Topics
IntermediatePhrasal Verbs
How English verb-particle combinations contrast with Spanish and Chinese verb constructions.
Compare languages
English phrasal verbs combine a verb with a particle (adverb or preposition) to create idiomatic meaning. Spanish and Chinese do not have this category; they use simple verbs, reflexives, or directional complements.
Overview
Phrasal verbs are a distinctive feature of English where a verb combines with a particle to create a new meaning.
- English: Thousands of phrasal verbs. They are separable (verb + object + particle) or inseparable (verb + particle + object). Often the most natural way to express an action in informal English.
- Spanish: No phrasal verb system. Uses simple verbs (buscar = look for), reflexives (rendirse = give up), or periphrastic constructions.
- Chinese: No phrasal verbs. Uses compound verbs (放弃), directional complements (上来), or resultative compounds (看见).
Spanish
No phrasal verbs
Spanish does not combine verbs with particles like English. Instead it uses:
Simple verbs:
- buscar (look for)
- encontrar (find / come across)
- cuidar (look after)
- soportar (put up with)
- devolver (give back)
- continuar (carry on)
Reflexive verbs:
- rendirse (give up — surrender-reflexive)
- estropearse (break down — break-reflexive)
- despertarse (wake up)
- levantarse (get up)
Periphrastic constructions:
- quedarse sin (run out of)
- echar de menos (miss someone)
- hacer caso de (pay attention to)
Common equivalents
| English phrasal | Spanish equivalent |
|---|---|
| look for | buscar |
| look after | cuidar |
| give up | rendirse |
| put off | posponer |
| turn on | encender |
| turn off | apagar |
| get up | levantarse |
| wake up | despertarse |
| come back | volver |
| go away | irse |
| sit down | sentarse |
| stand up | ponerse de pie |
Particle-like elements
Spanish uses prepositions with verbs, but these are not phrasal verbs:
- pensar en (think about/of)
- soñar con (dream of)
- depender de (depend on)
- confiar en (trust in)
Note: These are verb + preposition combinations with predictable meaning, not idiomatic phrasal verbs.
English
Separable phrasal verbs
The object can go between the verb and the particle:
- turn the light on / turn on the light
- put your coat away / put away your coat
- take it off / ✅ take off your shoes (but NOT take off it)
Pronouns must separate:
- ✅ turn it on
- ❌ turn on it
Inseparable phrasal verbs
The object cannot go between the verb and the particle:
- look after the children (NOT look the children after)
- run into an old friend (NOT run an old friend into)
- get along with him (NOT get him along with)
- come across a book (NOT come a book across)
Three-part phrasal verbs
Verb + particle + preposition:
- put up with (tolerate)
- look forward to (anticipate)
- get on with (have a good relationship)
- catch up with (reach the same level)
- run out of (deplete)
- look down on (disrespect)
- face up to (confront)
Note: Three-part phrasal verbs are always inseparable.
Literal vs idiomatic
| Phrasal verb | Literal | Idiomatic |
|---|---|---|
| take off | remove clothing | depart (airplane) |
| break down | break into pieces | stop functioning; analyze |
| give up | hand upward | surrender |
| look up | gaze upward | search for information |
| run over | drive over | review; overflow |
Formality
Phrasal verbs are often more informal than Latinate equivalents:
| Phrasal (informal) | Latinate (formal) |
|---|---|
| give up | relinquish |
| put off | postpone |
| look into | investigate |
| come across | encounter |
| make up | invent / fabricate |
| turn down | reject |
Chinese
No phrasal verbs
Chinese does not have a phrasal verb system. It uses:
Compound verbs:
- 放弃 (give up — release-abandon)
- 照顾 (look after — shine-consider)
- 忍受 (put up with — endure-receive)
- 关心 (care about — close-heart)
- 注意 (pay attention — pour-mind)
Directional complements:
Chinese adds directional words after the verb:
| Direction | Complement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| up | 上来 / 上去 | 走上来 (walk up here) |
| down | 下来 / 下去 | 走下去 (walk down there) |
| in | 进来 / 进去 | 走进来 (walk in here) |
| out | 出来 / 出去 | 走出去 (walk out there) |
| back | 回来 / 回去 | 走回来 (walk back here) |
Resultative complements:
- 看见 (look-perceive = see)
- 听懂 (listen-understand = understand by hearing)
- 做完 (do-finish = finish doing)
- 找到 (look for-reach = find)
Common equivalents of English phrasal verbs
| English phrasal | Chinese |
|---|---|
| look for | 找 |
| look after | 照顾 |
| give up | 放弃 |
| turn on | 开 |
| turn off | 关 |
| get up | 起床 |
| wake up | 醒 |
| come back | 回来 |
| go away | 走开 |
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phrasal verb system | No | Yes (thousands) | No |
| Strategy | Simple verb / reflexive | Verb + particle | Compound verb |
| Directional marking | Prepositional phrases | Phrasal particle | Directional complement |
| Result marking | Reflexive / periphrasis | Phrasal particle | Resultative complement |
| Separability | N/A | Yes (some) | N/A |
| Idiomatic density | Moderate | Very high | Moderate |
Examples
In Context
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| rendirse | give up | 放弃 |
| encender la luz | turn on the light / turn it on | 开灯 |
| soportar el ruido | put up with the noise | 忍受噪音 |
Common mistakes
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Turn on it → Turn it on
