Phrasal verbs are an essential part of grammar.\u00a0We have many in English (sit down, get up, take off, etc.), and the Spanish language is full of them as well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
These 32 Spanish phrases are sure to come in handy in your everyday conversations<\/a>, writing and more.\u00a0Plus, understanding what they mean will greatly help your comprehension, as many of their meanings differ greatly from the main verb on its own.\u00a0 Phrasal verbs in English are phrases made up of a verb and a preposition or adverb. They mean something different than the verb on its own. For example, “get up” means something very different than just “get” in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Spanish, phrasal verbs are made up of a verb followed by one or more preposition<\/strong> (such as de<\/em>, con, en <\/em>and a<\/em>). These verb\/preposition combinations convey specific meanings. Without the preposition<\/a>, the intended meaning of the sentence or phrase is lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n Take for example the Spanish verb contar<\/em>, which means “to count.” When you add the preposition con<\/em>, it means something slightly different.\u00a0<\/p>\n contar <\/em><\/strong>(main verb) + con<\/strong><\/em> (preposition) = contar con <\/em><\/strong>(to count on, to rely on)<\/p>\n Puedes contar con<\/b>migo.<\/em> (You can count on me.)<\/p>\n Another example is tratar de<\/em>. By itself, tratar<\/em> means \u201cto treat.\u201d But when combined with the preposition de<\/em>, it means something else:<\/p>\n tratar<\/strong> + de<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0= tratar de<\/strong><\/em> (to try)<\/p>\n Trat\u00e9 de <\/strong>abrir la puerta pero estaba cerrada<\/span><\/em>.<\/em> <\/em>(I tried to open the door but it was locked.)<\/p>\n Phrasal verbs are used all the time in Spanish, and knowing the most common ones will really help improve your comprehension and use of the language.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you need a refresher, you can review how to conjugate Spanish verbs<\/a> so you can use these phrasal verbs properly in any context.<\/p>\n\n
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\n<\/p>\nWhat Are Phrasal Verbs?<\/h2>\n
Essential Spanish Phrasal Verbs<\/h2>\n
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\n\t \nPhrasal verb<\/th> Meaning<\/th> Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\t echarse a<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to begin to, start suddenly to <\/td> Me ech\u00e9 a<\/strong> re\u00edr cuando escuch\u00e9 su chiste.<\/em> (I burst out laughing when I heard his joke.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t dejar de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to fail to, to stop, to neglect to<\/td> \u00a1Deja de<\/strong> hacer ruido! Estoy estudiando.<\/em> (Stop making noise! I'm studying.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t acabar de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to have just (finished doing something)<\/td> Acabo de<\/strong> llegar a casa.<\/em> (I just got home.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t volver a<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to return to (doing something)<\/td> Volv\u00ed a<\/strong> estudiar cuando ten\u00eda 25 a\u00f1os.<\/em> (I went back to study when I was 25 years old.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t estar para<\/strong><\/em><\/td> Spain:\u00a0to be about to
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\nLatin America:\u00a0to be in the mood for<\/td>Estoy para empezar<\/strong> un curso de espa\u00f1ol.<\/em> (I\u2019m about to start a Spanish course.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t estar por<\/strong><\/em><\/td> Spain:\u00a0to be in favor of
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\nLatin America: to be about to<\/td>Me aburre este bar; estoy por<\/strong> ir a una discoteca.<\/em> (This bar bores me; I say we go to a club.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t pensar de<\/em><\/strong><\/td> to think of, to have an opinion about<\/td> \u00bfQu\u00e9 piensas de<\/strong> la chica de\u00a0los tacones azules?<\/em> (What do you think about the girl with the blue heels?)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t pensar en<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to think about, to direct your thoughts to<\/td> No puedo dejar de pensar en<\/strong> ti.<\/em> (I can\u2019t stop thinking about you.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t so\u00f1ar con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to dream about<\/td> So\u00f1\u00e9 con<\/strong> bailar con ella toda la noche.<\/em> (I dreamed about dancing with her all night.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t contar con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to rely on, to count on<\/td> \u00bfDiego tiene el n\u00famero?\u00a0Sab\u00eda que pod\u00eda contar con<\/strong> \u00e9l.<\/em> (Diego has the number? I knew I could count on him.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t re\u00edrse de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to make fun of, to laugh at<\/td> Mi novia se ri\u00f3 de<\/strong> m\u00ed.<\/em> (My girlfriend laughed at me.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t alegrarse de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to be glad to<\/td> Me alegro de<\/strong> verte.<\/em> (I\u2019m glad to see you.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t enamorarse de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to fall in love with<\/td> Me enamor\u00e9 de<\/strong> ella la primera vez que nos conocimos.<\/em> (I fell in love with her the first time we met.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t casarse con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to marry\/get married to<\/td> Ella se cas\u00f3 con<\/strong> su novio de toda la vida.<\/em> (She married her longtime boyfriend.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t echar de menos<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to miss<\/td> Ahora que me ha dejado, la echo de menos<\/strong> m\u00e1s que nunca.<\/em> (Now that she has left me, I miss her more than ever.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t tratar de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to try to<\/td> Voy a tratar de<\/strong> aprender a tocar la guitarra.<\/em> (I'm going to try to learn how to play the guitar.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t depender de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to depend on<\/td> El \u00e9xito del proyecto depende de<\/strong> nuestra cooperaci\u00f3n.<\/em> (The success of the project depends on our cooperation.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t tener que<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to have to<\/td> Tengo que<\/strong> estudiar para el examen de ma\u00f1ana.<\/em> (I have to study for tomorrow's exam.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t hablar de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to talk about<\/td> Hablemos de<\/strong> nuestro viaje a Grecia.<\/em>(Let's talk about our trip to Greece.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t encontrarse con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to meet up with, to run into<\/td> Me<\/strong> voy a encontrar con<\/strong> Ana en el caf\u00e9.<\/em> (I'm going to meet up with Ana at the cafe.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t acostumbrarse a<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to get used to<\/td> Me<\/strong> estoy acostumbrando a<\/strong> levantarme temprano.<\/em> (I'm getting used to waking up early.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t llevar a<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to lead to<\/td> Este camino lleva al<\/strong> parque.<\/em> (This path leads to the park.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t acordarse de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to remember<\/td> Siempre me acuerdo de<\/strong> tu cumplea\u00f1os.<\/em> (I always remember your birthday.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t olvidarse de<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to forget<\/td> Me olvid\u00e9 de<\/strong> comprar pan en la tienda.<\/em> (I forgot to buy bread at the store.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t quedarse con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to keep something (literally, \"to remain\/stay with\")<\/td> Me qued\u00e9 con<\/strong> el libro que me prestaste.<\/em> (I kept the book you lent me.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t quedarse sin<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to run out of (literally, \"to remain\/stay without\")<\/td> Nos quedamos sin<\/strong> leche para el desayuno.<\/em> (We ran out of milk for breakfast.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t dar con<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to come upon\/to find<\/td> Finalmente, di con<\/strong> la soluci\u00f3n al problema.<\/em> (Finally, I came upon the solution to the problem.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t gastar en<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to spend (money) on<\/td> Gastamos<\/strong> mucho en<\/strong> nuestras vacaciones este a\u00f1o.<\/em> (We spent a lot of money on our vacation this year.)
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\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\t preocuparse por<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to worry about<\/td> No te preocupes por<\/strong> m\u00ed, estar\u00e9 bien.<\/em> (Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t ponerse a<\/strong><\/em><\/td> to start doing something<\/td> Me<\/strong> voy a poner a<\/strong> cocinar la cena.<\/em> (I'm going to start cooking dinner.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t