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Expert · Sound natural: phrasal verbs, idioms and Indian-English fixes · topic 39 of 59 · 16 min

Phrasal verbs for daily life

Explanation

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word like up, off, on or out. The small word changes the meaning: "give" means देना, but "give up" means छोड़ देना or हार मानना. Fluent speakers use phrasal verbs all day, so the common ones make your English sound natural at once. Phrasal verb = verb + छोटा शब्द, और मतलब बदल जाता है।

A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word called a particle (छोटा शब्द), such as up, down, on, off, in, out, for or after. Together they make a new meaning. "Look" means देखना, but "look after" means देखभाल करना and "look for" means ढूँढना. Learn each one as a single new word, not as two separate words.

Phrasal verbMeaningHindiExample
wake upstop sleepingजागनाI wake up at six.
get upleave your bedबिस्तर से उठनाI get up at quarter past six.
put onwear (clothes, shoes, glasses)पहननाPut on your jacket. It's cold.
take offremove clothes; a plane leaves the groundउतारना / उड़ान भरनाPlease take off your shoes.
turn onstart a light or machineचालू करनाTurn on the AC, please.
turn offstop a light or machineबंद करनाDid you turn off the geyser?
look fortry to findढूँढनाI'm looking for my phone.
look aftertake care ofदेखभाल करनाShe looks after her grandmother.
find outlearn a factपता लगानाLet me find out the train timing.
give upstop trying; stop a habitहार मानना / छोड़ देनाHe gave up sugar last year.
run out ofhave nothing leftख़त्म हो जानाWe've run out of gas.
get along withhave a friendly relationshipअच्छी बननाI get along with my neighbours.
pick uplift; go and collect someoneउठाना / लेने जानाI'll pick you up at eight.
drop offtake someone and leave them somewhereछोड़नाDrop me off at the gate.
come backreturnवापस आनाCome back soon!
call backreturn a phone callवापस फ़ोन करनाI'll call you back.
hang upend a phone callफ़ोन रखना / काटनाPlease don't hang up.
figure outunderstand or solveसमझ लेना / हल निकालनाI can't figure out this app.
set uparrange or installलगाना / सेट करनाCan you set up my new phone?

Can the phrasal verb split?

Many phrasal verbs are separable (अलग हो सकने वाले). With a noun, both orders are fine: "turn off the light" or "turn the light off". With a pronoun (it, them, him, her, me), the small word must go after it: "turn it off", "pick them up", never "turn off it". Some phrasal verbs never split: look for, look after, get along with, run out of, come back. Say "look after her", not "look her after".

I wake up at six, but I get up at six thirty.

Say it: ai WAYK UP at SIKS, but ai get UP at siks THUR-tee

मैं छह बजे जाग जाता हूँ, पर साढ़े छह बजे बिस्तर से उठता हूँ।

Wake up = your eyes open. Get up = you leave the bed.

Please turn off the fan before you leave.

Say it: pleez turn OFF the FAN bi-FOR yoo LEEV

जाने से पहले कृपया पंखा बंद कर देना।

Many of us say "close the fan" or "open the light". Abroad, say turn on / turn off (or switch on / switch off) for lights, fans and machines.

I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them?

Say it: aim LUK-ing for my KEEZ. hav yoo SEEN them?

मैं अपनी चाबियाँ ढूँढ रहा हूँ। तुमने कहीं देखी हैं?

Could you pick me up from the station?

Say it: kud yoo PIK mee UP from the STAY-shun?

क्या तुम मुझे स्टेशन से ले सकते हो?

Pick up = go and collect someone. Drop off = take someone and leave them somewhere.

We've run out of milk. I'll get some.

Say it: weev run OWT ov MILK. ail GET sum

दूध ख़त्म हो गया है। मैं ले आता हूँ।

I get along well with my new roommate.

Say it: ai get a-LONG WEL with my NYOO ROOM-mayt

मेरी अपने नए रूममेट से अच्छी बनती है।

Sorry, I missed your call. I'll call you back in ten minutes.

Say it: SOR-ee, ai MIST yor KAWL. ail KAWL yoo BAK in TEN MIN-its

माफ़ करना, तुम्हारा फ़ोन छूट गया। मैं दस मिनट में वापस फ़ोन करता हूँ।

Don't give up. You'll figure it out.

