Using Phrasal Verbs and Idioms in Real Conversations.

In this lesson you explore the lively, informal English that many native and fluent speakers use every day. You meet a range of very common phrasal verbs and idioms in short dialogues, social media posts and emails. Instead of memorising long lists, you see how expressions like look after, run out of or call off work naturally in context. You practise guessing meaning from context and matching more formal phrases with everyday equivalents so that your speech sounds more natural but still appropriate. You also notice which expressions are mainly informal and when it is better to avoid them. By the end, you can recognise many frequent phrasal verbs and idioms, use a good number of them accurately and feel more comfortable when you hear them in real conversations.

1. Meeting phrasal verbs in a team conversation.

Imagine it is your first week in a new job in London. You are joining a small marketing team, and everyone is friendly but they speak very fast and use a lot of little two word verbs like 'figure out' or 'come up with'. In this block, you are going to listen to a short conversation between three colleagues in your office: Alex, Priya and Dan. They are chatting in the morning before a meeting starts. As you listen, do not worry about understanding every single word. Instead, I want you to focus on the phrasal verbs and idioms. Try to guess what they mean from the situation, not from a dictionary. On the screen you will see the transcript with some expressions in bold. In the activity, you will explain a few of them in your own words. This will help you become more comfortable when you hear these phrases in real conversations at work, on the phone or in online meetings.

The office scene.

You have just joined a marketing company in London. It is 9.15 on Monday morning and your colleagues Alex, Priya and Dan are getting a coffee before the weekly meeting.

Read their conversation. The phrasal verbs and idioms are in bold.

Alex: Morning! How are you getting on with the new project?

Priya: Not bad. I'm still trying to figure out the client's brief. They keep changing their mind.

Dan: Don't worry, we'll come up with something. We always do.

Alex: By the way, has the budget meeting started?

Priya: No, it was called off on Friday. The client ran out of time last week, so we're meeting them next Tuesday instead.

Dan: Yeah, they were travelling and their flight was held up for hours. In the end they just gave in and booked a later one.

Alex: Oh no. At least it broke the ice a bit. We all had something to complain about.

Priya: True! Anyway, can you look after the slides for this morning? I still need to sort out a problem with the figures.

Dan: Sure, leave it with me. We'll be fine. Cheer up, it's nearly Friday... well, almost.

Noticing the language.

In the short audio at the top of this block, you heard the same conversation. Now you can see it written. Look carefully at the bold phrases:

• get on (with something)
• figure out
• come up with
• call off
• run out of
• hold up
• give in
• break the ice
• look after
• sort out

Do not try to translate each word separately. Instead, think about the whole expression and the situation:

• If a meeting was called off, what actually happened?
• If someone ran out of time, what is the problem?
• If you come up with something in a meeting, what are you doing?

Mini task before you write.

Choose three of the bold expressions that you find interesting. Before you scroll to the activity, quickly answer these questions in your head:

• Is the meaning positive, negative or neutral?
• Is it about time, people, travel, ideas or feelings?
• Can you think of a more formal one word verb for it, for example cancel for call off?

You will now explain a few of these expressions in your own words.

Practice & Feedback

Listen again to the office conversation in the audio. Then look at the transcript on the screen.

Your task is to explain the meaning of three phrasal verbs from the dialogue, using your own words. Please choose these three:

1. called off
2. ran out of
3. come up with

For each one, write one or two clear sentences in normal English. Do not translate into your language. Instead, imagine you are explaining the phrase to a friend who does not know it.

For example, you might start with: "If you call off a meeting, you...". Try to use full sentences and, if you can, add a short example from work, study or everyday life to show how it works in context.

2. Reading informal messages with phrasal verbs.

Now that you have heard some phrasal verbs in a live conversation, let us see how they appear in everyday written English. In real life, you often meet these expressions in emails, group chats and quick messages from colleagues or friends. In this block, you will look at three short texts from the same office: a WhatsApp message, a quick email and a short social media post from the company account. Each text includes some common phrasal verbs and a couple of idioms. Your job is to notice them and use the context to understand the meaning. On the screen I will show you the messages with the key phrases in bold. Then, in the activity, you will choose a few of those expressions and rewrite them in more neutral language. This will help you move between informal and more standard English, so you can sound natural with friends but also clear and professional when you need to.

Messages from your new team.

A few days later, you see different messages from your colleagues. Read them and notice the phrasal verbs and idioms in bold.

