The beauty of phrasal verbs ​😍​ (and the nightmare ​​👻​for English learners)

At that time, I was a young teacher in my first job, working for an Irishman who I had come upon by coincidence in a bar.

This is how I got this first job. A friend of mine was going to a new bar in Paris and didn’t want to go alone so she asked me to come along. We were amongst the first to arrive, ourselves and this Irish guy, so we began chatting and he came up with the idea (after a few Guinness 🍺​ - don’t forget he was Irish 😊) of me working for him in his language school!

He had a teacher who was expecting a baby, and he didn’t think she was coming back afterwards, so he suggested that I come in to replace her. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, I had no experience and was very young, but I finally came around to the idea. I didn’t even know if he would remember our discussion the next day but a week later, he came through with his promise. We had a long collaboration, and I learnt so much with him.

​​​​​📕​ Anyway, let’s come back to the book! At that time, I had an elderly student who came around to the language centre practically every day. He loved English and he spoke very well, having worked in a giant multinational and having travelled extensively. He also loved the English language, especially phrasal verbs. He said they were more nuanced. He gave me the dictionary of phrasal verbs as a present. ​​​​🎁​😊I had never thought about the beauty of phrasal verbs before as for me they came out naturally and we native speakers use them so frequently. But it’s true that for a word in French that covers a range of possibilities we can come up with 3 or 4 words in English. We actually have 6 times more words in English than in French! (Just an example; ‘effacer’ delete, erase, rub out, efface, clear, wipe.)

Phrasal verbs with come

👉 As you can see from my short early life story, phrasal verbs slip naturally into both our speaking and our writing. Every phrasal verb has a more “formal” single-word equivalent that we tend to use in less casual situations, but in daily life and work, it’s far more common to hear phrasal verbs.

They are formed with a verb and a particle, which completely changes the meaning of the verb. Phrasal verbs can be tricky for English learners—they often don’t make literal sense, and just one tiny word can completely change the meaning.

Take the verb come, for example. Depending on the particle that follows, come can mean return, visit, find, create, or even recover!

👌 Did you understand the meaning of the phrasal verbs in the story from their context?

If not, here comes a list of them with a definition for each one (and a quiz as a bonus ​​​​🎁​ ​ ).

1. come across – to find something by chance.
   I came across a dictionary of phrasal verbs.

2. come out – to be published or released.
   When this edition came out there were already 12,000 phrasal verbs.

3. come back – to return, or to be remembered again.
   The memories began coming back to me.

4. come from – to originate.
   Where this book had come from.

5. come upon – to encounter by coincidence.
   I had come upon [the Irishman] in a bar.

6. come along – to accompany someone.
   She asked me to come along.

7. come up with – to invent or suggest an idea.
   He came up with the idea of me working for him.

8. come in – to play a role, to participate.
   He suggested that I come in to replace her.

9. come around –

   • to change your mind/opinion. I finally came around to the idea.

   • to visit. He came around to the language centre every day.

10. come through – to succeed, to keep a promise.
    He came through with his promise.

11. come out (naturally) – to emerge, to appear without effort.
    Phrasal verbs came out naturally for me.

12. come up with (again) – to produce or create.
    We can come up with 3 or 4 words in English for one in French.

📝 Quick Quiz: Phrasal Verbs with Come

Choose the correct meaning of the phrasal verb in bold.

1. I came across a really interesting article yesterday.

a) I searched for it carefully

b) I found it by chance

c) I bought it in a shop

2. After a week in bed, she finally came around.

a) She regained consciousness / recovered

b) She changed her mind about something

c) Both a and b are possible, depending on the context

3. He always comes back to the same argument in meetings.

a) He forgets it

b) He repeats it

c) He avoids it

4. The manager came up with a new idea for the project.

a) He copied it

b) He invented it

c) He rejected it

5. Don’t worry, she always comes through in the end.

a) She disappoints people

b) She keeps her promises / succeeds

c) She arrives late

👉 Answer Key:

1 → b 2 → c 3 → b 4 → b 5 → b

​​​​​​​👋​ Just to finish ….

Phrasal verbs with come are everywhere in English—whether you’re returning, discovering, creating, or simply visiting. By learning them in context and practicing with real examples, you’ll start using them naturally in conversation. Keep an eye out ​​​​​​​​👀​ for come across, come up with, and come around in your reading, listening, and speaking. With a little practice, these versatile expressions will soon feel like second nature!