- 18 Feb, 2024
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- 7 Mins Read
Phrasal verbs in Spanish are the cornerstone of grammar for speaking Spanish fluently. Learning Spanish phrasal verbs will also make it easier to form sentences and speak Spanish fluently. Knowing the meanings of Spanish phrasal verbs and when to use them is an introductory course to fluent Spanish.
Table of Contents
- What is a Phrasal Verbs?
- What is the Spanish Phrasal Verb?
- How to Learn Spanish Phrasal Verbs?
- What are the Most Common Spanish Phrasal Verbs?
- 1: Dejar de(Break Down)
- 2: Acabar de
- 3: Alegrarse de
- 4: Caer bajo
- 5: Caer bien
- 6: Caer en
- 7: Caer mal
- 8: Casarse con
- 9: Contar con
- 10: Dar con
- 11: Darse prisa
- 12: Darse cuenta de
- 13: Echarse a
- 14: Echar de menos
- 15: Estar para
- 16: Estar por
- 17: Enamorarse de
- 18: Fijarse en
- 19: Hacer constar
- 20: Ilegar a ser
- 21: Ilevar a cabo
- 22: Meterse en
- 23: Pensar de
- 24: Pensar en
- 25: Pasar por
- 26: Quedarse sin
- 27: Reírse de
- 28: Responder por
- 29: Soñar con
- 30: Tener que
- 31: Volver a
- 32: Salir de
- What are the Types of Phrasal Verbs in Spanish?
- What are Some Common Mistakes Made When Using Phrasal Verbs?
What is a Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verbs are words combined with adverbs or prepositions to change the sentence’s meaning. They are often used to indicate actions.
A phrasal verb is usually a conversational or less formal way of saying something and, as such, can be a bit confusing for those learning the Spanish language.
What is the Spanish Phrasal Verb?
Spanish phrasal verbs(Los verbos compuestos en español) are phrasal verbs that significantly change the verb’s meaning by adding prepositions and adverbs.
Phrasal verbs are commonly used in Spanish, especially in informal conversations.
Why are Spanish Phrasal Verbs Important?
Knowing Spanish phrasal verbs will add to your language skills, fluency, and vocabulary. Spanish phrasal verbs are very common in informal conversations. Learning to use phrasal verbs will make your everyday speech more fluent. By improving your language skills, you can speak Spanish more fluently and more comprehensively. Spanish Phrasal verbs will make communication faster and easier. Learning Spanish phrasal verbs will also help you expand your vocabulary.
How to Learn Spanish Phrasal Verbs?
How to learn Spanish phrasal verbs is listed below.
- Introduce Spanish Phrasal Verbs In Context
- Use Visuals
- Provide Practice Exercises
- Make It Fun
- Read & listen!
When learning Spanish phrasal verbs, you should get plenty of exercise. You must memorize words that have different meanings in different types of sentences. You should learn the more basic scopes of phrasal verbs and prepositions and think holistically.
What are the Most Common Spanish Phrasal Verbs?
Examples of frequently used Spanish phrasal verbs are listed below.
1: Dejar de(Break Down)
Meaning: to stop, or to give up, broke down
Example Phrase: Siento Llegar tarde. El coche dejó de funcionar.
(Sorry, I’m late. The car broke down.)
2: Acabar de
Meaning: finish or finalize
Example Phrase: Acabo de terminar el proyecto. ¡Qué alivio!
(I just finished the project. What relief!)
3: Alegrarse de
Meaning: To be happy
Example Phrase: Me alegro muchísimo de verte bien.
(I’m really pleased to see you’re doing well.)
4: Caer bajo
Meaning: falling low
Example Phrase: Eso sería caer bajo.
That would be low.
5: Caer bien
Meaning: to like
Example Phrase: ¿Te cae bien la nueva profesora de inglés?
( Do you like the new English teacher?)
6: Caer en
Meaning: to come to understand or to come into a situation.
Example Phrase: No caigas en provocaciones.
Do not fall for provocations.
7: Caer mal
Meaning: to fall ill, to not like
Example Phrase: A mi perro le cae mal todo el mundo.
( My dog doesn’t like anybody.)
8: Casarse con
Meaning: to marry
Example Phrase: Ana se casó con Javier, su novio de la secundaria. ¿Te acuerdas de él?
( Ana married Javier, her high school sweetheart. Do you remember him?)
9: Contar con
Meaning: to rely on
Example Phrase: La tienda cuenta contigo para llegar a la hora.
(The store relies on you to get here on time.)
10: Dar con
Meaning: to come upon
Example Phrase: Tengo que dar con el puente.
(I just got to come up with a bridge.)
11: Darse prisa
Meaning: to hurry up
Example Phrase: Entonces date prisa y llama para preguntar dónde está.
(Then hurry and call him to ask where he is.)
12: Darse cuenta de
Meaning: to notice that
Example Phrase: Entonces empecé a notar que cada persona llevaba un colgante.
(I then began to notice that every person was wearing a pendant.)
13: Echarse a
Meaning: to begin to
Example Phrase: La beba empezó a llorar porque tenía hambre.
