Lista de phrasal verbs y colocaciones
Cada expresión con una frase de ejemplo, su traducción al castellano y su nivel: B1 (3º y 4º de ESO y B1 Preliminary), B2 (Bachillerato y B2 First) y C1 (C1 Advanced). El nivel es orientativo: indica cuándo se suele aprender cada una.
En la práctica, el hueco es lo que más se falla: la partícula en los phrasal verbs (give up) y el verbo o la preposición en las colocaciones (make a difference, afraid of).
| Expresión | Ejemplo | Traducción | Nivel | Tipo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| be afraid of | Lots of children are afraid of the dentist. | tener miedo de | B1 | Colocación |
| be full of | Many snacks are full of sugar and salt. | estar lleno de | B1 | Colocación |
| be good for | Fruit and vegetables are good for you. | ser bueno para | B1 | Colocación |
| be worried about | She’s worried about her exams and can’t sleep. | estar preocupado por | B1 | Colocación |
| calm down | Take a deep breath and try to calm down. | calmarse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| catch a cold | Wash your hands often so you don’t catch a cold. | resfriarse | B1 | Colocación |
| cut down on | The doctor told him to cut down on salt. | reducir, tomar menos | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| do exercise | Try to do some exercise every day. | hacer ejercicio | B1 | Colocación |
| eat out | We eat out on Fridays, usually at a pizza place. | comer fuera | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| feel sick | Reading in the car makes me feel sick. | marearse, tener náuseas | B1 | Colocación |
| fill in | Please fill in this form before you see the doctor. | rellenar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| find out | I want to find out why I always feel tired. | averiguar, descubrir | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| get enough sleep | Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep find it hard to concentrate. | dormir lo suficiente | B1 | Colocación |
| get over | It took me two weeks to get over the flu. | recuperarse de | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| get up | I usually get up at seven, even at weekends. | levantarse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| get used to + -ing | It took me a month to get used to waking up early. | acostumbrarse a | B1 | Colocación |
| give up | My uncle gave up smoking last year and feels much better. | dejar (un hábito), rendirse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| go on | If the pain goes on for more than a week, see a doctor. | continuar, durar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| go to bed | On school nights I go to bed at ten. | acostarse | B1 | Colocación |
| have a headache | I had a headache because I didn’t drink enough water. | tener dolor de cabeza | B1 | Colocación |
| have a shower | I always have a shower after football. | ducharse | B1 | Colocación |
| keep fit | Dancing is a fun way to keep fit. | mantenerse en forma | B1 | Colocación |
| lie down | If you feel dizzy, lie down for a few minutes. | tumbarse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| look after | You need to look after yourself when you’re ill. | cuidar(se) | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| lose weight | He wants to lose weight before the summer. | adelgazar | B1 | Colocación |
| make a difference | Ten minutes of exercise a day can make a big difference. | notarse, cambiar las cosas | B1 | Colocación |
| make a mistake | Everyone makes mistakes when they learn something new. | equivocarse | B1 | Colocación |
| make an appointment | Call the health centre to make an appointment. | pedir cita | B1 | Colocación |
| pass out | It was so hot that one of the runners passed out. | desmayarse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| pay attention to | pay attention to how you feel after each meal. | prestar atención a | B1 | Colocación |
| pick up | Can you pick up some fruit on your way home? | recoger, comprar de paso | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| put on (weight) | Eating late at night can make you put on weight. | engordar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| run out of | We’ve run out of milk, so I’ll have my cereal without it. | quedarse sin | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| skip breakfast | Don’t skip breakfast: your brain needs energy. | saltarse el desayuno | B1 | Colocación |
| slow down | Slow down when you eat: your brain needs time to feel full. | ir más despacio | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| suffer from | Millions of people suffer from hay fever every spring. | sufrir, padecer | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| take a break | If your eyes hurt, take a break from the screen. | hacer una pausa, descansar | B1 | Colocación |
| take medicine | You should take this medicine twice a day, after meals. | tomar un medicamento | B1 | Colocación |
| take up | Why don’t you take up a sport like swimming? | empezar (un deporte, una afición) | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| thank somebody for | Drink more water: your body will thank you for it. | dar las gracias por | B1 | Colocación |
| think about | Think about what you eat before you open the packet. | pensar en | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| throw up | He ate too much cake and threw up in the car. | vomitar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| turn off | Turn off your phone an hour before bed. | apagar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| wake up | If you go to bed late, it’s hard to wake up in the morning. | despertarse | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| warm up | Always warm up for ten minutes before you run. | calentar (antes del ejercicio) | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| work out | She works out at the gym three times a week. | hacer ejercicio, entrenar | B1 | Phrasal verb |
| a balanced diet | A balanced diet includes fruit, vegetables, protein and whole grains. | una dieta equilibrada | B2 | Colocación |
| a lack of | A lack of sleep affects your memory. | la falta de | B2 | Colocación |
