Un phrasal verb associe un verbe et une particule (up, out, off, in…) pour créer un sens nouveau, souvent impossible à deviner : to turn down ne veut pas dire « tourner vers le bas » mais « refuser ». Ils sont omniprésents à l’oral (parties 2 à 4) et la partie 5 teste régulièrement la bonne particule.
Commencer, organiser, terminer
| Phrasal verb | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| set up | créer, installer | We set up a new office in Lyon. |
| carry out | réaliser, mener | The team carried out a customer survey. |
| draw up | rédiger (un document) | The lawyer will draw up the contract. |
| go ahead (with) | lancer, aller de l’avant | The board decided to go ahead with the project. |
| put off | reporter | They put off the launch until spring. |
| call off | annuler | The meeting was called off. |
| wrap up | conclure, terminer | Let’s wrap up the meeting. |
| phase out | supprimer progressivement | The old model will be phased out. |
Chercher, examiner, comprendre
| Phrasal verb | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| look into | examiner, étudier | We are looking into the problem. |
| look up | chercher (une information) | Look up the number in the directory. |
| find out | découvrir, apprendre | I’ll find out when the train leaves. |
| figure out | comprendre, trouver | We need to figure out a solution. |
| go over | passer en revue | Let’s go over the figures again. |
| point out | faire remarquer | She pointed out an error in the report. |
| come up with | trouver (une idée) | He came up with a great slogan. |
| come across | tomber sur | I came across an interesting article. |
Gérer les gens et les problèmes
| Phrasal verb | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| deal with | traiter, gérer | Who deals with customer complaints? |
| take over | reprendre, succéder | Ms. Lee will take over as director. |
| fill in for | remplacer | Can you fill in for me on Friday? |
| turn down | refuser | She turned down the offer. |
| back up | soutenir, sauvegarder | Back up your files every day. |
| follow up (on) | faire le suivi | I’ll follow up on your request. |
| run out of | manquer de | We’ve run out of paper. |
| catch up (on / with) | rattraper son retard | I need to catch up on my emails. |
| lay off | licencier | The factory laid off 50 workers. |
| break down | tomber en panne | The copier broke down again. |
Transport et déplacements
| Phrasal verb | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| pick up | aller chercher, récupérer | I’ll pick you up at the airport. |
| drop off | déposer | Drop off the keys at reception. |
| check in / check out | arriver / partir (hôtel, aéroport) | Check-in starts at 2 p.m. |
| get on / get off | monter / descendre (bus, train) | Get off at the next stop. |
| set off | partir, se mettre en route | We set off at dawn. |
| hold up | retarder | Traffic held us up. |
Séparables ou non ?
Avec un phrasal verb séparable, le complément peut se placer avant ou après la particule ; s’il s’agit d’un pronom, il se place obligatoirement entre les deux : « Turn down the offer », « Turn the offer down », mais « Turn it down » (jamais « turn down it »). Les verbes à préposition comme look into, deal with ou come across ne se séparent jamais : « look into it ».
Piège : Une même particule change tout : put off (reporter), put on (mettre), put up with (supporter), put out (éteindre). En partie 5, lis toute la phrase avant de choisir la particule.
À toi de jouer
The marketing team ------- a survey of 500 customers. (carried out / carried on)
Voir la réponse
carried out carry out = réaliser.
The meeting has been ------- until next week. (put off / put out)
Voir la réponse
put off put off = reporter.
Ms. Kim will ------- as head of sales in June. (take over / take off)
Voir la réponse
take over take over = succéder.
We are ------- the cause of the delay. (looking into / looking after)
Voir la réponse
looking into look into = examiner.
He received a job offer but ------- . (turned it down / turned down it)
Voir la réponse
turned it down Pronom entre le verbe et la particule.
Could you ------- me ------- at the station at 6? (pick / up)
Voir la réponse
pick me up pick up = aller chercher.