2 | find out | découvrir | A2 |
| 3 | carry on | continuer | A2 |
| 4 | pick up | ramasser / apprendre | A2 |
| 5 | look after | s'occuper de | A2 |
| 6 | get along with | bien s'entendre avec | B1 |
| 7 | sort out | régler | B1 |
| 8 | deal with | gérer | B1 |
| 9 | come up with | proposer / trouver | B1 |
| 10 | look into | examiner | B1 |
| 11 | carry out | exécuter | B1 |
| 12 | work out | résoudre / s'arranger | B1 |
| 13 | hand in | remettre | B1 |
| 14 | keep up with | suivre le rythme | B1 |
| 15 | run out of | manquer de | B1 |
| 16 | bring up | mentionner | B1 |
| 17 | figure out | comprendre | B1 |
| 18 | take over | prendre en charge | B2 |
| 19 | iron out | aplanir (problèmes) | B2 |
| 20 | step up | intensifier | B2 |
FAQ — English Phrasal Verbs {#faq}
1. What exactly is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is an English verb paired with a particle (adverb or preposition) that changes its meaning significantly. For example, look means "regarder", but look after means "s'occuper de" and look into means "examiner". The meaning of the whole is different from the sum of the parts, which makes these expressions difficult to guess without having learned them.
2. How many phrasal verbs do you need to know for B2 level?
Studies on English vocabulary estimate that a B2 speaker masters between 150 and 250 common phrasal verbs. For language exams (ECL, TOEIC, IELTS), testers focus on around sixty very frequent phrasal verbs. Starting with the 50 presented in this article covers the essentials of B1 and provides a solid foundation for B2.
3. Are phrasal verbs always informal?
No. Some are indeed more common in speech and informal registers (hang out, freak out). But many are perfectly suited to a formal or professional register: carry out an inspection, look into a matter, bring up a concern are entirely appropriate in an official context or a language exam.
4. How do you avoid confusing phrasal verbs with ordinary prepositions?
The key is meaning: if the meaning of the verb changes radically when a particle is added, it is a phrasal verb. She looked at the document (ordinary looking) ≠ She looked into the matter (to investigate in depth). The particle fundamentally modifies the action. When in doubt, check in a bilingual dictionary that explicitly lists phrasal verbs.
5. What is the best order for learning phrasal verbs?
Start with phrasal verbs built on the most frequent verbs in English: get, take, put, give, go, come, make, turn. These eight verbs alone generate more than 200 common phrasal verbs. Learn them group by group rather than in alphabetical order — your associative memory will work for you.