If you’ve been following me on social media for a while, you may have noticed that I talk about phrasal verbs a lot… but why? Couldn’t I focus on something more fun or less complicated? Well, I’m driven by challenges. Whenever I encounter something that’s widely used but hard to understand, it becomes a reason for me to research and dive deeper. That’s how I became “obsessed” with phrasal verbs.

Most of the books I've read and videos I’ve watched about phrasal verbs haven't given me a satisfying answer as to why native English speakers use phrasal verbs so frequently—or if there’s any logic behind them. Today, I want to share some of the key findings from my phrasal verb quest:

1. Phrasal verbs make sense (for the most part). The "secret" is to understand the core or main meaning of particles (on, off, in, out, etc.). This should help you understand and use phrasal verbs more confidently. For example, in the sentence "The airplane took off," the preposition "off" indicates an object that stops touching a

surface, so the airplane leaves the ground. Okay Nathaly, how about "show off"? And "pay off"?

2. Phrasal verbs are like metaphors. For example, in the phrasal verb "show off", the combination of the verb "show" and the particle "off" creates a figurative meaning that goes beyond their literal definitions. As mentioned earlier, the particle "off" usually carries the idea of separation or removal from a surface.

This is why "show off" gives us the sense of someone being highlighted or made to stand out, figuratively separated from the group or no longer on the same level as everyone else. For instance, when I say, “My friend likes to show off when speaking English,” I mean that she enjoys drawing attention to herself and standing out because of her English ability. In a similar way, "pay off" also reflects the core idea of removal. When you "pay something off", you remove a debt or financial obligation completely by paying the full amount.

3. Phrasal verbs are an essential part of English as a satellite-framed language. Simply put, in English, many verbs rely on a satellite or particle to complete or refine their meaning—think of phrases like come in, come out, or come over. In contrast, verb-framed languages, such as Romance languages, encode the full meaning directly into the verb itself. For example, in Portuguese, "entrar" means "to enter," and there’s no need to add a particle like "in" (enter in). This structural difference is one reason phrasal verbs can feel unfamiliar to speakers of verb-framed languages!

4. Phrasal verbs must be used carefully—especially when communicating with non-native speakers. Since phrasal verbs are a structure that might be unfamiliar to speakers of other languages, they can sometimes hinder understanding. To keep communication clear, use common sense and avoid overly complex or uncommon phrasal verbs that might confuse your listener. In other words, don’t throw them off (that is, don't confuse them!😉).

Phew, thanks for reading this far! Now that you've read this much, I want to let you know you there is a way to learn phrasal verbs without boring lists of random phrasal verbs: Light Up - Phrasal Verbs Demystified. Here's what's included:

• 25+ Video Lessons, 5 modules

• 5 Accompanying PDF guides that come with exercises and examples to go along with each lesson

• Lifetime access to all materials on Google Classroom

Click here if you're ready to harness the power of phrasal verbs to express yourself fearlessly!

As always, remember to keep on shining!✨

Your teacher,

Nathaly