Hey there! This is TOP episode 343. 5 Separable Phrasal Verbs You’ll Use Every Day
**You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
Before we start today’s episode, I have a little announcement for you.
A new free English class is coming, and I’d love you to join me.
It’s called Chill Out, and during this webinar we’re going to learn nine useful phrasal verbs that everyone needs in the summer.
These are not random textbook phrases — these are expressions you can actually use when you’re talking about holidays, relaxing, travelling, making plans, and enjoying your summer.
The webinar is happening on 12th July 2026 at 8:30 p.m.
So if you want to learn some practical English, improve your speaking, and add more natural phrases to your vocabulary, join me for Chill Out.
I can’t wait to see you there!
**Today we’re talking about a group of phrasal verbs that are called separable phrasal verbs. A lot of students learn phrasal verbs as vocabulary. They learn:
“turn on means switch on”
“pick up means lift”
“put on means wear”
And that’s useful, but there is one more thing you need to know: phrasal verbs have grammar rules.
Some phrasal verbs can be separated.
For example:
“Turn on the TV.”
or:
“Turn the TV on.”
Both sentences are correct.
The verb and the particle can move around the object.
But there is one very important rule.
When the object is a pronoun, like:
it, him, her, them
the pronoun usually goes in the middle.
So we say:
“Turn it on.”
Not:
“Turn on it.”
The same with:
“Pick up your phone.”
“Pick your phone up.”
But:
“Pick it up.”
Not:
“Pick up it.”
However, not every phrasal verb works like this.
Some phrasal verbs are inseparable.
For example:
“look after” means “take care of.”
You can say:
“I look after my kids.”
But you cannot say:
“I look my kids after.”
That sounds completely wrong.
Another example:
“run into” means “meet someone unexpectedly.”
“I ran into an old friend yesterday.”
You cannot separate it:
“I ran my friend into yesterday.”
So today we’re focusing on phrasal verbs where you can move the object, and these are some of the most useful ones in everyday conversations.
**ONE. TURN ON / TURN OFF
Let’s start with a pair that you probably use every single day:
turn on and turn off.
Turn on means to start a device, machine, light, or something electronic.
Turn off means to stop it.
For example:
“Can you turn on the light? It’s getting dark.”
You can also say:
“Can you turn the light on?”
Both are completely natural.
Another example:
“I usually turn on the TV when I get home.”
Or:
“I usually turn the TV on when I get home.”
Again, both versions work.
But if we use a pronoun:
“I turned it on.”
Not:
“I turned on it.”
We use turn on and turn off constantly in everyday situations:
“Can you turn off the heating? It’s too warm.”
“Don’t forget to turn off your computer before you leave.”
“Could you turn the music off? I’m trying to concentrate.”
**TWO. PICK UP
Now let’s talk about one of the most useful phrasal verbs in English:
pick up.
This is a perfect example of why phrasal verbs are difficult.
Because one phrasal verb can have several completely different meanings.
The first meaning:
pick something up = lift something.
For example:
“Can you pick up your clothes from the floor?”
You can also say:
“Can you pick your clothes up?”
But with a pronoun:
“Can you pick them up?”
Not:
“Can you pick up them?”
Another very common meaning:
pick someone up = go somewhere and collect someone.
For example:
“I’ll pick you up after work.”
Meaning:
I’ll come and get you.
A parent might say:
“I need to pick up my kids from school.”
A friend might say:
“Can you pick me up from the airport?”
**Another everyday meaning:
pick up the phone.
It means answer the phone.
For example:
“He didn’t pick up, so I sent him a message.”
You can also use it for learning something:
pick up a language / skill / habit.
For example:
“I picked up some Spanish when I was travelling.”
Meaning:
I learned some Spanish naturally.
Or:
“I picked up a few useful tips from that video.”
**THREE. PUT ON
Another extremely common phrasal verb:
put on.
The most common meaning:
to put clothes or something on your body.
For example:
“Put on your coat. It’s cold outside.”
You can also say:
“Put your coat on.”
