How to use the word "Out" with "phrasal verbs"? I know that for one phrasal verb, there are more than one meaning, but I'm wondering if we use the word "out", with the verb, maybe we can have the same

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How to use the word "Out" with "phrasal verbs"? I know that for one phrasal verb, there are more than one meaning, but I'm wondering if we use the word "out", with the verb, maybe we can have the same thing or meaning, that when we do the verb for the first time. 1/Example: "check out" means to check/see/investigate for the "first time". If I say I will "check out" a website, it means I will go see it for the first time. If I "check" it, it probably means I am going back to the same site I have used before to see if there is an update, etc. 2/Example: "try out" means try something new. -I've never heard anything of Seal before, but maybe I should "try his music out". -I'm going to "try the new car out". My qestion is when we ue "out" after the verb, does it mean that we do the verb or the action for the firt time? if that is true can you give me please an example of other phrasal verbs with the word "out"? Thanks

May 24, 2015 9:18 PM

Answers · 8

sort out - resolve find out - discover turn out - transpire, result pull out - extract, uproot let out - loosen, release "out" is used in some phrasal verbs to add a sense of a movement which brings something into the open, as in the use of the preposition "out of". However, in other verbs, "out" has no obvious relation with the preposition, and sometimes only adds emphasis to the main verb. Most people say that the key to learning phrasal verbs is to learn them in context. If you speak French, it could be good to first learn each verb along with a more formal synonym which is a cognate word originating from French or Latin. But be careful of false friends and fine differences in meaning. e.g. find out = discover = decouvrir

May 24, 2015

No, I'm afraid that it isn't true. Adding 'out' to a verb has nothing to do with doing something for the first time..

May 24, 2015

Just to add to Su.Ki. and Michael's answers, there is no simple rule for phrasal verbs. Their beauty lies in their flexibility, and a different context can change the meaning entirely. Some prepositions such as "out" suggest a result ("up" and "off" are two other examples), but this is only a very rough guide and not a fixed rule. Michael's examples of French/Latin equivalents is very useful. This allows you to choose between a formal or business register (French/Latin) or everyday, familiar language (phrasal verbs). You might notice that the verb in a phrasal verb usually has an Anglo-Germanic origin.

May 24, 2015

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