PHRASAL VERBS

Other Phrasal Verbs

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A
 

Giustificare, render conto, rispondere di qualcosa
Account for
Wecome back to the class, Geena… how do you account for your absence yesterday?
The teller had to account for the money that had gone missing.


Comportarsi in un certo modo
Act like
Did you see Craig? He's acting like an idiot.


Agire in base a elementi, informazioni ricevute
Act on
The police were acting on a tip-off from an informer and arrested the criminal.


Comportarsi male, funzionare male
Act up
Dorothy had a difficult time the children acted up all evening.
Mary, I guess it’s better you take the car to the garage… it's been acting up lately.


Avere senso logico
Add up
Ed’s theory is hard to believe… it doesn’t add up.
In the version of the witness all the facts added up.


Sommare, ammontare
Add up
Tom, what's the total? Could you add the costs up?
The bills add up to $150… that's more than we expected!


Andar bene, essere adatto
Agree with
Sorry, Marc: that spicy Indian food doesn’t agree with me.


Mirare, essere indirizzato
Aim at
The magazine is aimed at football fans.
Ray got a degree and aimed at going into politics.


Rispondere in modo maleducato, controbattere
Answer back
Mary’s a naughty student… she started answering the teacher back.


Cercare guai, provocare reazioni negative
Ask for
Pay attention, Jo… you're asking for trouble.
You asked for it!


Invitare qualcuno a casa propria
Ask in
Sally asked me in, to have a drink together.


Invitare qualcuno ad uscire, dare un appuntamento
Ask out
When Albert asked Laura out, she rejected his invitation.


Persuadere qualcuno a fare qualcosa
Argue into
We hardly argued Harris into withdrawing his complaint.


Dissuadere qualcuno dal fare qualcosa
Argue out of
I had to argue Ed out of driving after drinking.


Pensarla diversamente
Argue with
Russell's a renowned journalist, you can't argue with that.

 
B

Retrocedere
Back away
The crowd backed away when the police appeared.


Rinunciare, ritrattare
Back down
In the end Joan backed down… a row just wasn’t worth losing her job.
As Mandy realized she was wrong, she began to back down in the argument.


Rinunciare a rivalersi, lasciare perdere
Back off
Richard was ready to call the police, but he backed off when the yobbo said he'd pay for all the damages.


Non mantenere un impegno, una promessa
Back out
Emma backed out few days before the journey, so I gave her ticket to Sally.
You can’t always back out of your promises, otherwise no one will trust you!


Andare indietro, retrocedere
Back up
You’re too close, Morris…  back your car up so I can open the door.
The crowd had to back up and let the police pass.


Fare copie di sicurezza sul computer
Back up
When Ted’s computer crashed he lost many files... it's a good thing always to back them up.


Sostenere la posizione di qualcuno, confermare una versione
Back up
Ed, I know you’ve no faults, so I'll back you up on your innocence.
I know you don't believe me, Frank… ask to Jason: he'll back me up.


Integrare, arricchire
Back up
You’re right: we should back the exhibition up with video.


Assillare, pressare, tormentare
Badger into (doing) something
I can't stand that shop: they always start badgering me to buy something.

Fidarsi, far affidamento su qualcuno
Bank on
Peter… I was banking on you to win the doubles!


Interrompere una conversazione, intromettersi
Barge in
Kim and Ed barged into my room and started talking.
Oh, sorry to barge in on you like this!


Resistere alle avversità, tener duro
Bear up
How did you cope with all those hardship, Liz? How are you bearing up?


Picchiare
Beat down
The sun is beating down hard today… let’s go to the beach!


Far abbassare I prezzi.
Beat down
The shop-girl wanted 100 dollars, but I beat her down to 85!


Attaccare con violenza, aggredire
Beat up
The mugger beat Harris up and stole his camera.


Dormire arrangiandosi
Bed down
The ferryboat was crowded, so we had to bed down on the deck for the night.


Rafforzare
Beef up
Security has been beefed up for the demonstration.
The company was taking on more workers to beef up production.
Dan, your report is good, but it’s better to beef it up with some pictures.


Modificare un motore
Beef up
Russell’s a wizard in beefing up engines: his car is a rocket!


Rifiutare un invito, scansare impegni presi
Beg off
Laura’s so moody: at first she said she would be at the exhibition… later she begged off.
Al seems always unable to do what he agreed to do: He's always begging off at the last minute.


Cantare o suonare rumorosamente
Belt out
Nobody can belt out a tune like Sheila can!
The band starter belting out folk music.


Piantarla di fare rumore, di fare casino
Belt up
The teacher told the students to belt up because they were making a lot of noise.
Boys, just belt up!... will you!