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Dar arriba → rendirse (not literal)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 给我上 for “give up” → 放弃 (compound verb)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: I looked the word up in the dictionary → correct! But I looked up it → I looked it up
Related topics
- Directional Verbs: How movement is expressed
- Verb Complementation: How verbs combine with other elements
- Reflexives: How reflexive constructions work
- Prepositions: How spatial and abstract relations are marked
Examples
Give up (surrender)
rendirse (reflexive verb)
Turn on the light
encender la luz
Turn off the light
apagar la luz
Look after the children
cuidar a los niños
Put up with the noise
soportar el ruido / aguantar el ruido
Run out of time
quedarse sin tiempo
Take off (clothes/airplane)
quitarse (clothes) / despegar (plane)
Break down (stop working)
estropearse / averiarse (reflexive)
Examples
Give up (surrender)
give up (separable phrasal verb)
Turn on the light
turn on the light (separable)
Turn off the light
turn off the light (separable)
Look after the children
look after the children (inseparable)
Put up with the noise
put up with the noise (three-part)
Run out of time
run out of time (three-part)
Take off (clothes/airplane)
take off (multiple meanings)
Break down (stop working)
break down (inseparable)
Examples
Give up (surrender)
放弃 (compound verb)
Turn on the light
开灯 (verb + object)
Turn off the light
关灯 (verb + object)
Look after the children
照顾孩子 (compound verb)
Put up with the noise
忍受噪音 (compound verb)
Run out of time
没有时间了 (verb + object)
Take off (clothes/airplane)
脱 (clothes) / 起飞 (plane)
Break down (stop working)
坏了 (verb + complement)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Give up (surrender) | rendirse (reflexive verb) | give up (separable phrasal verb) | 放弃 (compound verb) |
| Turn on the light | encender la luz | turn on the light (separable) | 开灯 (verb + object) |
| Turn off the light | apagar la luz | turn off the light (separable) | 关灯 (verb + object) |
| Look after the children | cuidar a los niños | look after the children (inseparable) | 照顾孩子 (compound verb) |
| Put up with the noise | soportar el ruido / aguantar el ruido | put up with the noise (three-part) | 忍受噪音 (compound verb) |
| Run out of time | quedarse sin tiempo | run out of time (three-part) | 没有时间了 (verb + object) |
| Take off (clothes/airplane) | quitarse (clothes) / despegar (plane) | take off (multiple meanings) | 脱 (clothes) / 起飞 (plane) |
| Break down (stop working) | estropearse / averiarse (reflexive) | break down (inseparable) | 坏了 (verb + complement) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Give up (surrender) | rendirse (reflexive verb) | give up (separable phrasal verb) | 放弃 (compound verb) |
| Turn on the light | encender la luz | turn on the light (separable) | 开灯 (verb + object) |
| Turn off the light | apagar la luz | turn off the light (separable) | 关灯 (verb + object) |
| Look after the children | cuidar a los niños | look after the children (inseparable) | 照顾孩子 (compound verb) |
| Put up with the noise | soportar el ruido / aguantar el ruido | put up with the noise (three-part) | 忍受噪音 (compound verb) |
| Run out of time | quedarse sin tiempo | run out of time (three-part) | 没有时间了 (verb + object) |
| Take off (clothes/airplane) | quitarse (clothes) / despegar (plane) | take off (multiple meanings) | 脱 (clothes) / 起飞 (plane) |
| Break down (stop working) | estropearse / averiarse (reflexive) | break down (inseparable) | 坏了 (verb + complement) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Give up (surrender)
Spanish
rendirse (reflexive verb)
English
give up (separable phrasal verb)
Chinese
放弃 (compound verb)
Turn on the light
Spanish
encender la luz
English
turn on the light (separable)
Chinese
开灯 (verb + object)
Turn off the light
Spanish
apagar la luz
English
turn off the light (separable)
Chinese
关灯 (verb + object)
Look after the children
Spanish
cuidar a los niños
English
look after the children (inseparable)
Chinese
照顾孩子 (compound verb)
Put up with the noise
Spanish
soportar el ruido / aguantar el ruido
English
put up with the noise (three-part)
Chinese
忍受噪音 (compound verb)
Run out of time
Spanish
quedarse sin tiempo
English
run out of time (three-part)
Chinese
没有时间了 (verb + object)
Take off (clothes/airplane)
Spanish
quitarse (clothes) / despegar (plane)
English
take off (multiple meanings)
Chinese
脱 (clothes) / 起飞 (plane)
Break down (stop working)
Spanish
estropearse / averiarse (reflexive)
English
break down (inseparable)
Chinese
坏了 (verb + complement)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: No phrasal verb system. Uses simple verbs (buscar = look for), reflexives (rendirse = give up), or periphrastic constructions.
English: Thousands of phrasal verbs. They are separable (verb + object + particle) or inseparable (verb + particle + object). Often the most natural. English phrasal verbs combine a verb with a particle (adverb or preposition) to create idiomatic mea
Chinese: No phrasal verbs. Uses compound verbs (放弃), directional complements (上来), or resultative compounds (看见).
Key concepts compared: Give up (surrender), Turn on the light, Turn off the light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does English have phrasal verbs while Spanish and Chinese do not need them?
How does the separability of English phrasal verbs create word-order complexity that Spanish and Chinese lack?
Why do three-part phrasal verbs like 'put up with' and 'run out of' confuse learners so much?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
Read this first
Last updated: June 4, 2026