| add up to | These small changes add up to a healthier lifestyle. | sumar, acabar dando | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| as long as | You can have dessert as long as you eat your vegetables. | siempre que, con tal de que | B2 | Colocación |
| be addicted to | Some teenagers feel they’re addicted to their phones. | ser adicto a | B2 | Colocación |
| be aware of | Many people aren’t aware of how much sugar they eat. | ser consciente de | B2 | Colocación |
| be good at | Bilingual people are better at switching between tasks. | ser bueno en, dársele bien | B2 | Colocación |
| be made up of | The human body is made up of around sixty per cent water. | estar compuesto de | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| break a habit | It takes time to break a bad habit. | romper con un hábito | B2 | Colocación |
| break out in | Some people break out in spots when they’re stressed. | salirle a uno (granos, sudor) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| build up | Start slowly and build up your fitness over several weeks. | aumentar poco a poco | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| burn off | A thirty-minute walk burns off about 150 calories. | quemar (calorías) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| carry on | If it hurts, stop: don’t carry on running. | seguir, continuar | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| come down with | Half the class has come down with a cold. | pillar (una enfermedad) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| come up with | We came up with a plan to walk to school every day. | idear, proponer | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| cope with | Exercise helps many people cope with stress. | sobrellevar, hacer frente a | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| cut out | Try cutting out fizzy drinks completely for a month. | eliminar, dejar del todo | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| deal with | Everyone deals with stress in a different way. | gestionar, enfrentarse a | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| fall asleep | I usually fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. | dormirse | B2 | Colocación |
| follow advice | If you follow the doctor’s advice, you’ll be fine in a week. | seguir un consejo | B2 | Colocación |
| get into the habit of | Try to get into the habit of drinking water with every meal. | coger el hábito de | B2 | Colocación |
| get rid of | It’s hard to get rid of a bad habit. | librarse de, deshacerse de | B2 | Colocación |
| have an effect on | Caffeine has a strong effect on sleep. | tener un efecto en | B2 | Colocación |
| in the long run | Small changes pay off in the long run. | a la larga | B2 | Colocación |
| keep in shape | Swimming is a great way to keep in shape. | mantenerse en forma | B2 | Colocación |
| keep up with | I couldn’t keep up with the others on the hill. | seguir el ritmo de | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| look forward to | I’m really looking forward to the summer holidays. | tener ganas de | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| perform well | Students who sleep well tend to perform better in exams. | rendir bien | B2 | Colocación |
| pick up (a habit) | Children pick up habits from their parents. | coger, adquirir (un hábito) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| point out | The doctor pointed out that I wasn’t drinking enough water. | señalar, hacer notar | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| prevent somebody from + -ing | A good helmet can prevent you from getting a head injury. | impedir que | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| put off | Stop putting off your homework until midnight. | aplazar, dejar para más tarde | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| rather than | Practise a little every day rather than for hours once a week. | en lugar de | B2 | Colocación |
| recover from | It can take weeks to recover fully from a knee injury. | recuperarse de | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| reduce the risk of | Regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease. | reducir el riesgo de | B2 | Colocación |
| run a temperature | Stay at home if you’re running a temperature. | tener fiebre | B2 | Colocación |
| side effects | Like all medicines, it can have side effects. | efectos secundarios | B2 | Colocación |
| stay up | Don’t stay up late the night before an exam. | quedarse despierto | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| stick to | The hardest part of a plan is sticking to it. | ceñirse a, mantener | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| switch off | After a long day I need to switch off: no screens, just a book. | desconectar | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| take into account | Your doctor will take your age into account. | tener en cuenta | B2 | Colocación |
| trick somebody into + -ing | Screen light can trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. | engañar a alguien para que | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| turn out | The pain turned out to be nothing serious. | resultar (ser) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| wear off | The painkiller wears off after about four hours. | pasarse (el efecto) | B2 | Phrasal verb |
| a body of evidence | A growing body of evidence links gut bacteria and mood. | un conjunto de pruebas | C1 | Colocación |
| a clean bill of health | After the check-up, the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. | el visto bueno del médico | C1 | Colocación |
| a vicious circle | Poor sleep and stress can create a vicious circle. | un círculo vicioso | C1 | Colocación |
| at risk of | Smokers are at greater risk of lung disease. | en riesgo de | C1 | Colocación |
| be susceptible to | Heavy users of social media may be more susceptible to distraction. | ser propenso a | C1 | Colocación |
| bear in mind | bear in mind that every body is different. | tener en cuenta | C1 | Colocación |
