Phrasal verbs

a girl is poring over a map

studying carefully

Al contrario / más bien / en todo caso

The weather isn't getting better. If anything, it’s getting worse. / I don't think he will mind if you call him. If anything, he'll be glad to hear from you. / This medicine won't harm you. If anything, it will just make you a bit sleepy.

Tenes que calmarte / bajar un cambio / frenar una emoción, un comportamiento o un gasto que se está yendo de las manos.

You have to rein it in (rein es tiendas)

hacerse cargo de la mayor parte o de la carga principal de una tarea o responsabilidad / To accept or handle the largest portion or the majority of a task, work, or responsibility.

Take on the bulk of [something] / As the secretary, I take on the bulk of the administrative work / My mom does the knitting, but I take on the bulk of the social media management / When we work in groups, I usually end up taking on the bulk of the writing

Potencial sin explotar, talento latente, capacidad desaprovechada, ‘tiene madera de…’

She has a lot of untapped potential as a leader, but she's too shy to speak up

Sacar provecho de un esfuerzo que no hizo uno mismo

I did all the emotional work, and now he is reaping the benefits with someone else

Quedarse pensando o dándole vueltas a algo, generalmente algo negativo, triste o frustrante, durante mucho tiempo / rumiar / siempre implica que estás "atrapada" en ese pensamiento y que probablemente no sea saludable o productivo.

Dwell on something / I don’t want you to dwell on the awful things you said to her out of anger / Don't dwell on your mistakes; just learn from them and move on / There's no point in dwelling on why the subsidy was rejected; we need to fix the paperwork now.

Me harté de vos / ya no te aguanto más

I have had it with you

How would you say; “esto se está poniendo feo”

This is getting grim / Three exams in two days? This is getting grim

skimming through some books

reading quickly in order to get the main ideas or a general overview, without reading every word or looking at every detail

has buried herself in a journal

given all her attention to

checking off names

marking items as completed or verified

he’s crossed off

removed a word (e.g. name) from a list by drawing a line through it

i hope this has come across in my description

been expressed clearly enough for the reader to understand it

a grandfather that offered to put them through university

pay for them to study at university

sailed through his exams

easily passed

easily got into a good university

succeeded in getting a place (at a school, college, or organisation)

last few months at school he buckled down (Very common in US & UK).

To begin to work or study hard and seriously, especially after a period of being distracted or lazy. It implies a change in attitude: "putting your head down" and focusing. "ponerse las pilas" o "sentar cabeza". Imaginate el gesto de ajustarse el cinturón (la hebilla o buckle) para que no se te caiga nada y meterle con todo al laburo. Es una frase de "acción" y "enfoque".

get through

succeed (in an examination or competition)

major in

(US, Aus) study something as their main subject at university

this experience was able to count towards his degree / Internships usually count towards your journalism degree as professional practice hours

be part of what is needed in order to complete something / achieve a specific goal or qualification. Synonym: To be valid for, to contribute to, to qualify for.

left most of the other students in his group behind

made much faster progress than others

the professor creamed off the best students

separated the cleverest or most skilful people from a group and treatted them differently

the professor felt he was more interesed in rugby than law and this counted against him / Making spelling mistakes in your essay will count against you, even if the ideas are good.

To be considered a disadvantage or a negative factor when someone is being judged, assessed, or making a decision. Synonym: To be a disadvantage, to act as a drawback.

he was marked down for careless mistakes

given a lower mark

by the end of the year he had fallen behind

failed to remain level with a group of people that was moving forwards

he’ll be lucky if he even scrapes through

(informal) passes but only just, manage with a lot of difficulty to succeed in something

keep your reading up during the term / or keep up your reading

continue to do something, significa mantener un nivel, un estándar o una velocidad determinada. Implica que hay una meta o un ritmo externo que tenés que igualar.

Brush up on some of the things you learnt a long time ago / I’ve been brushing up on my Figma skills recently. / Let's brush up on the reading before the professor arrives.

To refresh your knowledge of a subject or a skill that you have partially forgotten (brushing up implies that there is a layer of "dust" on your knowledge because you haven't used it in a while.) Even though it’s a phrasal verb, it is extremely common in professional environments.

