When people talk about their day in English, they use phrasal verbs all the time. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word such as up, on or off, and the meaning is often different from the verb alone. This article gives you ten phrasal verbs at B1 level for daily routines. Each one has a meaning, two examples and a note about a common mistake.
Why learn phrasal verbs for daily routines?
Phrasal verbs are the normal language of everyday speech. I wake up at seven sounds natural. Turn on the light is what people really say. When you learn them through real situations in your day, they are easier to remember than a long list, because each verb connects to a clear picture.
How phrasal verbs work
Two groups matter for you now:
- Verbs with no object: wake up, get up, work out, go out, wind down. Example: I get up early.
- Verbs with an object that can usually be split: put on, take off, turn on, turn off, clean up. You can say turn off the light or turn the light off. But with a pronoun (it, them, him) the pronoun must go in the middle: turn it off, not turn off it.
The morning: wake up, get up and put on
1. wake up
Meaning: to stop sleeping.
- I wake up at six every day.
- The phone woke me up in the night.
Note: wake up does not mean you have left your bed. It can also take an object: wake me up, with the pronoun in the middle.
2. get up
Meaning: to leave your bed and stand up.
- I wake up at six, but I get up at six thirty.
- On Fridays, we get up late.
Note: wake up is opening your eyes, get up is leaving your bed. Do not say get up from sleep.
3. put on
Meaning: to dress yourself in something, such as clothes, glasses or a watch.
- I put on my jacket and leave the house.
- It is cold, so put it on.
Note: put on is the action, wear is the state: She is wearing a red coat. Do not say put on it. Say put it on.
At home: take off, turn on, turn off and clean up
4. take off
Meaning: to remove clothes or shoes.
- I take off my shoes at the door.
- He came home and took his jacket off.
Note: the same verb is also used for planes leaving the ground, but here it means remove. With a pronoun, say take them off.
5. turn on
Meaning: to start a machine, a light or the water.
- Please turn on the light.
- I turn the TV on after dinner.
Note: Arabic speakers often say open the light because of the Arabic expression. The correct English is turn on the light.
6. turn off
Meaning: to stop a machine or a light.
- I turn off my phone at night.
- Turn it off before you leave.
Note: do not say close the light. Say turn off the light. It is the opposite of turn on.
7. clean up
Meaning: to make a place tidy after using it.
- I clean up the kitchen after dinner.
- The children cleaned their room up.
Note: clean up is about removing a mess, while clean alone is more general. With a pronoun, say clean it up.
Out and about, then evening: work out, go out and wind down
8. work out
Meaning: to do exercise.
- I work out at the gym three times a week.
- She works out before work.
Note: do not say I make sport. Say I work out or I do exercise. In this meaning work out has no object.
9. go out
Meaning: to leave your home, often to have fun or meet people.
- We go out with friends on Saturday.
- I do not go out when it rains.
Note: go out is leaving for an activity. For leaving a vehicle, use get out of: get out of the car.
10. wind down
Meaning: to relax and become calm after a busy day.
- I wind down by reading a book.
- It takes me an hour to wind down after work.
Note: this verb is informal and very useful for talking about the evening. It has no object, and we often add by plus an activity.
Common mistakes for Arabic speakers
| Common mistake | Correct form |
|---|---|
| Open the light. | Turn on the light. |
| Close the TV. | Turn off the TV. |
| Put on it. | Put it on. |
| I make sport. | I work out. |
| I get up from sleep at six. | I wake up at six. |
One rule covers most of these: a phrasal verb is one unit, so do not translate it word by word from Arabic, and put a pronoun between the verb and the small word.
A full day with the ten verbs
Read this paragraph aloud: I wake up at six and get up at six thirty. I put on my clothes, turn on the radio, and clean up the kitchen. Later I go out to work. After work I work out, take off my shoes at home, and turn off the lights. In the evening I wind down with tea.
How to remember and use them
- Write one sentence about your own day for each verb.
- Learn the verb with the object you really use, such as turn off my phone.
- Practise pronouns: put it on, turn it off, clean it up.
- Say one sentence about your routine aloud every day.
Start with just three verbs this week, then add the rest. The more each verb matches something you really do, the faster it stays in your memory.