| Infinitivo |
Verbo |
Traducción |
Explicación |
Ejemplo |
| ADD | add up to something | equivalere a | equal | Your purchases add up to $205.32. |
| ASK | ask someone out | chiedere di uscire | invite on a date | Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. |
| ASK | ask around | chiedere in giro | ask many people the same question | I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet. |
| BACK | back something up | fare retromarcia con veicoli | reverse | You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out. |
| BACK | back someone up | sostenere qualcuno | support | My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job. |
| BLOW | blow up | esplodere | explode | The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence. |
| BLOW | blow something up | riempire qualcosa con l'aria | add air | We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party. |
| BREAK | break down | guastarsi | stop functioning (vehicle, machine) | Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. |
| BREAK | break down | scoppiare a piangere | get upset | The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died. |
| BREAK | break something down | scomporre | divide into smaller parts | Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts. |
| BREAK | break in | irrompere | force entry to a building | Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo. |
| BREAK | break into something | entrare con la forza | enter forcibly | The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children. |
| BREAK | break something in | ammorbidire con l'utilizzo le scarpe | wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new | I need to break these shoes in before we run next week. |
| BREAK | break in | interrompere | interrupt | The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death. |
| BREAK | break up | lasciarsi | end a relationship | My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America. |
| BREAK | break up | scoppiare a ridere | start laughing (informal) | The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking. |
| BREAK | break out | evadere di prigione | escape | The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking. |
| BREAK | break out in something | essere colpito da eruzione cutanea | develop a skin condition | I broke out in a rash after our camping trip. |
| BRING | bring someone down | buttare giù di morale | make unhappy | This sad music is bringing me down. |
| BRING | bring someone up | crescere qualcuno | raise a child | My grandparents brought me up after my parents died. |
| BRING | bring something up | parlare di un argomento | start talking about a subject | My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports. |
| BRING | bring something up | vomitare | vomit | He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet. |
| CALL | call around | chiamare in giro | phone many different places/people | We called around but we weren't able to find the car part we needed. |
| CALL | call someone back | richiamare | return a phone call | I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend. |
| CALL | call something off | annullare | cancel | Jason called the wedding off because he wasn't in love with his fiancé. |
| CALL | call on someone | chiedere a | ask for an answer or opinion | The professor called on me for question 1. |
| CALL | call on someone | andare a trovare qualcuno | visit someone | We called on you last night but you weren't home. |
| CALL | call someone up | dare un colpo di telefono a qualcuno | phone | Give me your phone number and I will call you up when we are in town. |
| CALM | calm down | calmarsi | relax after being angry | You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car. |
| CARE | not care for someone/something | non piacere | not like (formal) | I don't care for his behaviour. |
| CATCH | catch up | raggiungere | get to the same point as someone else | You'll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty. |
| CHECH | check in | fare il check in, registrarsi, prendere possesso della camera | arrive and register at a hotel or airport | We will get the hotel keys when we check in. |
| CHECH | check out | lasciare la stanza dell'albergo | leave a hotel | You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM. |
| CHECH | check someone/something out | verificare | look at carefully, investigate | The company checks out all new employees. |
| CHECH | check out someone/something | dare un'occhiata a, guardare | look at (informal) | Check out the crazy hair on that guy! |
| CHEER | cheer up | tirarsi su di morale | become happier | She cheered up when she heard the good news. |
| CHEER | cheer someone up | tirare qualcuno su di morale | make happier | I brought you some flowers to cheer you up. |
| CHIP | chip in | intervenire, contribuire | help | If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon. |
| CLEAN | clean something up | fare pulizia, sistemare, riordinare | tidy, clean | Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside. |
| COME | come across something | imbattersi in qualcosa | find unexpectedly | I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet. |
| COME | come apart | andare in pezzi | separate | The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough. |
| COME | come down with something | prendere una malattia | become sick | My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend. |
| COME | come forward | farsi avanti | volunteer for a task or to give evidence | The woman came forward with her husband's finger prints. |
| COME | come from somewhere | provenire da | originate in | The art of origami comes from Asia. |
| COUNT | count on someone/something | contare su qualcuno o qualcosa | rely on | I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out. |
| CROSS | cross something out | cancellare | draw a line through | Please cross out your old address and write your new one. |
| CUT | cut back on something | ridurre | consume less | My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods. |
| CUT | cut something down | abbattere | make something fall to the ground | We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after the storm. |
| CUT | cut in | intromettersi, interrompere | interrupt | Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle. |
| CUT | cut in | tagliare la strada | pull in too closely in front of another vehicle | The bus driver got angry when that car cut in. |
| CUT | cut in | entrare in azione | start operating (of an engine or electrical device) | The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C. |
| CUT | cut something off | amputare | remove with something sharp | The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured. |
| CUT | cut something off | staccare | stop providing | The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the bill. |