They may possibly come up in the exam

if a question or a subject comes up in an exam, that question is asked or questions about that subject are asked in the exam

Don’t just mug up on the key points (Common in British/Indian English.)

(informal) quickly try to learn the main facts about a subject especiallly before an exam (often + on) Memorization. It's about "cramming" a lot of information in a short time, usually just before a test. Es "estudiar de memoria" o "quemarse las pestañas" a último momento.

Swotting up on everything you have done (Mostly British English (a bit old-school/informal).)

(informal) learning as much as you can about something, especially before an exam (often + on). Being a "nerd". It implies studying very hard, often used to describe someone who does nothing else but study (a "swot"). Es ser un "traga" (el acto de estudiar intensamente como un "nerd").

Concentrate on polishing up the most important areas and your best skills (Informal to Conversational)

practising and improving your skills or your knowledge of something. Se usa mucho cuando algo estuvo guardado, olvidado, o cuando necesitas que brille para un evento específico. (Necesito darle una repasada / poner a punto…)

1. to learnt by absorbing it rather than studying it

2. To notice (a detail or a signal) (se agrega el on)

3. To collect / To lift

1. Don’t fool yourself that you’ll pass the exam on the basis of what you’ve picked up during the lectures and classes / 2. However, after watching the trailer, I picked up on the American accents. / 3. Can you pick up my brother from school? / Please pick up your rubbish!

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do an exam’?

sit an exam / take an exam

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do a research’?

carried out a resarch / conducted a research project

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do a course’?

to enrol on a course / take a course

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do a degree/diploma’?

studied for a degree / took a degree

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do a subject’?

I studied … / took…

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do an essay/assignment’?

write an essay/assignment

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘do a lecture/talk’?

gave a lecture

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘get a degree/diploma’?

he obtained a degree / he was awarded a diplma

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘get a grade’?

her essay received an A grade / was given an A grade

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘get a qualification’?

you will need to obtain/acquire a qualification in social work

¿qué otra expresión puedo usar para decir ‘get an education’?

only 27% of children receive a basic education

what collocation can I use for: “To make the greatest effort possible to achieve something”

All that matters in the exam is to do your best

what collocation can I use for: “To cause harm or physical breakage to something or someone”

The storm did some damage to our roof

what collocation can I use for: “To perform a scientific test in order to learn something or discover if something is true.”

We are doing an experiment to test how the metal reacts with water

what collocation can I use for: “To perform physical activity to stay healthy, or to complete practice tasks for school/learning.”

We’ll do some exercises practising these collocations tomorrow

what collocation can I use for: “To do something kind or helpful for another person.”

My neighbor did me a good turn by picking up my mail while I was away. / Could you do me a favour and hold this for a second?

what collocation can I use for: “To cause a physical or abstract negative effect (similar to damage, but often used for health or reputations)”

A little bit of sugar won't do any harm, but don't eat the whole cake!

what collocation can I use for: “To brush, style, or arrange your hair so it looks neat or prepared for an event.”

Give me ten minutes, I just need to do my hair and I’ll be ready to go.

what collocation can I use for: “To complete the tasks assigned by a teacher to be done outside of class.”

You can't go to the park until you do your homework.

what collocation can I use for: “To perform routine domestic chores (ironing clothes, washing dishes/clothes, or buying groceries)”

I hate doing the ironing, but I love the smell of clean clothes.

what collocation can I use for: “To spend time and effort completing tasks, usually professional or academic.”

I'm going to the library to do some work on my journalism project.

what collocation can I use for: “To plan or organize the details of an event or situation (like travel, a meeting, or a party)”

I need to make arrangements for my trip to the Lollapalooza festival.

what collocation can I use for: “To modify or alter something to make it different or better.”

I decided to make some changes to the visual style of my brand's ads.

what collocation can I use for: “To select one option from two or more possibilities.”

It was hard to make a choice between the two different camera lenses.

what collocation can I use for: “To express an opinion or provide information about something you saw or heard.”

The professor made a few comments about my analysis of British phonetics.

what collocation can I use for: “To give something (money, time, ideas) to help achieve a goal or support a cause.”

Everyone in the family makes a contribution to our knitting project.

what collocation can I use for: “To arrive at a final conclusion or choice after thinking about it.”