| boil down to | Most diet advice boils down to eating more plants. | reducirse a | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| bounce back | Young people usually bounce back quickly after an illness. | recuperarse | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| break down into | Break big projects down into smaller steps. | dividir en | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| bring on | Stress can bring on a migraine. | provocar, desencadenar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| brush up on | I need to brush up on my first aid before the trip. | repasar, refrescar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| burn out | Teachers who never take a break risk burning out. | quemarse, agotarse | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| cash in on | Supplement companies were quick to cash in on the trend. | sacar provecho de | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| cast doubt on | Recent research has cast doubt on the idea that multitasking works. | poner en duda | C1 | Colocación |
| come at a price | Every switch between tasks comes at a price. | tener un precio | C1 | Colocación |
| come to terms with | It took her months to come to terms with the diagnosis. | aceptar, asumir | C1 | Colocación |
| draw conclusions | It’s too early to draw any conclusions from such a small study. | sacar conclusiones | C1 | Colocación |
| ease the pain | A cold compress can help ease the pain. | aliviar el dolor | C1 | Colocación |
| far-fetched | The idea may sound far-fetched, but the evidence is growing. | rebuscado, poco creíble | C1 | Colocación |
| fight off | A good night’s sleep helps your body fight off infections. | combatir, rechazar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| for the time being | For the time being, rest and drink plenty of water. | por ahora | C1 | Colocación |
| give in to | Try not to give in to cravings late at night. | ceder a | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| kick in | The medicine takes about twenty minutes to kick in. | hacer efecto | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| make up for | A weekend lie-in doesn’t make up for a week of bad sleep. | compensar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| meet somebody’s needs | A balanced diet should meet all your nutritional needs. | cubrir las necesidades | C1 | Colocación |
| on the mend | After a week in bed, she’s finally on the mend. | recuperándose | C1 | Colocación |
| put something down to | She put her tiredness down to stress at work. | atribuir a | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| raise awareness | The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health. | concienciar, dar a conocer | C1 | Colocación |
| set aside | Set aside an hour a day for focused work. | reservar, apartar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| shrug off | He shrugged off the injury and kept playing. | quitar importancia a | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| spark interest | The findings have sparked interest among doctors all over the world. | despertar interés | C1 | Colocación |
| stem from | Many back problems stem from bad posture. | derivar de, tener su origen en | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| strike a balance | It’s important to strike a balance between study and rest. | encontrar el equilibrio | C1 | Colocación |
| take pride in | Many of us take pride in our ability to multitask. | enorgullecerse de | C1 | Colocación |
| take something with a pinch of salt | Take miracle diets with a pinch of salt. | no creérselo del todo | C1 | Colocación |
| under the weather | I’m feeling a bit under the weather today. | pachucho, no muy bien | C1 | Colocación |
| ward off | Some people believe garlic wards off colds, but the evidence is weak. | prevenir, mantener a raya | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| wind down | Reading helps me wind down before bed. | relajarse, desconectar | C1 | Phrasal verb |
| Ninguna expresión coincide. Prueba con otra palabra o quita los filtros. | ||||
Healthy English · healthyenglish.es/herramientas/phrasal-verbs.html
Cómo aprender phrasal verbs y colocaciones
No los aprendas sueltos ni de una lista de cien: apréndelos dentro de una frase, que es como salen en el examen y como se recuerdan. Y dilos en voz alta: I gave up sugar se queda mucho mejor que give up = dejar.
Lo segundo es repasar lo que fallas, no lo que ya sabes. Para eso está «Mis fallos» en el modo Práctica: cada expresión que falles vuelve a salir hasta que la aciertes dos veces seguidas. Diez minutos al día rinden más que una hora el domingo.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Qué es un phrasal verb?
Un verbo con una partícula (up, off, out, on…) que juntos significan otra cosa: give es dar, pero give up es dejar o rendirse. Muchos llevan además una preposición: look forward to, cut down on. Aquí también entran los verbos que piden una preposición concreta, como cope with o suffer from.
¿Y una colocación?
Palabras que en inglés van juntas porque sí: se dice make a difference y no do a difference, take a break y no make a break, afraid of y no afraid from. En castellano diríamos otra cosa, y por eso se fallan.
¿Por qué son tan importantes en los exámenes de Cambridge?
Porque son lo que más se pregunta en el multiple choice cloze y el open cloze: las Parts 5 y 6 del Reading del B1 Preliminary y las Parts 1 y 2 del Use of English del B2 First y el C1 Advanced. Si quieres practicar esas partes enteras, tienes el Use of English Trainer.
¿Cómo se ha decidido el nivel de cada expresión?
Es una clasificación orientativa de Healthy English, hecha con la frecuencia de cada expresión y el nivel en que suele aparecer en los exámenes de Cambridge. En la práctica y en el examen, eliges tu nivel y entran también las de los niveles anteriores.
¿Y si escribo una letra mal?
En las palabras de más de tres letras, una letra de más, de menos o cambiada cuenta como bien, pero te avisa de cómo se escribe. En las partículas cortas (up, on, of) no hay margen: o es la buena o no lo es.
¿Se guarda mi progreso?
Sí, en este navegador y sin cuenta: lo que has practicado, tus fallos y las notas de los exámenes. Si borras los datos del navegador o cambias de dispositivo, empiezas de cero.