| CUT | cut someone off | tagliare i ponti | take out of a will | My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried. |
| CUT | cut something out | ritagliare, tagliare | remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper) | I cut this ad out of the newspaper. |
| DO | do someone/something over | rapinare | beat up, ransack (Br.E., informal) | He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street gang. |
| DO | do something over | rifare | do again (N.Amer.) | My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she doesn't like my topic. |
| DO | do away with something | eliminare, buttare via | discard | It's time to do away with all of these old tax records. |
| DO | do something up | chiudere, allacciare un indumento | fasten, close | Do your coat up before you go outside. It's snowing! |
| DRESS | dress up | vestirsi elegante | wear nice clothing | It's a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up. |
| DROP | drop back | rimanere indietro | move back in a position/group | Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike. |
| DROP | drop in/by/over | fare un salto, passare a trovare | come without an appointment | I might drop in/by/over for tea some time this week. |
| DROP | drop someone/something off | lasciare qualcuno o qualcosa in un posto | take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there | I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over. |
| DROP | drop out | lasciare, abbandonare, ritirarsi | quit a class, school etc | I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult. |
| EAT | eat out | mangiare fuori | eat at a restaurant | I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out. |
| END | end up | finire per | eventually reach/do/decide | We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre. |
| FALL | fall apart | andare a pezzi, sgretolarsi | break into pieces | My new dress fell apart in the washing machine. |
| FALL | fall down | cadere | fall to the ground | The picture that you hung up last night fell down this morning. |
| FALL | fall out | cadere da | separate from an interior | The money must have fallen out of my pocket. |
| FALL | fall out | cadere, perdere capelli o denti | (of hair, teeth) become loose and unattached | His hair started to fall out when he was only 35. |
| FIGURE | figure something out | comprendere, capire | understand, find the answer | I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room. |
| FILL | fill something in | compilare | to write information in blanks (Br.E.) | Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number. |
| FILL | fill something out | compilare | to write information in blanks (N.Amer.) | The form must be filled out in capital letters. |
| FILL | fill something up | riempire | fill to the top | I always fill the water jug up when it is empty. |
| FIND | find out | scoprire | discover | We don't know where he lives. How can we find out? |
| FIND | find something out | scoprire | discover | We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found it out. |
| GET | get something across/over | comunicare, esprimere | communicate, make understandable | I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but she wouldn't listen. |
| GET | get along/on | andare d'accordo | like each other | I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on. |
| GET | get around | muoversi | have mobility | My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair. |
| GET | get away | partire, andare in vacanza | go on a vacation | We worked so hard this year that we had to get away for a week. |
| GET | get away with something | farla franca, passarla liscia, cavarsela | do without being noticed or punished | Jason always gets away with cheating in his maths tests. |
| GET | get back | ritornare | return | We got back from our vacation last week. |
| GET | get something back | riavere qualcosa indietro | receive something you had before | Liz finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate. |
| GET | get back at someone | vendicarsi di qualcuno | retaliate, take revenge | My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my favourite hat. |
| GET | get back into something | ritornare a, riprendere | become interested in something again | I finally got back into my novel and finished it. |
| GET | get on something | salire su un mezzo di trasporto | step onto a vehicle | We're going to freeze out here if you don't let us get on the bus. |
| GET | get over something | guarire da, riprendersi da | recover from an illness, loss, difficulty | I just got over the flu and now my sister has it. |
| GET | get over something | superare | overcome a problem | The company will have to close if it can't get over the new regulations. |
| GET | get round to something | trovare il tempo per qualcosa | finally find time to do (N.Amer.: get around to something) | I don't know when I am going to get round to writing the thank you cards. |
| GET | get together | vedersi, incontrarsi | meet (usually for social reasons) | Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend. |
| GET | get up | alzarsi dal letto, svegliarsi | get out of bed | I got up early today to study for my exam. |
| GET | get up | alzarsi | stand | You should get up and give the elderly man your seat. |
| GIVE | give someone away | rivelare | reveal hidden information about someone | His wife gave him away to the police. |
| GIVE | give someone away | accompagnare la sposa | take the bride to the altar | My father gave me away at my wedding. |
| GIVE | give something away | tradire | ruin a secret | My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident. |
| GIVE | give something away | regalare, dare via | give something to someone for free | The library was giving away old books on Friday. |
| GIVE | give something back | restituire qualcosa a qualcuno | return a borrowed item | I have to give these skates back to Franz before his hockey game. |
| GIVE | give in | arrendersi, cedere | reluctantly stop fighting or arguing | My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in. |
| GIVE | give something out | distribuire | give to many people (usually at no cost) | They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store. |
| GIVE | give something up | smettere di | quit a habit | I am giving up smoking as of January 1st. |
| GIVE | give up | arrendersi | stop trying | My maths homework was too difficult so I gave up. |
| GO | go after someone | correre dietro a qualcuno | follow someone | My brother tried to go after the thief in his car. |
| GO | go after something | perseguire | try to achieve something | I went after my dream and now I am a published writer. |
| GO | go against someone | andare contro | compete, oppose | We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight. |