1. WhatsApp group chat.

> Priya: Hi team, quick update. The client has come up with a new idea for the campaign.

>

> Dan: Again?! We need to figure out how to fit this into the schedule.

>

> Alex: No worries, we'll sort it out. Let's set off a bit earlier tomorrow so we can discuss it before the meeting.

2. Quick internal email.

> Subject: Design budget

>

> Hi Alex,

>

> We have run out of time on the current budget, so we will have to put off the video until next month. I know it's annoying, but the last shoot cost an arm and a leg.

>

> Thanks for your help with this.

>

> Priya

3. Short social media post.

> Busy morning at BrightSpark Marketing! Our team met early today to come up with fresh ideas for our latest client. Coffee really helped us cheer up after a long week, and a silly joke from Dan broke the ice with the new designer.

Guessing from context.

Look at the verbs and idioms in bold:

• come up with
• figure out
• sort out
• set off
• run out of
• put off
• cost an arm and a leg
• cheer up
• broke the ice

Ask yourself:

• What is happening in each message? Is there a problem, a plan or a feeling?
• Is the phrasal verb connected to time, money, movement, ideas or emotions?
• Can you replace it with a more formal single word verb, for example postpone instead of put off?

Strategy: use the clues around the verb.

To guess meaning from context:

1. Look one or two sentences before and after the phrase.
2. Notice any time words (for example, until next month), linkers (for example, so), or emotional words (for example, annoying, helped).
3. Decide if the general meaning is positive or negative, and then choose a simple meaning in your own words.

You will now practise rewriting some of these expressions in more neutral English.

Practice & Feedback

Read the three messages from your colleagues again. Focus on the phrasal verbs and idioms in bold.

Your task is to choose three different expressions from the list below and write a more neutral or formal version for each one, using full sentences:

• come up with
• figure out
• sort out
• set off
• run out of
• put off
• cost an arm and a leg
• cheer up
• break the ice

For each expression:

1. Write one sentence that explains the meaning in clear, neutral English.
2. Write one sentence that uses the neutral verb in a similar situation.

For example, you might change "put off the video" into "postpone the video" and show it in a complete sentence.

Try to connect your sentences to work, study or everyday life so the language feels real for you.

3. Choosing informal or neutral expressions.

In the office, you often move between different levels of formality. You might chat informally on WhatsApp, but then you need to email a client in a more neutral or formal style. Phrasal verbs and idioms are brilliant for sounding natural, but some of them are a little too informal for serious messages. In this block, we are going to look at pairs of expressions: on one side, an everyday phrasal verb or idiom, and on the other side, a more neutral or formal alternative. I will show you a short email that is a bit too informal for a manager, because it uses expressions like 'sort out' or 'broke the ice'. Your task will be to rewrite parts of the email so it is still friendly but more professional. This will help you control your tone, so you can decide when to use phrases like 'call off' and when to say 'cancel', depending on the situation and the person you are writing to.

Informal vs neutral language at work.

In your new job, you write to your manager and to clients quite often. Phrasal verbs and idioms are common in spoken English and in messages to close colleagues, but in more formal emails we often choose a neutral alternative.

Look at these pairs:

The informal versions are great with friends and many colleagues. The neutral versions are usually better with new clients, managers you do not know well, or when you want to sound a little more professional.

An email that is a bit too informal.

Read this draft email from Alex to a new client.

> Subject: Meeting on 12 June

>

> Dear Ms Brown,

>

> Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we need to call off our meeting on 12 June because our finance director is ill. We will come up with a new date as soon as possible and let you know.

>

> I also wanted to find out more about the changes to your budget. Our last campaign cost an arm and a leg, so we need to be careful this time.

>

> Finally, it was great to break the ice with you in last week's video call. It really helped us sort out some important questions.

>

> Best wishes,

>

> Alex Green

The message is polite, but some expressions are too informal for a first email to a client.

Which phrases would you change to sound more neutral?

Quick analysis before you write.

Think about:

• Which phrasal verbs are perfectly fine here? (For example, find out is quite neutral.)
• Which idioms sound too colourful for a formal client email? (For example, cost an arm and a leg.)
• How could you keep the same meaning with slightly different words?

You will now practise rewriting parts of this email in a more neutral style.

Practice & Feedback

Look carefully at Alex's email to Ms Brown on the screen. Some expressions are fine, but others are too informal for a new client.

