13 English Phrasal Verbs for Talking About Learning
Learning English is not just about memorising grammar rules or long vocabulary lists. A lot of the time, we need language to talk about the learning process itself.
How do you describe starting something new? How do you say you learnt something naturally? How do you explain that you need to review, practise, research or refresh your knowledge?
This is where phrasal verbs are really useful.
Phrasal verbs are extremely common in spoken and written English, and they often help you sound more natural and fluent. In this post, we’ll look at 13 useful English phrasal verbs for talking about learning, studying, practising and improving.
1. Pick up something
Meaning: to learn something naturally or gradually, often without formal study.
You might pick up a language by living in another country, listening to people around you, watching films, or spending time with friends who speak that language.
Examples:
I picked up a bit of Spanish while I was living in Madrid.
Children often pick up new words very quickly.
You can pick up a lot of useful everyday English by watching TV series.
2. Take up something
Meaning: to start a new hobby, activity or habit.
We often use this when someone begins something new, especially an activity they want to do regularly.
Examples:
I’ve decided to take up oil painting.
She took up yoga to help her relax.
I’m thinking of taking up a new language this year.
3. Look up something
Meaning: to search for information, especially a word, meaning, fact or explanation.
This is a very useful phrasal verb for language learners because we often look up words, phrases, pronunciation or grammar points.
Examples:
I had to look up the meaning of that word.
Can you look up the pronunciation before you say it?
I looked it up online, but I’m still not completely sure how to use it.
4. Brush up on something
Meaning: to improve or refresh knowledge you already have.
This is useful when you learnt something in the past, but you feel a bit rusty and need to practise again.
Examples:
I need to brush up on my French before my trip.
He’s brushing up on his presentation skills for work.
I want to brush up on my grammar before the exam.
5. Read up on something
Meaning: to learn about something by reading, usually because you need or want to be prepared.
This is often used when you do some research before a meeting, discussion, class or event.
Examples:
I need to read up on the topic before the meeting.
She read up on the company before her interview.
I’ve been reading up on creativity for my next newsletter.
6. Try out something
Meaning: to test something to see if it works or if you like it.
This is useful when you experiment with a new method, routine, app, technique or habit.
Examples:
I’m trying out a new study routine.
Why don’t you try out this pronunciation exercise?
I tried out a new way of taking notes, and it really helped.
7. Go over something
Meaning: to review or check something again.
Teachers use this a lot in lessons, but it is also useful for self-study.
Examples:
Let’s go over the vocabulary from last week.
I need to go over my notes before the test.
Can we go over that pronunciation one more time?
8. Come across something
Meaning: to find or discover something by chance.
You can come across an article, a video, a phrase, an idea, a book or a useful expression.
Examples:
I came across a fascinating article about creativity.
I came across this phrase in a podcast.
She came across an old notebook from her university days.
9. Build on something
Meaning: to use what you already know as a foundation for further learning.
This is a lovely phrase for language learning because you are rarely starting from nothing. You are usually building on the English you already have.
Examples:
This course helps you build on the English you already have.
We can build on your existing vocabulary and help you sound more natural.
Each lesson builds on the work we did before.
10. Get into something
Meaning: to become interested in something, or to start enjoying an activity, subject or habit.
We often use get into something when we start doing something regularly and become more interested in it over time.
Examples:
I’ve recently got into podcasts as a way to improve my English.
She got into photography during lockdown.
He’s really got into learning about British culture.
11. Work out something
Meaning: to understand something after thinking about it, experimenting or trying different possibilities.
This is often used when learning involves problem-solving.
Examples:
I finally worked out how to use that grammar structure.
Can you work out the meaning from the context?
It took me ages to work out the difference between these two words.
12. Keep up with something
Meaning: to stay at the same level or pace as something.
This can be used when talking about lessons, reading, homework, technology, news or changes in your industry.
Examples:
I’m finding it hard to keep up with all the new vocabulary.
She listens to podcasts to keep up with current events.
It can be difficult to keep up with native speakers when they talk quickly.
13. Catch up on something
Meaning: to do something you missed or did not have time to do earlier.
This is useful when you have missed lessons, reading, emails, homework or practice.
Examples:
I need to catch up on the lessons I missed.
I’m going to catch up on some reading this weekend.
She spent the afternoon catching up on her English homework.
Want to keep building your English?
If you’re an intermediate or advanced English learner and you want to sound more natural, confident and expressive, I share regular vocabulary, speaking prompts, audio lessons and reflection questions inside my Substack community.
It’s a warm, supportive space to build on the English you already have and feel more like yourself when you speak.