I need to make a decision about which university commission to join.

what collocation can I use for: “To try hard to do something, especially when it is difficult.”

If you make an effort to practice every day, your English will improve fast.

what collocation can I use for: “To give a reason (sometimes false) to explain why you didn't do something or why you behaved badly.”

Stop making excuses for not doing your homework!

what collocation can I use for: “To establish new friendships with people”

It’s easy to make friends when you join a sports club.

what collocation can I use for: “To make something better than it was before”

I've made a big improvement in my pronunciation this month.

what collocation can I use for: “To do something incorrectly or accurately.”

Don't worry if you make a mistake with the phonemic symbols; they are tricky!

what collocation can I use for: “To use a phone to call someone.”

I have to make a phone call to the club coordinator to check the fees.

what collocation can I use for: “To move forward or improve in a process or activity.”

I’m finally making progress with my video editing project in After Effects.

what collocation can I use for: “To stop classes and start a holiday period (vacation) at the end of a school term or semester”

In Argentina, most universities break up for the summer in December

what collocation can I use for: “To return to school, university, or work after a holiday or a break has finished.”

I'm enjoying the time off, but I have to go back on January 8th to start the new term.

what collocation can I use for: “To put your name on an official list to join a course, activity, or organization” (Synonym: To enroll, to register.)

I need to sign up for the phonetics workshop before the deadline.

what collocation can I use for: “To leave a school, university, or course before you have finished your studies.”

He decided to drop out of the course because he didn't have enough time to study.

what collocation can I use for: “To write a final, complete version of something (like an essay, report, or notes) based on rough notes you took earlier” Context: Se usa mucho para trabajos finales o informes.

I have all my interview notes, now I just need to write up the final article for Journalism class.

what collocation can I use for: “To force someone to leave a place or organization, usually because they broke the rules or failed”. Synonym: To expel.

If you are caught cheating during the partial exam, they will throw you out of the college

how would you say: “te baja el puntaje”?

lower your grade/score (la más específica) - take points off (cuando te sacan puntos por un error específico) - knock your score down (informal, da la idea de un "golpe" a la nota)

how would you say: “te da mala imagen”?

make you look bad (la más común) - reflect poorly on you (más elegante y se usa mucho en periodismo o contextos serios, significa que esa acción habla mal de vos) - give a bad impression

how would you say: “va a jugar en tu contra”?

It will work against you

How would you say that something “no te cierra” but with a connotación más moral o de desconfianza o que “te da mala espina”, inquietud/incongruencia

(Disclaimer: no necesariamente significa "mala espina" de peligro o maldad. Se usa muchísimo para cuestiones de coherencia o decisiones.)

Doesn't sit right / The way he explained the budget doesn't sit right with me (da mala espina) / This phrase doesn't sit right with me" / "Me dijo que venía solo, pero hay dos vasos en la mesa... that doesn't sit right with me"

Si estás en una clase o alguien te explica un concepto de lingüística y simplemente no lo terminás de entender (la lógica no te termina de cerrar) how would you say: “no me termina de cerrar”?

I get what you're saying, but something is just not clicking for me yet. / I'm looking at the chart, but the difference between these two symbols is just not clicking for me. Esta es la más natural para cuando estás aprendiendo. Cuando algo "hace click", es porque lo entendiste de golpe. Si "no te cierra", es porque las piezas del rompecabezas no se juntan.

How would you say that "acá hay algo que no encaja" (notás que hay un error, aunque no sepas exactamente cuál)

Feels off (también puede ser ‘sounds a bit off’ o ‘seems off’)/ Something feels a bit off / looked at the phonetic transcription and something feels a bit off (sentís que hay un error) / The layout is good, but something feels a bit off with the colors.

Es muy común para decir que algo te resulta difícil de procesar o entender del todo. Sería como nuestro "no me termina de entrar en la cabeza". Es informal y conversacional, pero es totalmente aceptable en un entorno de estudio o trabajo. Se usa para conceptos, teorías o situaciones complejas.