Both are correct.
But:
“Put it on.”
Not:
“Put on it.”
We use this all the time when we talk about getting ready:
“I need five minutes to put on some makeup.”
“I’m looking for something to put on for the party.”
“I forgot to put on sunscreen.”
But put on has another meaning.
It can also mean to start playing something.
For example:
“Can you put on some music?”
Meaning:
Can you start playing music?
Or:
“I put on a film last night.”
Meaning:
I started watching a film.
**Another meaning:
to gain weight.
For example:
“I put on a few kilos during the holidays.”
**FOUR. WAKE UP
Now:
wake up.
The basic meaning is simple:
stop sleeping.
“I wake up at 7 every morning.”
But there is a difference between:
wake up
and
wake someone up.
If you wake up yourself:
“I woke up late today.”
If you make another person stop sleeping:
“I woke my husband up because he was late.”
You can also say:
“I woke him up.”
Not:
“I woke up him.”
This is extremely common:
“Can you wake me up tomorrow?”
“Sorry, did I wake you up?”
“My alarm didn’t wake me up.”
**And wake up is also used in a more figurative way:
“Wake up!”
Meaning:
Pay attention. Notice what is happening. Like in ‘Donnie Darko’. Have you seen that film? It’s one of my favourites.
For example:
“You need to wake up and realise that this situation isn’t good.”
****FIVE. LOOK UP
Look up means search for information.
For example:
“I looked up the meaning of this word.”
You can also say:
“I looked the word up.”
Both are correct.
But:
“I looked it up.”
Not:
“I looked up it.”
We use it every day because we search for information constantly:
“I looked up the restaurant before we went there.”
“I looked up the train times.”
“I’ll look it up later.”
Very natural.
So when you learn phrasal verbs, don’t just memorise the meaning.
Also learn:
Can I separate it?
Where does the object go?
Can I use it with a pronoun?
Now let’s move on to the practical part.
This is the moment when I want you to stop just listening and actually use the language. You’re going to hear some sentences with today’s phrasal verbs, and I want you to repeat them out loud.
It might feel a little strange at first, but speaking is a skill. Your mouth needs practice too. When you repeat sentences, you train your brain to create English automatically, and you start to remember not only the words, but also the rhythm and structure of natural English.
Ready? Let’s go!
“Can you turn the light on?”
“Can you turn off the heating? It’s too warm.”
“I’ll pick you up after work.”
“I picked up some Spanish when I was travelling.”
“I need five minutes to put on some makeup.”
“Can you put on some music?”
“Can you wake me up tomorrow?”
“Sorry, did I wake you up?”
“I looked up the meaning of this word.”
“I’ll look it up later.”
**Well done! Before you go, don’t forget to head over to teacherola.com/343 and download the free worksheet that goes with this episode.
**Today we looked at five really useful phrasal verbs and learnt how to use them in everyday English. We talked about:
turn on / turn off – when you start or stop a device, light, or machine
pick up – when you lift something, collect someone, answer the phone, or learn something naturally
put on – when you put clothes on, start music or a film, or even talk about gaining weight
wake up – when you stop sleeping or make someone else stop sleeping
look up – when you search for information.
But remember: learning phrasal verbs is only the first step.
Knowing the meaning is not enough. You need to actually use them, because that’s how they become natural.
That’s why I always encourage you to speak out loud. Even repeating a few sentences every day can help your brain create English faster and more automatically.
And that’s exactly what we do in my five-week programme. You send me voice messages every day, I listen to you, and I give you detailed feedback on your English. Plus, we meet once a week for a live session where we practise even more.
If you want to test my method, I’m waiting for you at teacherola.com/test. Come and try it for free. I’d love to work with you.
Don’t forget to sign up for a free english class, it’s on the 12 July 2026 and you can sign up now at teacherola.com/chill.
Thank you so much for listening. Stay fearless, take care, and say it out loud. I love you, I believe in you, and I know you are ready to speak English. I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you’ve been listening to the Teacher Ola Podcast.
Bye for now.