Your task is to rewrite the body of the email (the main paragraphs) so that it sounds more neutral and professional, but still friendly.

Please:

• Keep the basic structure and information the same.
• Replace at least three informal expressions (for example, 'call off', 'cost an arm and a leg', 'break the ice', 'sort out') with more neutral phrases from the table above or your own ideas.
• Write the full email text again, starting from "Thank you for your email" down to "Best wishes, Alex Green".

Do not worry about being perfect. Focus on choosing appropriate verbs and avoiding very strong idioms in this context.

4. Using phrasal verbs to talk about your life.

You have now seen how phrasal verbs and idioms work in office conversations, messages and emails. To really remember them, you need to connect them to your own life. In this block, we will focus on a small group of very common phrasal verbs that you can use in many situations, not only at work. I will show you some clear example sentences and simple patterns, like 'look after someone' or 'run out of something'. Then you will write about your own routine, your family, your free time or your studies, using these expressions. Do not worry about being clever or funny. The aim is to make **true** sentences about your life so that the vocabulary feels personal and easier to recall later. Try to notice which prepositions go with each verb, and remember that we usually stress the particle, for example 'run OUT of milk'.

High-frequency phrasal verbs for everyday life.

Here are some very common phrasal verbs from the office story that are also useful in your personal life.

1. look after (someone/something).

Meaning: take care of someone or something.

• I look after my little sister at weekends.
• Can you look after my bag while I go to the toilet?

2. get on (with someone) / get on (with something).

Meaning: have a good relationship / make progress.

• I get on very well with my colleagues.
• How are you getting on with your English course?

3. run out of (something).

Meaning: have no more of something.

• We ran out of coffee this morning.
• I need to go to the shop before we run out of bread.

4. figure out (something).

Meaning: understand or solve something.

• It took me a while to figure out the new app.
• I cannot figure out why my internet is so slow.

5. put off (something).

Meaning: postpone, delay something.

• I always put off doing the washing.
• We had to put off our trip because of the weather.

6. cheer up.

Meaning: become happier; make someone feel happier.

• I was sad, but a phone call from a friend cheered me up.
• Let's watch a comedy to cheer up.

7. give up (something).

Meaning: stop doing something, often a habit.

• I gave up sugar last year.
• She wants to give up smoking.

8. look forward to (something).

Meaning: feel happy about a future event.

• I'm really looking forward to the weekend.
• We are looking forward to seeing you.

Tips for making your own sentences.

When you write with these verbs:

• Think about real situations in your life.
• Pay attention to little words like of, to and with.
• Use time expressions to make your sentences richer: last year, at the moment, every weekend, recently.

Example:

• At the moment I'm looking after my neighbour's cat, and I'm really looking forward to giving it back because it wakes me up at five o'clock every morning.

You will now write about your own life using some of these phrasal verbs.

Practice & Feedback

Look at the list of phrasal verbs and example sentences on the screen.

Your task is to write 5–7 sentences about your own life using at least 4 different phrasal verbs from this block. You can write about:

• your daily routine or habits,
• your family and friends,
• your studies or job,
• your plans and hopes.

Try to:

• make the sentences true for you,
• use the phrasal verbs with the correct small words (for example, run out of, look forward to),
• add some time expressions or details.

For example: "On Fridays I usually run out of energy by five o'clock, but meeting my friends in the evening always cheers me up."

Do not worry if you are not sure about every detail. Write naturally and I will help you correct and improve your sentences.

5. Chatting with colleagues using natural phrases.

You are getting more confident with phrasal verbs and idioms, so let us put them into a more realistic, fast situation: a chat with colleagues. Imagine it is Thursday afternoon, and your team is organising a small social event for Friday after work. People are messaging quickly in a group chat, suggesting ideas, cancelling plans and reacting to each other. This is exactly the kind of place where phrasal verbs like 'set off', 'run out of' and idioms like 'cost an arm and a leg' appear naturally. On the screen, you will see a short WhatsApp style conversation between your colleagues Alex, Priya and Dan. Your role is to join the chat and add a few messages, using some of the language from earlier blocks. Do not worry about perfect sentences. Focus on sounding friendly and natural, and trying out a few new expressions in context. Afterwards, I will respond as one of your colleagues and give you feedback.

The team social chat.

It is Thursday, 4.30 p.m. Your team WhatsApp group is making plans for a Friday evening social.

Read the chat so far.