Say it: DOHNT giv UP. yool FIG-er it OWT

हार मत मानो। तुम इसका हल निकाल लोगे।

In speech, the small word usually carries the stress: give UP, figure it OUT, turn it OFF.

Think of it like this: A phrasal verb is like tadka on dal. The dal is the same, but the tadka changes the whole taste. "Look" + "after" is take care of; "look" + "for" is search. Same verb, new flavour.
Careful: Common mistakes: "turn off it" (say "turn it off"), "pick up me" (say "pick me up"), "I am looking it for" (say "I am looking for it"), "close the light" or "open the fan" (say "turn off the light", "turn on the fan").
Tip: Narrate your morning while you get ready: "I wake up, I turn off the alarm, I get up, I put on my shirt, I pick up my bag." Do it every day for a week, adding one new phrasal verb each day.

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Phrasal verbs for daily life · 1/7

verb + up / off / on / out

Hello! Today we learn phrasal verbs for daily life: a verb plus a small word like up, off or out.

Prefer a video by a teacher? Find free videos on “daily use phrasal verbs spoken english in hindi” on YouTube ↗

In real life: A busy morning at home

Mother: Riya, wake up! It's already seven. Riya: I'm awake, Mummy. I'll get up in two minutes. Mother: Put on your uniform quickly. Papa will drop you off at school today. Riya: I can't find my ID card. I've been looking for it everywhere. Mother: Look on the table. And turn off the geyser, please. Riya: Found it! Mummy, we've run out of bread. Mother: Okay, I'll pick some up on my way back from the market. Riya: Thanks! I'll come back at four. Bye!

Practice (0/4 done)

Task 1 · Speak

Say this request naturally.

Could you turn off the fan and pick up my phone from the table?

क्या तुम पंखा बंद करके टेबल से मेरा फ़ोन उठा दोगे?

Press Speak, then say the sentence.
Task 2 · Listen and type

Listen and type the sentence.

Task 3 · Practice

Describe your morning and evening in six sentences. Use at least six different phrasal verbs from the table.

Task 4 · Question

Which is correct?

Quick quiz

Question 1

1."I gave up smoking last year" means...

Question 2

2.Complete: "Can you ___ my bag while I buy the tickets?"

Question 3

3.Which sounds natural to any English speaker?

Question 4

4.Complete: "We've ___ sugar. Can you buy some?"

Question 5

5."I'll drop you off at the metro station" means...

Open a question to see the answer and why. The first ones are this topic's own quiz, so try the quiz above before you peek.

"I gave up smoking last year" means...

Answer: I stopped smoking.

Give up = stop a habit or stop trying.

Complete: "Can you ___ my bag while I buy the tickets?"

Answer: look after

Look after = take care of, keep safe. Look for = search.

Which sounds natural to any English speaker?

Answer: Please turn on the fan.

For lights, fans and machines, use turn on / turn off (or switch on / switch off).

Complete: "We've ___ sugar. Can you buy some?"

Answer: run out of

Run out of = have none left.

"I'll drop you off at the metro station" means...

Answer: I'll take you there and leave you.

Drop off = take someone in your vehicle and leave them at a place.

Which is standard for a form in British and Indian English?Related

Answer: Please fill in this form.

Fill in (UK, India) or fill out (US). "Fill up a form" is heard in India but sounds odd abroad.

From Phrasal verbs for work and study

Complete: "The weather ___ nice today."Related

Answer: is

"The weather" = it, so use "is".

From I am, you are, he is: the verb "be"

Which is natural English?Related

Answer: I have a question.

"Have" for owning a doubt/question is a state: "I have a question."

From Present continuous: what is happening now

Complete: "Yesterday, she ___ a letter to her friend."Related

Answer: wrote

write → wrote (irregular).

From Simple past: talking about yesterday

Pass the quiz (60% or more) or mark this topic as done when you are ready.

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Next steps

  1. 4 more topics in “Sound natural: phrasal verbs, idioms and Indian-English fixes” before its exam: Phrasal verbs for work and study, Idioms: Indian favourites and international ones, Indian-English word choices and natural fixes, Indian-English grammar slips and fixes.
  2. Module 10 exam: sound natural · 15 questions · 20 min, without help. 5 topics of this module still to finish first.
  3. Then the next module, Clear pronunciation and listening. 59 topics left in the course before the final exam.

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