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Frases verbales: significados y las 100 más comunes.

Las phrasal verbs indican acciones y se componen de la siguiente manera:
[verb + adverb] = look up
[verb + preposition] = look after
[verb + adverb + preposition] = look forward to

No siempre podemos entender el significado de una frase verbal traduciendo individualmente sus palabras ya que suelen tener un significado más figurativo que literal.

Significado literal

Algunas frases verbales tienen sentido literal y son muy fáciles de entender al traducirlas. Por ejemplo:

• She opened the door and looked outside.
• She was walking across the street when she heard the sound of a car.

Significado figurativo

Y otras phrasal verbs tienen un significado más figurativo o idiomático, que puede hacer que entenderlas sea más complicado. Por ejemplo:

• Can you put me up for tonight?

Put up podríamos decir que literalmente significa “construir, colocar”, pero en su significado figurativo significa dejar que alguien se quede a dormir en tu casa.

+100 frases verbales, significados y ejemplos:

Ask somebody out

Se usa para invitar a una persona a una cita.

John asked Lisa out to dinner and a movie.

Ask around

Para preguntar lo mismo a muchas personas.

I asked around but nobody had seen my phone.

Add up to something

El total de una cuenta, sumatoria.

Your purchases add up to $140.

Back something up

Fundamentar algo, probar que es cierto..

His theory is backed up by recent evidence.

Back somebody up

Apoyar o defender a otra persona.

My dad backed me up over my decision to quit college.

Blow up

Para decir que algo explotó.

Terrorists blew up and office building in the city.

Blow something up

Dar o agregar aire a un objeto.

We have to blow 100 balloons up for the party.

Break down

Dejar de funcionar, referido a vehículos y máquinas.

Our car broke down in the snowstorm.

Break down

Derrumbarse emocionalmente.

The woman broke down when the police told her that her husband had died.

Break something down

Dividir algo en pequeñas partes.

It’s easier to handle the job if you break it down into several specific assignments.

Break in

Entrar ilegalmente a una propiedad.

Somebody broke in last night and stole out TV.

Break up

Terminar una relación.

My girlfriend and I broke up after a big fight.

Break up

Empezar a reírse (informal).

The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.

Break out

Escaparse de un lugar.

The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren’t looking.

Bring somebody down

Sentirse triste por algo.

This sad music is bringing me down.

Bring something up

Empezar a hablar de algo.

My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports.

Call around

Llamar a muchas personas o muchos lugares.

We called around but we weren’t able to find the car part we needed.

Call somebody back

Devolver una llamada telefónica.

I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend.

Call something off

Cancelar algo.

Ben called the wedding off because he was in love with somebody else.

Call on somebody

Pedir una opinión o respuesta.

The teacher called on me for question 1.

Call somebody up

Llamar por teléfono.

Give me your number and I will call you up when we are in town.

Calm down

Relajarse después de estar enojado.

You need to calm down before you drive the car.

Catch up

Ponerse al tanto con algo o alguien.

Mark was off school for a while and is finding it hard to catch up.

Check in

Llegar y anunciarse en un hotel o aeropuerto.

We will get the hotel keys once we check in.

Check out

Irse de un hotel.

You have to check out of the hotel before 11 AM.

Check somebody/something out

Mirar con detenimiento, investigar.

The company checks out all new employees.

Cheer up

Animarse o celebrar.

She cheered up when she heard the good news.

Cheer somebody up

Animar o celebrar a alguien.

I brought you some flowers to cheer you up.

Clean something up

Ordenar o limpiar.

Please clean up your room before you go outside.

Come across something

Encontrar o conocer algo inesperadamente.

I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet.

Come apart

Separar algo o separarse de alguien.

The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough.

Come down with something

Enfermarse.

My nephew came down with the flu this weekend.

Come forward

Hacerse voluntario para una tarea o dar evidencia.

The woman came forward with her son’s finger prints.

Come from some place

De cierto lugar de origen.

The art of origami comes from Asia.

Count on somebody/something

Contar con alguien, confiar y fiarse. 

I’m counting on you to make dinner tonight.

Cross something out

Tachar, hacer una línea.

Please cross out your old address and write your new one.

Cut back on something

Consumir menos, acortar la cantidad de algo.

My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods.

Cut in

Interrumpir.

Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle.

Cut something out

Cortar, sacar una parte de algo.

I cut this ad out of the newspaper.

Do something/somebody over

Hacer algo otra vez.

My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she didn’t like my topic.

Do something up

Abrochar o cerrar algo, especialmente una prenda de vestir.