> Priya: Hey team, we haven't had a social for ages. Shall we do something tomorrow after work?

>

> Alex: Great idea! I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

>

> Dan: Same here. Let's come up with a plan before everyone runs out of energy.

>

> Priya: How about going to that new burger place near the office?

>

> Alex: I'd love to, but I heard it costs an arm and a leg.

>

> Dan: True. Also, if we set off from the office at six, it'll be packed.

>

> Priya: OK, any other ideas?

Now it is your turn to join the chat.

Useful language for informal chat.

Here are some expressions you might use:

• come up with an idea
• run out of money / time / energy
• set off early / late
• cheer up after a hard week
• something costs an arm and a leg
• a joke broke the ice
• you need to figure out where to go
• you want to look after someone who is tired or stressed

You can also recycle simple friendly phrases:

• Sounds good.
• That is a bit expensive.
• I am not sure about that.
• That would really cheer me up.

Your role.

You are a member of the same team. You are free tomorrow, but you do not want to spend too much money. You enjoy simple things like going to the park or having a cheap meal somewhere cosy.

You will now write a few short messages to continue the chat.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are in this WhatsApp group with Priya, Alex and Dan.

Write 3–5 short chat messages to continue the conversation and help the team decide what to do. You can:

• react to their ideas,
• suggest your own plan,
• mention money, time or travel,
• say how you feel about the week.

Please:

• Use at least 3 different phrasal verbs or idioms from this lesson (for example, come up with, run out of, set off, cheer up, cost an arm and a leg).
• Keep the style informal and friendly, like a real group chat. Short sentences are fine.
• Write each message on a new line, as if you were sending several separate messages.

After you send your messages, I will reply as one of your colleagues and also give you language feedback.

6. Telling a short story with phrasal verbs and idioms.

To finish this lesson, you are going to bring everything together in one small performance. Imagine it is Sunday evening and you are messaging a friend to tell them about your first week in the new job. You want to sound relaxed and natural, so you use some of the phrasal verbs and idioms you have practised: maybe you talk about running out of time, breaking the ice with colleagues, or coming up with ideas in a meeting. On the screen, I will show you a short model story that uses several expressions in a natural way. Read it for ideas, but do not copy it. Then you will write your own short story, around one solid paragraph, about a real or imaginary week, day or event in your life. Focus on being clear and using the phrases accurately. I will then give you detailed feedback and a slightly improved version as a model.

A model story from your first week.

Read this short story written by Alex about their first week at BrightSpark Marketing.

> Last week was my first week at BrightSpark, and it was intense but exciting. On Monday morning my train was delayed, so I nearly arrived late, but a funny comment from Dan broke the ice when I finally walked into the office. I am still trying to figure out the project management system, but my colleagues are very kind and look after me when I get confused. On Wednesday we had to call off a client meeting because they had run out of time, so we used the free hour to come up with new ideas for their campaign instead. By Friday everyone had run out of energy, but a quick coffee really cheered us up. I am really looking forward to next week, even though I know it will cost an arm and a leg to keep buying coffee in the café downstairs!

Notice how Alex:

• uses 8 phrasal verbs and idioms naturally,
• connects them with time expressions (on Monday, on Wednesday, by Friday),
• tells a clear story with a beginning, middle and end.

Your mini performance task.

Now it is your turn to write a short story or update message.

You can choose one of these ideas, or invent your own:

• your first week in a new job or course,
• a very busy week at work or university,
• a trip where plans changed and you had to sort out problems,
• a social event where a joke broke the ice and everyone cheered up.

Try to:

• use at least 6 different phrasal verbs or idioms from this lesson,
• include some time expressions (for example, at first, then, after that, by the end of the week),
• make the story about one clear situation.

This is your small capstone task for the lesson.

Practice & Feedback

Write a short story or update message (about 120–180 words) about a real or imaginary week, day or event in your life.

Please:

• Base it on one clear situation, for example: your first week in a job, a difficult project, a holiday with problems, or a very long study week.
• Use at least 6 different phrasal verbs or idioms from this lesson (for example, run out of, call off, come up with, figure out, cheer up, break the ice, look after, put off, cost an arm and a leg, look forward to).
• Add some time expressions to make the story easy to follow (for example, at first, later, in the end, by Friday).
• Write in an informal but clear style, like a message to a good friend.

Do not worry if you make mistakes. Focus on telling a simple story and using the expressions as accurately as you can. I will then correct and upgrade your writing.