Mastering English Business Phrasal Verbs

Have you ever been confused when native speakers say things like “I need to drop off my kids” or “He picked up the groceries”? These are phrasal verbs!

What Are Business Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with one or more particles, like a preposition or an adverb. A lot of English learners struggle with phrasal verbs because their meanings don’t follow the literal definitions of the words in the phrase. They’re used frequently in the business world as well as in everyday communications outside of business.

For example, let’s look at the phrase “set up”. “Set” is similar to “put”, so you might think that “set up” means to place something on a high shelf. But its meaning as a phrasal verb is to establish something; to create something like a meeting or a new business. You can set up a new store or you can set up a system for organizing your finances.

So, what are phrasal verbs in English, and why are they so important in business communication? Phrasal verbs play an important role in everyday conversations and also in professional settings. When you’re writing an email or communicating with a coworker or customer, using phrasal verbs can make your English sound more fluent and natural.

In the world of business, English phrasal verbs such as “follow up”, “turn in”, and “pull through” are expressions that suit different workplace scenarios. These verbs are important because they capture meaning in a way that is difficult to translate directly and they add to the culture of business for English speakers.

There are two main types of phrasal verbs:

1. Separable phrasal verbs, where the object can come between the verb and the particle. For example: “set up a meeting” or “set it up”; “set up” is the phrasal verb, but we can insert “it” into the middle of the phrase.
2. Inseparable phrasal verbs, where the verb and particle must stay together. For example: “look into a problem”; “look into” is the phrasal verb and in this case, we can’t insert “problem” into the middle of the phrase.

Native English speakers use these phrases all the time, so it’s important to understand their meanings and know when to use them yourself. They help convey ideas clearly and they will help you to connect better with your coworkers and customers.

Common Business Phrasal Verbs

As I said before, phrasal verbs are part of the culture of a business. Individual people have phrases that they enjoy using, departments within a company have their own phrases, the company has its own phrases, and even the industry has its own phrases too! It’s impossible to learn all of them. For example, I come from a marketing background and the accounting guys have expressions that make no sense to me.

However, there are some common business phrasal verbs that everyone will understand and use often, regardless of their department, company, or industry. Below, you’ll find a categorized phrasal verb list with examples and some of the business contexts that they would be suitable for.

1. Phrasal Verbs for Meetings and Presentations
   These verbs are frequently used in discussions, brainstorming sessions, and presentations:

   • Follow up: To continue after an initial action.
     “I’ll follow up with you after the meeting to discuss next steps.”
   • Bring up: To mention a topic.
     “She brought up an interesting point during the meeting.”
   • Go over: To review something.
     “Let’s go over the agenda before the presentation.”
   • Point out: To highlight or emphasize something.
     “He pointed out a key flaw in the proposal.”
   • Start off: To begin with a certain topic.
     “The speaker started off the presentation with a joke”.
   • Wrap up: To conclude something, such as a meeting.
     “Let’s wrap up this meeting with a short Q&A session”. (Question & Answer)
   • Push back: To reschedule for a later date or time.
     “I don’t have time for our meeting today, let’s push it back to Monday.”
   • Circle back: To talk about something later.
     “I need to talk to you about the project, but let’s circle back to that after lunch.”

2. Phrasal Verbs for Emails and Reports
   Use these phrasal verbs to write clear and professional correspondence:

   • Follow up on: To check progress or get updates.
     “Can you follow up with Jerry after this meeting?”
   • Turn in: To submit something.
     “Please turn in the data by Friday.”
   • Look over: To quickly review or examine something.
     “I’ll look over the report and send you my feedback.”
   • Sum up: To summarize.
     “She summed up the key points in her email with bullet points.”
   • Write up: To create a report, document, or message.
     “After the meeting, I’ll write up some action items for us.”

3. Phrasal Verbs for Negotiations
   In business deals or contract discussions, these verbs are especially useful:

   • Come up with: To think of or create something.
     “We need to come up with a better pricing strategy.”
   • Work out: To solve or find a solution.
     “They worked out an agreement that satisfied both groups.”
   • Back down: To withdraw from a position or demand.
     “The supplier refused to back down on their price.”
   • Bring about: To cause or make something happen.
     “The new partnership will bring about significant changes.”

4. Phrasal Verbs for Teamwork and Collaboration
   These verbs help describe teamwork-related actions:

   • Take over: To take control or responsibility.
     “She will take over the project while I’m on leave.”
   • Pitch in: To contribute or help.
     “Everyone pitched in to meet the deadline.”
   • Carry out: To perform a task.
     “The team carried out the plan flawlessly.”
   • Set up: To arrange or organize.
     “We’ll set up a call with the client next week.”

5. Phrasal Verbs for Challenges and Problem-Solving
   When addressing challenges, these verbs come in handy:

   • Look into: To investigate or explore something.
     “We’ll look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.”
   • Run into: To encounter something that you didn’t expect.
     “We ran into some delays with the shipment.”
   • Sort out: To resolve or fix.
     “Let’s sort out the scheduling conflict before proceeding.”
   • Pull through: To succeed despite difficulties.
     “The team pulled through after working overtime.”