Do your coat up before you go outside, it’s freezing!

Dress up

Vestirse con ropa especial, bonita y de valor.

It’s a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up.

Drop back

Retroceder o moverse hacia una posición o grupo anterior.

Kelly dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike.

Drop in/by/over

Ir a un lugar sin tener turno o cita previa.

I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this week.

Drop something/somebody off

Llevar algo/alguien a un lugar y dejarlo ahí.

I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over.

Drop out

Abandonar, darse de baja.

I dropped out of my Science class because it was too difficult.

Eat out

Comer fuera de casa, generalmente en un restaurante.

I don’t feel like cooking tonight, let’s eat out.

End up

Decidir hacer algo eventualmente, una decisión no rápida.

We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre.

Fall apart

Romperse.

My new dress fell apart in the washing machine.

Fall down

Caerse al suelo.

The money must have fallen out of my pocket.

Figure something out

Entender algo, encontrar la respuesta.

I need to figure out how to fit the couch in this room.

Fill something in

Escribir o completar información en espacios blancos.

The form must be filled out in capital letters.

Fill something up

Llenar hasta el límite.

I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.

Find out

Descubrir algo.

We don’t know where he lives. How can we find out?

Get along/on

Llevarse bien con alguien.

I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on.

Get around

Tener movilidad.

My grandfather can’t get around without his wheelchair.

Get away

Ir de viaje o vacaciones.

We worked so hard this year that we had to get aways for a week.

Get aways with something

Hacer algo sin recibir castigo o sin que nadie se entere.

Jamie always gets aways with cheating in this Maths tests.

Get back

Volver.

We got back from our vacation last week.

Get something back

Recuperar algo que ya tenías antes.

Lizzie finally got her camera back from her brother.

Get back at somebody

Vengarse. 

I finally got back at my sister for stealing my shoes.

Get on something

Subirse a un vehículo.

As soon as we get on the bus I’ll give you some candy.

Get over something

Recuperarse de una enfermedad, pérdida o problema.

I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.

Get together

Juntarse personalmente con otras personas.

Let’s get together for drinks this weekend.

Get up

Levantarse, ponerse de pie.

I got up early to study for my exam.

Give something away

Arruinar un secreto.

My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident.

Give something back

Devolver un objeto prestado.

I have to give these shoes back to Frank before his date with Julie.

Give in

Dejar de pelear o discutir.

My boyfriend didn’t want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in.

Go after somebody

Seguir a alguien.

My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.

Go after something

Intentar alcanzar o lograr algo.

I went after my dream and now I am a published writer.

Go ahead

Empezar, proceder.

Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold.

Go out

Dejar la casa para ir a un evento social.

We’re going out for dinner tonight.

Go over something

Revisar, repasar cierta información.

Please, go over your answers before you submit your test.

Grow apart

Dejar de ser amigos a lo largo del tiempo.

My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools.

Grow back

Volver a crecer.

My tulips grew back this summer.

Grow into something

Crecer lo suficiente como para entrar en algo.

This jacket is too big for her now, but she should grow into it by next year.

Grow out of something

Crecer mucho y dejar de entrar en algo.

Peter needs a new bike because he has grown out of his old one. 

Grow up

Convertirse en adulto.

When Holly grows up she wants to be a lawyer.

Hand something down

Regalar algo usado a otra persona.

I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin.

Hand something over

Dar algo, generalmente sin voluntad.

The police asked the man to hand over this wallet and weapons.

Hang out

Pasar un tiempo relajado.

Instead of going to the party we are going to hang out at my place.

Hang up

Cortar, terminar una llamada telefónica.

She didn’t say goodbye before she hung up.

Hold something back

Ocultar emociones.

Claire held back her tears at her grandfather’s funeral.

Hold onto somebody/something

Agarrarse firmemente usando las manos o brazos.

Hold onto your hat because it’s very windy outside.

Keep somebody/something out

Mantener algo/alguien afuera, no permitirle ingresar.

Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room.

Keep something up

Mantenerse y continuar con el mismo esfuerzo y trabajo.

If you keep those results up you will get into a great college.

Let somebody down

Decepcionar a alguien a través de palabras o acciones.

I need you to be on time, don’t let me down this time.

Let somebody in

Permitir el ingreso.

Can you let the cat in before you go?

Look after somebody/something

Cuidar a alguien o algo.

I have to look after my nephew tomorrow after school.

Look down on somebody

Pensar menos de alguien, considerarlo inferior.

Ever since we stole that chocolate bar you dad has looked down on me.