(The baby began to cry because she was hungry.)
14: Echar de menos
Meaning: to miss
Example Phrase: Echo de menos a mi país y a su gente.
(I miss my country and its people.)
15: Estar para
Meaning: to be in the mood for
Example Phrase: No estoy de humor para una película seria. Veamos una más ligera.
I’m not in the mood for a serious movie. Let’s watch a lighter one.
16: Estar por
Meaning: to be near
Example Phrase: Esa calle está por la estación, ¿no?
That street is near the station, isn’t it?
17: Enamorarse de
Meaning: to fall in love with
Example Phrase: Me enamoré de él a primera vista.
(I fell in love with him at first sight.)
18: Fijarse en
Meaning: to pay attention to
Example Phrase: Fíjate bien en estas dos imágenes y dime si encuentras alguna diferencia entre ellas.
(Pay close attention to these two pictures and tell me if you can find any difference between them.)
19: Hacer constar
Meaning: to record
Example Phrase: Ana hace constar que no sabe nada de esta situación.
(Ana states that she doesn’t know anything about this situation.)
20: Ilegar a ser
Meaning: to become
Example Phrase: Es posible que llegue a ser el próximo primer ministro del país.
(There’s a chance he could become the country’s next prime minister.)
21: Ilevar a cabo
Meaning: to carry out
Example Phrase: Un equipo interdisciplinario llevará a cabo este proyecto.
(An interdisciplinary team will carry out this project.)
22: Meterse en
Meaning: to go into
Example Phrase: Me metí en este negocio con la idea de hacerme millonario
(I went into this business with the idea of becoming a millionaire.)
23: Pensar de
Meaning: to think that
Example Phrase: Y yo realmente no quería pensar de ese modo.
(And I didn’t really want to think that way.)
24: Pensar en
Meaning: to think about
Example Phrase: Pensaba en la vez que fuimos a la Torre Eiffel.
(You might lose capital or run out of money.)
25: Pasar por
Meaning: to go past
Example Phrase: El bus pasa por nuestra puerta.
(The bus goes past our house.)
26: Quedarse sin
Meaning: run out of
Example Phrase: Podría perder capital o quedarse sin dinero.
(You might lose capital or run out of money.)
27: Reírse de
Meaning: to laugh at
Example Phrase: Lo creas o no, solían reírse de mí.
(Believe it or not, people used to laugh at me.)
28: Responder por
Meaning: to be responsible for something
Example Phrase: Yo respondo por todo mi equipo.
I’m responsible for my whole team.
29: Soñar con
Meaning: to dream about
Example Phrase: Soñé con estar con esa chica muchas veces.
I dreamt of being with that girl so many times.
30: Tener que
Meaning: to have to
Example Phrase: Pero vais a tener que ser como Nolan y Sydney.
(But you’re gonna have to be like Nolan and Sydney.)
31: Volver a
Meaning: return to
Example Phrase: Se inclina bien y puede volver a su posición original.
He bends well and can return to its original position.
32: Salir de
Meaning: to leave a place
Example Phrase: Este objetivo en el juego para salir de su cónyuge.
(This goal in the game is to leave your spouse.)
What are the Types of Phrasal Verbs in Spanish?
Phrasal verb types are listed below.
- Transitive Phrasal Verbs: Have a direct object and contain three words.
- Intransitive Phrasal Verbs: They do not have a direct object and cannot be separated.
- Separable Phrasal Verbs: They can take a direct object and can be used apart from each other.
- Inseparable Phrasal Verbs: They can take a direct object but can’t be separated from one another.
What is the Difference Between Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs in Spanish?
The distinction between phrasal verbs is whether the verbs are separable or inseparable. The differences between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs are explained below;
- Separable phrasal verbs have a particle that can be separated from the verb and moved to different positions in the sentence. It does not affect the meaning of the sentence.
- Inseparable verbs have particles that cannot be separated from the verb. It affects the grammatical structure and meaning of the sentence.
- It should be noted that some phrasal verbs can be both separable and inseparable depending on the context.
What are Some Common Mistakes Made When Using Phrasal Verbs?
Spanish Phrasal verbs can be difficult to use. Spanish learners often make common mistakes.
Some examples of errors to avoid are listed below.
- Using the wrong particle with the verb.
- Failing to separate the verb and the particle inseparable phrasal verbs.
- Trying to separate the verb and particle in inseparable phrasal verbs.
It’s also essential to learn the correct phrasal verb usage and the particle that goes with it. Practice and exposure to different contexts can help learners become more comfortable using phrasal verbs in their communication.
What is the Difference Between “Phrasal Verbs” and “Verb Phrases?”
Phrasal verbs and verb phrases are related but different concepts in Spanish grammar. The differences of phrasal verbs and verb phrases are explained below;
- A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and the adverb/preposition or both. It can be separable or inseparable, depending on whether the particles can be separated from the verb, in other words. This combination will create a different meaning of the word.
- A verb phrase combines a main verb and its complements and modifiers. A verb phrase is a group of words that function as a verb. When it takes more than one word to make a verb, we call it a verb phrase.