I can't quite wrap my head around it / I understand the definition of the schwa, but I can't quite wrap my head around how to produce it in a stressed syllable

Se usa mucho cuando los hechos o la lógica de una explicación no son coherentes entre sí. Muy similar a "no me cierra", más bien es un:“no me cierran las cuentas”, “hay algo que no me cuadra”. Es informal, pero tiene un matiz lógico o deductivo, viene de las matemáticas (que la suma no da el resultado esperado)

It doesn't quite add up / You said the club was closed on Monday, but I saw the lights on. It doesn't quite add up.

How would you say cuando una idea "se asienta" o "cae la ficha"

Sink in / I read the chapter twice, but the meaning didn't sink in until I saw the diagram. / Let that information sink in for a minute before we continue. / Taking breaks is a great way to let things sink in

How would you say “poner las cosas en su lugar“ “arregoar el lío” o solucionar (lógica/solución)?. En inglés británico, se usa más que en el americano, es muy "RP" (según gemini).

Don't worry about the pending balance, I will sort that out tomorrow (Yo lo soluciono/lo arreglo) / I have a lot of messy notes in Notion; I need to sort them out

How would you say “aclarar las cosas” “despejar la duda”? Para aclarar una confusión o explicar algo que no se entendió bien, cuando alguien tiene una duda o cuando hubo un misunderstanding (malentendido).

Thank you for clearing that up! I didn't understand the difference between 'is' and 'it is'. / Let's clear that up before I start editing

How would you say that something se te olvidó, pero de una manera suave? Se usa cuando el olvido es involuntario y pequeño. Es una forma más elegante y menos "culpable", suena a que estabas ocupada.

sometimes things just slipped your mind / I meant to ask about the exam date, but it completely slipped my mind

Cometer un error pequeño por descuido

Sorry, I slipped up and used the wrong font in Figma

How would you say "cualquier cosa, avisame" o "no dudes en consultarme". Una de las partes específicas de la frase significa contactar a alguien, ya sea para pedir ayuda, hacer una pregunta o simplemente saludar. Es ideal para cerrar correos electrónicos, mensajes de WhatsApp de trabajo o conversaciones después de una reunión.

feel free to reach out anytime

How would you say "¡dale!", "¡me parece un buen plan!" o "trato hecho" (forma natural y entusiasta), Cuando alguien propone algo y estás de acuerdo. Es súper común en chats y conversaciones relajadas.

That sounds like a plan! Tu hermana te dice: "¿Grabamos los videos para Instagram a la tarde?" y vos respondés "That sounds like a plan."

1. Dominar, aprender a la perfección o "tenerla clara" con algo que requiere práctica o memoria.

2. También puede significar "anotar" algo rápido

1. You really got that pronunciation down / 1. She really got her dance routine dow (se aprendió la coreo a la perfección) / 1. He got the whole presentation down before the meeting (ya no necesita leer las notas, se la sabe de memoria) / 2. Wait! Let me get your phone number down before I forget.

how would you say: “dar por sentado”

take for granted

si me entendés / si me seguís / si me cazás la onda (informal)

if you get what i'm putting down

how would you say: “él observa cómo pasa todo esto”?

he watches this all go down

expresión para describir cómo se desarrollan los hechos, especialmente si son tensos o emocionantes. Tiene un matiz diferente a “happen”: se usa cuando lo que está pasando es un evento importante, una pelea, un escándalo o algo que tiene mucha acción. Se usa mucho cuando sos un espectador de algo que no podés controlar.

go down / Si hay una discusión en una asamblea y vos solo mirás, podrías decir "I'm just watching it go down"

Forma elegante de decir "considerada como" o "vista como". Phrasal verb muy común en textos académicos para hablar de percepciones.

Looked upon as… / It was originally looked upon as a temporary structure

Apenas llegó / al llegar

Upon arrival / Upon arrival at the airport, he called a taxi

Tras una inspección más detallada (cuando mirás de nuevo y notás algo).

Upon further inspection

(verb) to say something suddenly and without thinking, usually because you are excited or nervous

blurt something out / She suddenly blurted out, "I can't do it!"

how would you say: "salió disparada de vuelta" o "corrió rápidamente de regreso" / Sugiere velocidad y, a veces, que la persona es pequeña o ágil. Se usa mucho en literatura para describir movimientos rápidos y cortos.

she darted back to her giggling classmates