Look for somebody/something

Buscar algo/alguien, intentar encontrarlo.

I’m looking for a red dress for the prom.

Look forward to something

Estar emocionado por el futuro.

I’m looking forward to the winter holidays.

Look into something

Investigar.

We are going to look into the price of flights today.

Look out

Tener cuidado, estar con la mirada atenta.

Look out! That car’s going to hit us.

Look something over

Examinar, chequear algo.

Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes?

Look something up

Buscar y encontrar información sobre algo.

We can look her phone number up on the Internet.

Look up to somebody

Admirar, tener mucho respeto por alguien.

As a kid I used to look up to Jessy.

Make something up

Inventar, mentir sobre algo.

Joe made up a story about why we were late.

Make up

Perdonarse mutuamente.

We were angry last night, but we made up for breakfast.

Pass away

Fallecer.

Her grandfather passed away last night after a long illness.

Pass out

Desmayarse.

It was so hot in there that an elderly lady passed out.

Pass something out

Darle lo mismo a muchas personas.

The teacher passed the textbooks out before class.

Pay somebody back

Devolver dinero adeudado o prestado.

Thank you for buying my ticket, I will pay you back on Saturday.

Pay for something

Ser castigado por hacer algo mal.

That bully will pay for being mean to my little sister.

Point something/somebody out

Indicar y señalar con tu dedo.

I’ll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.

Put somebody down

Insultar, hacer sentir mal a alguien.

The students put the substitute teacher down because his pants were too short.

Put something down

Colocar en el suelo o superficie aquello que tienes en las manos.

You can put the groceries down on the kitchen counter.

Put something off

Posponer, reprogramar.

We are putting off our trip until January because of the quarantine. 

Put something together

Armar, unir.

I have to put the crib together before the baby arrives.

Put something on

Ponerse ropa o accesorios.

Don’t forget to put on your new earrings for our anniversary dinner.

Run into somebody/something

Encontrarse con alguien inesperadamente.

I ran into Brad Pitt at the mall.

Run over somebody/something

Atropellar con un vehículo a una persona o cosa.

I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway.

Run away

Escaparse, irse inesperadamente.

The teenager ran away from home and has been missing for five days.

Run out

No tener más de algo, agotarse.

We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair with soap.

Send something back

Devolver y enviar algo, generalmente por mail.

My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp.

Set something up
Organizar una cita, evento, etc.

Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the company.

Set somebody up

Organizar una trampa, generalmente para “atrapar” a alguien malo.

The police set up the car thief by using a hidden camera.

Show off

Mostrarse delante de otros, actuar de manera especial o exagerada.

He always shows off on his skateboard.

Sleep over

Quedarse a dormir fuera de casa.

Zoey is sleeping over at Maya’s house.

Sort something out

Resolver un problema.

We need to sort the bills out before the first of the month.

Stick to something

Seguir haciendo algo, limitarse a hacer una cosa particular.

You will lose weight if you stick to the diet. 

Switch something off

Cortar la energía de algo.

The light’s too bright. Could you switch it off?

Take something apart

Romper algo a propósito.

He took the car brakes apart and found the problem.

Take off

Empezar a volar, referido a vehículos.

My plane takes off in five minutes.

Take something off

Sacarse algo, usualmente ropa.

Take off your shoes and come to the lake!

Take something out

Sacar algo de un lugar.

Can you take the garbage out to the street?

Take somebody out

Invitar a alguien a un lugar y pagar por sus gastos.

My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie.

Tear something up

Romper algo en piezas pequeñas.

I tore up my ex-boyfriend’s letters and gave them back to him.

Think something over

Considerar hacer algo.

I’ll have to think about this job offer over before I make my final decision.

Turn something down

Negarse a algo.

I turned the job down because I don’t want to leave the country. 

Turn something on

Darle energía a algo, prenderlo.

It’s too dark in here. Let’s turn some lights on.

Turn something up

Subir el volumen.

Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite song.

Turn up

Aparecer de repente. 

Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over the neighbourhood.

Try something on

Probarse ropa, especialmente estando de compras.

I’m going to try these jeans on, but I don’t think they will fit.

Try something out

Probar algo, ver si funciona.

I’m going to try this new brand of conditioner out.

Wake up

Dejar de dormir.

We have to wake up early for work on Monday.

Warm somebody/something up

Subir la temperatura.

You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.

Warm up

Entrar en calor para hacer ejercicio.

I always warm up by doing a short run before I go to the gym. 

Work out

Hacer ejercicio.

I work out at the gym three times a week.

Work something out

Hacer un cálculo. 

We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house.