40 English Phrasal Verbs for Conversation

Key takeaways

• Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and a particle (preposition or adverb) whose combined meaning is often different from the individual words: bring up does not mean raising something physically, it means to mention a topic.
• The 40 phrasal verbs in this guide are organized by conversation function rather than by verb, which makes them immediately applicable: you can learn wrap up and pick up where we left off as a pair because they handle opposite moments in the same conversation.
• Separability is one of the key grammar rules for phrasal verbs: bring it up and bring up the topic are both correct; bring up it is not. Most phrasal verbs with an object are separable, but the pronoun always goes between the verb and the particle.
• Native English speakers use phrasal verbs constantly in informal conversation, so understanding them is essential even if you choose to use more formal alternatives in your own speech.

English phrasal verbs are one of the most frustrating vocabulary areas for learners because their meanings are often unpredictable. But they are also one of the most rewarding areas to study, because mastering the common ones transforms your ability to understand natural speech.

Knowing a definition does not tell you whether a phrasal verb sounds natural in a specific sentence, or whether you have accidentally used the wrong particle. That feedback only comes from someone listening to you in real conversation.

italki connects you with English teachers who flag unnatural phrasal verb use the moment it happens, which is when correction actually sticks.

This guide covers 40 phrasal verbs for conversation organized into five sections: starting and continuing conversations, agreeing and disagreeing, understanding and clarifying, making plans and ending conversations, and daily-life phrasal verbs that come up constantly in social situations.

The fastest way to make phrasal verbs automatic is to use them in real exchanges with an English tutor who corrects your usage and gives you feedback on which ones sound natural in which contexts.

Phrasal verbs for starting and continuing a conversation

These phrasal verbs help you open a topic, return to something discussed earlier, or keep a conversation moving.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
bring up	to mention a topic	I wanted to bring up the schedule change.
pick up where we left off	to resume after a pause	Let’s pick up where we left off from last week.
go over	to review or discuss again	Can we go over the main points one more time?
touch on	to mention briefly	We touched on this yesterday but let’s go deeper.
get into	to begin discussing in detail	I don’t want to get into it right now.
get back to	to return to a topic	Let me get back to what you said earlier.
carry on	to continue	Please carry on, I’m listening.
lead up to	to gradually approach a point	I’m not sure what you’re leading up to.

Grammar note on separability: Bring up is separable: bring the topic up or bring it up are both correct. Get into is not separable: get into the topic is correct; get the topic into is not.

Phrasal verbs for agreeing and disagreeing

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
come around	to change your opinion and agree	He wasn’t convinced at first but he’s come around.
stand by	to maintain your position or support someone	I stand by what I said.
back down	to withdraw from a position under pressure	She refused to back down even when challenged.
go along with	to agree or accept even if you have doubts	I’ll go along with the plan for now.
hold out	to refuse to accept a less favorable arrangement	They’re holding out for a better offer.
side with	to support one person’s position over another’s	She sided with the manager on this issue.
fall in with	to accept or adopt someone else’s plans or ideas	He fell in with their approach in the end.
push back on	to express resistance or disagreement	The team pushed back on the deadline change.

Usage note: Back down and give in are close in meaning, but back down implies withdrawing from a specific position, while give in implies surrendering to someone’s pressure or demands more broadly.

Phrasal verbs for understanding and clarifying

These phrasal verbs help you ask for clarification, confirm understanding, and work through confusion in conversation.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
figure out	to understand after thinking about it	I can’t figure out what he means.
work out	to understand or solve	Let me work out what the problem is.
clear up	to explain and remove confusion	Can you clear up what happened in the meeting?
run through	to explain quickly or rehearse	Can you run through the steps again?
spell out	to explain clearly and in detail	Can you spell out exactly what you need from me?
catch on	to begin to understand	It took me a while to catch on to what she was suggesting.
follow up on	to get more information about something previously mentioned	I wanted to follow up on what you said about the deadline.
pin down	to get a clear, specific answer	I’m trying to pin down exactly what went wrong.

For a broader look at English prepositions that appear in phrasal verbs (up, down, on, out, off, over) and how they shift meaning, the guide to English prepositions covers the directional and abstract meanings that make phrasal verbs more predictable.

Phrasal verbs for making plans and ending conversations

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
set up	to arrange or organize	Let’s set up a meeting for Thursday.
put off	to postpone	We had to put off the decision until next week.
call off	to cancel	The event was called off at the last minute.
pencil in	to tentatively schedule	I’ve pencilled in Tuesday afternoon, does that work?
wrap up	to bring to a conclusion	Let’s wrap up the discussion here.
round off	to complete or conclude satisfyingly	That rounds off everything I wanted to cover.
cut off	to interrupt or end abruptly	I got cut off before I could finish my point.
sign off	to give final approval or to end communication	She signed off on the plan this morning.