Svenire
Black out
Harry blacked out unexpectedly and collapsed on the carpet.


Interrompersi di corrente, energia
Black out
The power supply failed and the entire block of flats blacked out.


Censurare
Blank out
The address of the eye witness was blanked out in the news item.


Avere un buco di memoria
Blank out
Ed’s too nervous… in the job interview he completely blanked out!


Mandare a tutto volume
Blare out
The music was blaring out from the circus, so I couldn’t sleep.


Decollare verso lo spazio
Blast off
The new European spaceship blasted off last week.


Sparare a ripetizione, mitragliare
Blaze away
The poachers started blazing away at the elephants.


Spegnere
Blow out
Sally blew all the birthday candles out.


Essere dimenticato, affievolirsi
Blow over
The scandal will soon blow over when the media will found someone else to attack.
The snow flurry blew over all the night long.


Esplodere
Blow up
A police officer was killed when the bomb blew up.


Ingradire i fatti, esagerare
Blow up
Oh Tracy, please… don’t blow this thing out of proportion!
The news has been blown up on the front page of the local newspaper.


Liberare i nervi, esplodere
Blow up
When Jill told me she'd had an accident with my car, I blew up at her.


Dare una lavata di testa, fare un cazziatone
Blow up
Mum always blows me up for leaving the room in a mess.


Farfugliare
Blurt out
When the police asked the strange man about his alibi, he blurted out an incredible story.
As soon as Ted entered the pub, Ed vacantly blurted out a nervous “Hellò!”.


Impantanarsi, rallentare
Bog down
Frank got bogged down in details and didn't finish the project in time.


Ridurre, sintetizzare
Boil down
Pat’s happiness all boils down to shopping and money at the end of the day.
The original speech was boiled down to five minutes.
There’s no time, Ed… so, please… boil this story down to essence!


Traboccare
Boil over
Come on, Richard… the soup is boiling over!


Degenerare nella violenza, infuriare
Boil over
The mass meeting boiled over into violence.


Rivedere, ripassare
Bone up
William, if you're going to travel to Italy, you'd better bone up on your Italian.


Prenotare
Book up
The ferry's fully booked up… we’ll have to set out tomorrow.


Far partire un computer
Boot up
Richard booted up the computer and scanned it out for viruses.


Recuperare, riprendersi
Bounce back
After getting the sack, Dan bounced back and found a new job.
Ted’s been bankrupt many times… he always bounces back.


Spadroneggiare
Boss about, Boss around
Albert behaves as if he’s better than others: he bosses everyone about!
Jill was sick of the director bossing her around and using his authority to take advantage ofher.


Lasciare un lavoro, finire un’attività
Bow out
After many years in the company, Susan will be bowing out at the end of the month.


Mollare, lasciar perdere
Bottle out
Kim still feels insecure about his ability to dance: he was going to enter a dancing contest, but he bottled out at the last minute.
Ed was starting a driving travel across Europe but bottled out at the last minute.
"So Emma, did you confess it to him?" - "Oh no, too insecure... I bottled out!"


Soffocare i sentimenti, reprimere le emozioni
Bottle up
People from the northern countries are said to bottle emotions up.
Meg bottled up her feelings: even though she was being in a rage she remained self-controlled.
Jo, I know you’re feeling blue, but try not to bottle up your emotions.


Toccare il fondo per poi risalire
Bottom out
The pound bottomed out at  it’s slowly starting rising.
The Prime Minister claims that the recession is bottoming out.


Estendere la propria attività
Branch out
The company has branched out into trading.


Traboccare
Brim over
I saw her eyes brimming over with tears.
After going out with Mary, Ed’s heart was brimming over with happiness.


Ignorare, dare poca importanza
Brush aside
She was disappointed that Frank was brushing all her attentions aside.


Migliorare, rivisitare
Brush up
Pat took a course to brush up on her Italian before her trip to Tuscany.


Fare spazio
Budge up
George, please… budge up: there’s no place here!


Sviluppare un’attività
Build up
Nick works wonders: he has built the company up into a market leader.


Incrementare
Build up
Tension has been building up ever since the government passed the new income tax.


Viaggiare con poche idee e pochi soldi
Bum around
After completed the studies Ned spent months bumming around the South America with no plans and little money.


Incontrare per caso
Bump into
We bumped into Victor on the underground yesterday.


Ammazzare, fare fuori
Bump off
The pusher was bumped off by the rival gang.


Impennare, salire rapidamente
Bump up
The company bumped Ted’s salary up by giving him a big bonus.


Marinare la scuola
Bunk off
Mary often used to bunk off school.


Bruciare completamente
Burn down
Please, Emma… don't smoke in the bed for you may burn the sheet down.