Rules for Using Phrasal Verbs in Business English

Phrasal verbs are versatile and widely used in both written and spoken English, but using them correctly in a business setting requires an understanding of their structure and tone. Here are some rules to help you use them correctly in business communications.

Formal vs. Informal

In a business setting, phrasal verbs are often a little less formal than other ways in which you might express an idea.

For example, you could say “Let’s postpone the meeting until tomorrow”, which sounds a little more formal than the phrasal verbs used in “Let’s push the meeting back to tomorrow” or “Let’s put off the meeting until tomorrow”. They’re not too casual for business, but they just sound a little bit more comfortable in most situations.

Using Phrasal Verbs

1. Avoid Overuse: Phrasal verbs are useful tools, but using them too often can make it sound like you only just learned about them, which feels unnatural to native English speakers. By using some variety, you’ll sound much better.

   Here’s an example of using overusing a phrasal verb:

   Your boss asks, “Can you follow up with Jerry?”

   “Yes, I’ll follow up with Jerry after I follow up with Mark” (Using the phrasal verb too many times sounds repetitive.)

   Try these instead:
   Yes, I’ll check back with Jerry after talking to Mark.
   Yes, I’ll check up on Jerry after I follow up with Mark.
   Yes, I’ll talk to Jerry after I speak with Mark.

2. Be Precise: Phrasal verbs can often convey some underlying meaning that may or may not be the meaning that you want to convey!

   You can say “I’ll check out the problem”, which means you’ll try to find the source of the problem and a solution for it, but might not convey very much urgency to some people. It sounds pretty casual, and your boss might think that you don’t see it as being a very important issue.

   On the other hand, you could say “I’ll look into the problem”, which really means the same thing, but it conveys more urgency and shows that you recognize it as an important problem.

   You’ll develop a better understanding of the specific characteristics of different phrasal verbs, as you hear and see them used more often.

3. Maintain Grammar Rules: Pay attention to verb tense and subject-verb agreement when using phrasal verbs in your sentences.

   Correct Example: “She is looking into the matter”
   Incorrect Example: “She look into the matter”

Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Business Professionals

For business professionals looking to take their communication skills to the next level, having an understanding of advanced phrasal verbs can make a big difference. Here’s a list of advanced phrasal verbs with examples and their meanings to help you sound confident and fluent.

1. Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Strategy and Planning

   • Iron Out: To resolve problems or disagreements.
     “Let’s iron out the details of the contract before moving on.”
   • Scale up: To increase or expand something, such as operations or production.
     “The company plans to scale up its manufacturing capacity next quarter.”
   • Phase out: To slowly stop using or producing something.
     “We’re planning to phase out older software systems by the end of the year.”

2. Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Problem-Solving and Adaptation

   • Figure Out: To understand or solve something.
     “We need to figure out a way to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.”
   • Roll back: To reverse or reduce something, such as a policy or price.
     “The company decided to roll back its new office policies after employees complained.”
   • Bounce back: To recover from a setback.
     “The team bounced back quickly after the initial failure of the project.”

3. Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Growth and Innovation

   • Branch out: To expand into new areas or markets.
     “Our company is branching out into renewable energy solutions.”
   • Bring about: To cause or make something happen.
     “The new leadership brought about significant changes in company culture.”
   • Set apart: To distinguish or differentiate.
     “Our great customer service is what sets us apart from our competitors.”

4. Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Collaboration and Leadership

   • Step up: To take responsibility or action, especially in a leadership role.
     “She stepped up to lead the project when the manager was unavailable.”
   • Hand over: To transfer responsibility or control to someone else.
     “I’ll hand over the report to the marketing team once it’s finalized.”
   • Work through: To address and overcome challenges or difficulties.
     “We need to work through these technical issues before launching the product.”

5. Advanced Phrasal Verbs for Financial Discussions

   • Look into: To investigate or explore something.
     “We’ll look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.”
   • Cut back: To reduce spending or resources.
     “The company is cutting back on travel expenses to save money.”
   • Write off: To cancel a debt or recognize something as a loss.
     “We decided to write off the damaged inventory after the warehouse flood.”
   • Turn over: To generate revenue or transfer control of assets.
     “The company turned over $5 million in the last fiscal year.”

Take Your Business English to the Next Level

Phrasal verbs are a key part of effective communication in English, especially in a professional or business setting. If you’re leading a meeting, writing a report, or negotiating a deal, you need to have a deep understanding of phrasal verbs so that you can connect with your colleagues and clients more naturally. By incorporating these expressions into your speaking and writing, you’ll sound more fluent and confident in your business interactions.

Are you ready to take your business English to the next level? Practice makes perfect, and personalized guidance can help you progress efficiently. Book a tutoring session today to refine your understanding of phrasal verbs and how they’re used in real-life scenarios. I’m ready when you are.