Pencil in vs. book: Pencil in suggests a tentative arrangement that may change; book suggests a confirmed one. I’ve pencilled you in for 3pm leaves room to change; I’ve booked you in for 3pm implies it is confirmed.

Phrasal verbs for daily life and relationships

These phrasal verbs come up constantly in conversations about people, plans, and everyday situations.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
catch up	to meet and share news after time apart	We need to catch up sometime soon.
fall out	to have an argument and stop being close	They fell out over something trivial.
make up	to reconcile after an argument	They’ve made up now, they’re fine.
keep in touch	to maintain contact	Let’s keep in touch after the course ends.
run into	to meet someone unexpectedly	I ran into an old colleague at the airport.
look after	to take care of	Can you look after the kids for an hour?
get on with	to have a good relationship with someone	I get on really well with my new manager.
fall for	to fall in love with or be deceived by	He fell for her immediately. or I can’t believe I fell for that trick.
come up	to arise or be mentioned unexpectedly	His name came up in the conversation.
bring out	to cause a quality in someone to appear	She really brings out the best in people.
give up	to stop trying or to quit	Don’t give up, you’re almost there.
take after	to resemble a parent or relative	She really takes after her mother.
look up to	to admire and respect	He looks up to his older brother.
put up with	to tolerate something unpleasant	I don’t know how she puts up with that noise.
grow apart	to gradually become less close	We grew apart after university.
come across	to meet or encounter unexpectedly (also: to seem a certain way)	I came across an old photo. / She came across as very confident.

Come across has two distinct uses: the physical sense of encountering something, and the interpersonal sense of making an impression. Context distinguishes them. How did I come across? is asking how did I seem?

A private English tutor can build conversation sessions around these phrasal verbs, using real topic discussions so you practice producing them naturally rather than just translating definitions.

How to practice phrasal verbs so they stick

Group by particle, not by verb: All phrasal verbs with up (bring up, wrap up, catch up, give up) often share a family resemblance: up frequently implies completion, intensity, or starting from scratch. Learning particle meanings helps you guess new phrasal verbs.

Replace formal vocabulary in writing: If you tend to write postpone, practice using put off in informal messages. Active replacement builds production habits.

Record and review: Find 5 phrasal verbs, record yourself using each in a natural sentence, play it back and notice which ones sound hesitant.

Focus on the most separable ones first: Bring it up, work it out, clear it up – the separability pattern becomes automatic faster when you practice pronouns in the object slot.

React, don’t translate: When a phrasal verb comes up in a conversation or video, react to the meaning in context rather than pausing to translate it. Fluency is built through reaction speed, not comprehension accuracy.

An English tutor online can design sessions specifically around phrasal verb production, pushing you to use the target verbs naturally across a real conversation topic rather than drilling them in isolated exercises.

Make phrasal verbs a reflex, not a lookup

The problem with phrasal verbs is not that they are unpredictable – it is that they are only learned through exposure and use. A definition is just the beginning. Hearing someone say we fell out over it and immediately understanding the relationship context, the finality, and the implicit possibility of making up is what real comprehension looks like. Getting to that level requires conversation, not just lists.

30,000+ tutors on italki means there is an English teacher who specializes in exactly the conversational fluency you are working toward. Book a trial lesson and spend the session talking through real topics where these 40 phrasal verbs come up naturally, with a teacher who flags every time you reach for the formal word when the natural choice is a phrasal verb.

FAQ

What is the grammar rule for separable phrasal verbs?

When the object is a noun, you can place it either between the verb and the particle or after the particle: bring up the topic and bring the topic up are both correct. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle: bring it up is correct; bring up it is not.

How many phrasal verbs does a learner need to be conversationally fluent?

Research varies, but most estimates suggest 100 to 200 of the most common phrasal verbs cover the majority of everyday conversational needs. The 40 in this guide are all high-frequency: you will encounter them regularly in spoken English.

Are phrasal verbs informal? Can I use them in professional settings?

Some phrasal verbs are informal (fall out, catch up, put up with) while others are neutral or even professional (follow up on, sign off, wrap up, run through). The guide to business English phrases covers which register is appropriate in work communication.

What is the best way to learn phrasal verbs if I find them confusing?

Focus on one particle at a time for a week. Learn all the common up phrasal verbs, then move to out, then off. The particle meanings give you a framework that makes new phrasal verbs easier to guess.

Why do phrasal verbs sound wrong when I use them even if the meaning is right?

Often it is a collocation issue: certain phrasal verbs go with certain nouns or situations. Bring up a topic sounds natural; bring up a car does not. Real conversation practice with native feedback is the most effective way to build that intuition.