Perdere entusiasmo, energie
Burn out
Sean burnt out working as a labourer, so he went to live in the country.


Bruciare, consumare calorie
Burn off
Joggers burn off a lot of calories in the run.


Andare in fiamme
Burn up
All of Lawson's hay burned up before the fire fighters arrived.


Fare arrabbiare
Burn up
Liza, your ungraceful ways really burn me up!

 

Scoppiare in risate, lacrime
Burst into
Sheila burst into laughter when she heard Tom’s funny story.


Interrompere, interferire, intromettersi
Butt in
She rudely butt in on our conversation, saying that she didn’t agree with us.
Hey, Marc! Don't butt in… wait for your turn!


Adulare
Butter up
I tried buttering Janet up, but she still wouldn't go out with me.
Fiona’s looking for something: she's been buttering her boss up all the time!


Rilevare, acquisire
Buy out
Bill has a lot of money: he wants to buy out his partner.


Andare via, scomparire
Buzz off
Sammy, you’re really annoying me… just buzz off!

C

Annullare qualcosa di pianificato, revocare
Call off
The trip to the beach was called off because of the bad weather.
After their last argument they called all their wedding plans off.


Calmarsi, darsi una calmata
Calm down
Why are you so upset, Marc?... calm down!
When Sheila loses her temper, it takes ages for her to calm down again.


Dormire fuori, riposare in un posto privo di comfort
Camp out
Sandy and Jason had to camp out until the new apartment was finished.
Scouts like camping out.


Compensare, controbilanciare
Cacel out
Andrew's intuition cancels out his inexperience.


Gradire, aver voglia di qualcosa
Care for
So, Janis… would you care for some tea?
Sally, would you care for something to drink? I have coffee, tea, whisky…
Can I have some sparkling water, please? I don't care for wine.


Prendersi cura
Care for
Alison got out of the hospital last week, the family is caring for her at home.


Vincere
Carry off
John carried off the gold medal in the college competition.


Continuare
Carry on
Sandy carried out talking as if she hadn’t seen Marc, until the party finished.


Effettuare, svolgere qualcosa di particolare
Carry out
Research is being carried out in the genetic engineering field.
The gang has carried out a threat… this was to be expected.


fruttare economicamente, trarre vantaggio
Cash in
When he was in trouble, Ken cashed in on the situation buying his cottage for very little money.


Raggiungere
Catch up with
Brenda stopped to rest for a few minutes... she'll catch up with us later.


Diventare popolare, di moda
Catch on
Most people were shocked when hip-hop caught on in the discos.
A fad for wearing ripped jeans caught on a few years ago… now it’s something cheesy.


Comprendere, finire per capire
Catch on
Becky had never used a computer, but she caught on very quickly.


Recuperare
Catch up
Albert had been ill and now he has got to catch up on work.


Produrre effetti negativi
Catch up with
All the chocolate I ate has caught up with me and I’ve put on weight.


Cedere, ritrattare
Cave in
Belinda was totally vegan, but  finally caved in to pressure from me and Sandy and started eating meat..
The mayor was expected to cave in to pressure from homeless people.


Trovare per caso
Chance upon
George’s really lucky: he chanced upon a beautiful print, in a small second-hand market.


Accusare, incolpare
Charge with
Sean was arrested and charged with smuggling.


Scacciare, mandare via
Case off,  Chase out
Sheila’s dog chases off any other animal that enters the garden.
Ed please, chase the dog out: I don't want him on the sofa!


Ricordare di fare qualcosa
Chase up
The librarian was chasing Ted up about some books.
The club’s treasurer was chasing up all members who have not yet paid the fee.


Essere infedeli, tradire
Cheat on
Fiona was sexually unfaithful with Harris: she cheated on him with a friend of mine!


Prenotare
Check in
When you arrive at the airport, be sure to check in at the registration desk.
When in London, Mary and Ted checked in at a simple bed and breakfast.


Spuntare da una lista
Check off
Here are the things you've to buy, so you can check each one off when you go for food shopping.
A pretty assistant checked off guests' names as they arrived.


Morire
Check out
Sheila’s grandfather suddenly checked out… she’s completely shocked.


Pagare e prendere i documenti alla partenza
Check out of
Don't forget to take your room key to the reception when you check out of the hotel.


Rallegrare, tirare su di morale
Cheer up
Come on, Tricia… cheer up, it isn't all that bad, you know!
Ed's sister was depressed about not getting a present, so he sent her a gift to cheer her up.


Redarguire, rimproverare
Chew out
Brenda‘s dad was really angry when she was late… he got used to chewing her out.


Pensar bene a qualcosa prima di decidere, parlarne
Chew over
Let’s chew this idea over before we make a decision.


Mollare, lasciare perdere
Chicken out
I was going to tell Martha what I thought of her, but I chickened out.
Clive chickened out of the dive when he saw how high it was.


Rilassarsi
Chill out
I spent all the day chilling out at home.


Contribuire, fare una colletta
Chip in
We're going to buy a present  for Mia... do you want to chip in?
Everybody chipped in to pay Peter’s operation.


Vomitare, stare male
Chuck up
Derek got high on cocktails and chunked up in the minicab on the way home.


Ammutolire, chiudersi nel silenzio
Clam up
Everybody clammed up the moment they realised the police were involved.
Becky wouldn't talk about her youth… when I asked her about it she clammed up.


Reprimere, intervenire con autorità
Clamp down on
The Government clamped down on false claims for unemployment benefits.
Many countries have clamped down on refugees seeking asylum.


Pulire e rassettare
Clean out
Tom, you really must clean the room out: it’s a hell of a chaos!


Pulire, togliere lo sporco
Clean up
I’ve cleaned the apartment up… it’s net and tidy now.


Andarsene, filare via, squagliarsela
Clear off, Clear out
He cleared off when he heard that her hubby was arriving.
The burglar cleared out with the money.


Fare pulizia
Clear out, Clear away
We spent the whole day clearing out all the junk.
Jo, you’d better clear away your old stuff before going out.


Guarire da un’infezione
Clear up
I took the antibiotic and the infection cleared up right away.


Chiarire, spiegare
Clear up
Come on, Sally… spit it out! It’s time to clear up!


Riconoscere I propri torti
Climb down
Albert is really stubborn, but he had to accept that he was wrong and
changed his position.


Chiudere un’attività
Close down
The company closed down a lot of branches during the recession.


Rannuvolarsi, rabbuiarsi
Cloud over
The morning started bright, but around midday the sky clouded over.
Wendy seemed to be happy, but her eyes clouded with tears.


Informare, spiegare, dare informazioni
Clue in, Clue up
What's happening? It's time someone clued us in on what's the situation.
Jo, calm down... they'll clue us up soon.


Mandare a puttane, mandare a monte
Cock up
The exam? Damn... I panicked and cocked it up!


Crollare per il sonno
Conk out
Fred was exhausted and conked out on the bed.


Calmarsi, diventare meno aggressivi o eccitati
Cool off
Ed’s an aggressive character, but he only takes few minutes to cool off.


Lasciare perdere, mollare
Cop out
Liz’s s always insecure: she was going to defend her thesis but she copped out at the last minute.


Includere, coinvolgere
Count in
Frank, if you're going out  at the weekend, don’t count me in: I’ll stay.
 

Dipendere
Count on
I'm counting on you to go out tomorrow: I don’t drive, and you’ve the car.


Abusare del proprio potere
Crack down
Pay attention, Sean… the police are getting used to cracking down on drink-driving offences!


Tracollare con i nervi
Crack up
Jill cracked up after his son died and had a terrible nervous breakdown.


Avere un cattivo campo con il cellulare
Crack up
Talk louder, Richard… I’ve a bad reception on the cell, you're cracking up!


Tracollare a casa di altri, dormire fuori
Crash out
Dave was plastered and crashed out at Don’s studio after the disco party.


Accadere inaspettatamente
Crop up
This issue of money keeps cropping up.
I was going to go out with Cindy tonight, as something has just cropped up at work.


Depennare
Cross off
Let’s cross her name off: she's not coming.


Correggere
Cross out
The teacher crossed out Mandy’s mistakes.


Arrabbiarsi, essere arrabbiati
Cross with
Ed was cross with Sally for being late.


Essere trasversale
Cut across
Environment is something that cuts across social differences.


Ridurre
Cut back
The Government has cut back spending on the armed forces.


Ridurre il cibo o il bere
Cut back on
Summer is coming up, so we’re all cutting back on food ‘n’ drinks to be in good shape.
You drink too much, Ali… you should cut back on wine.


Uccidere
Cut down
The soldier tried to escape but was cut down by the enemy.


Ridurre
Cut down on
Our Doctor advised us to cut down on the amount of salt in the diet.


Staccare, disconnettere, tagliare
Cut off
The electricity's been cut off because Ed didn't pay the bill.


Isolare, mettere in attesa
Cut off
The storm has blocked the main road and cut off many villages.
The telephone operator cut us off.


Tagliare via, tagliare fuori
Cut out
Mia has a picture of her idol of the moment that she'd cut out of a magazine.
They cut Francis out of the conversation completely.


Darci un taglio, trovare un via breve
Cut through
Sam is ready to bet that there’s a way to cut through bureaucracy.


Smettere di funzionare
Cut out
This old car is a prodigy: it keeps going, never cutting out in the middle of a trip.