| GO | go ahead | procedere | start, proceed | Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold. |
| GO | go back | ritornare | return to a place | I have to go back home and get my lunch. |
| GO | go out | uscire | leave home to go on a social event | We're going out for dinner tonight. |
| GO | go out with someone | uscire con qualcuno | date | Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter. |
| GO | go over something | riesaminare | review | Please go over your answers before you submit your test. |
| GO | go over | andare a trovare | visit someone nearby | I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go over for an hour or two. |
| GO | go without something | fare a meno | suffer lack or deprivation | When I was young, we went without winter boots. |
| GROW | grow apart | allontanarsi | stop being friends over time | My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools. |
| GROW | grow back | ricrescere | regrow | My roses grew back this summer. |
| GROW | grow up | crescere, diventare grandi | become an adult | When Jack grows up he wants to be a fireman. |
| GROW | grow out of something | non entrare più in qualcosa | get too big for | Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because she has grown out of her old ones. |
| GROW | grow into something | crescere fino a qualcosa | grow big enough to fit | This bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by next year. |
| HAND | hand something down | lasciare, tramandare | give something used to someone else | I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin. |
| HAND | hand something in | presentare, consegnare | submit | I have to hand in my essay by Friday. |
| HAND | hand something out | distribuire, dispensare | to distribute to a group of people | We will hand out the invitations at the door. |
| HAND | hand something over | consegnare | give (usually unwillingly) | The police asked the man to hand over his wallet and his weapons. |
| HANG | hang in | tenere duro, resistere, coraggio, forza | stay positive (N.Amer., informal) | Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very soon. |
| HANG | hang on | attendere, aspettare | wait a short time (informal) | Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes! |
| HANG | hang out | passare il tempo | spend time relaxing (informal) | Instead of going to the party we are just going to hang out at my place. |
| HANG | hang up | riagganciare, riattacare il telefono | end a phone call | He didn't say goodbye before he hung up. |
| HOLD | hold someone/something back | trattenere | prevent from doing/going | I had to hold my dog back because there was a cat in the park. |
| HOLD | hold something back | trattenere, nascondere i sentimenti | hide an emotion | Jamie held back his tears at his grandfather's funeral. |
| HOLD | hold on | attendere, restare in linea | wait a short time | Please hold on while I transfer you to the Sales Department. |
| HOLD | hold onto someone/something | mantenere, tenere stretto | hold firmly using your hands or arms | Hold onto your hat because it's very windy outside. |
| HOLD | hold someone/something up | rapinare | rob | A man in a black mask held the bank up this morning. |
| KEEP | keep on doing something | continuare a | continue doing | Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a boil. |
| KEEP | keep something from someone | mantenere nascosto | not tell | We kept our relationship from our parents for two years. |
| KEEP | keep someone/something out | tenere fuori, non fare entrare | stop from entering | Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room. |
| KEEP | keep something up | mantenere | continue at the same rate | If you keep those results up you will get into a great college. |
| LET | let someone down | deludere | fail to support or help, disappoint | I need you to be on time. Don't let me down this time. |
| LET | let someone in | far entrare | allow to enter | Can you let the cat in before you go to school? |
| LOOK | look after someone/something | prendersi cura di | take care of | I have to look after my sick grandmother. |
| LOOK | look down on someone | guardare qualcuno dall'alto in basso | think less of, consider inferior | Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad has looked down on me. |
| LOOK | look for someone/something | cercare | try to find | I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding. |
| LOOK | look forward to something | non vedere l'ora | be excited about the future | I'm looking forward to the Christmas break. |
| LOOK | look into something | verificare, investigare | investigate | We are going to look into the price of snowboards today. |
| LOOK | look out | attenzione, stai attento | be careful, vigilant, and take notice | Look out! That car's going to hit you! |
| LOOK | look out for someone/something | fare attenzione a | be especially vigilant for | Don't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking trail. |
| LOOK | look something over | controllare, verificare, esaminare | check, examine | Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes? |
| LOOK | look something up | cercare | search and find information in a reference book or database | We can look her phone number up on the Internet. |
| LOOK | look up to someone | guardare qualcuno con ammirazione | have a lot of respect for | My little sister has always looked up to me. |
| MAKE | make something up | inventare | invent, lie about something | Josie made up a story about about why we were late. |
| MAKE | make up | fare pace | forgive each other | We were angry last night, but we made up at breakfast. |
| MAKE | make someone up | truccare qualcuno | apply cosmetics to | My sisters made me up for my graduation party. |
| MIX | mix something up | scambiare, confondere | confuse two or more things | I mixed up the twins' names again! |
| PASS | pass away | venire a mancare, morire | die | His uncle passed away last night after a long illness. |
| PASS | pass out | svenire | faint | It was so hot in the church that an elderly lady passed out. |
| PASS | pass something out | distribuire | give the same thing to many people | The professor passed the textbooks out before class. |
| PASS | pass something up | rinunciare a | decline (usually something good) | I passed up the job because I am afraid of change. |
| PAY | pay someone back | restituire, ripagare | return owed money | Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll pay you back on Friday. |
| PAY | pay for something | pagarla per, pagare le conseguenze | be punished for doing something bad | That bully will pay for being mean to my little brother. |
| PICK | pick something out | scegliere | choose | I picked out three sweaters for you to try on. |
| POINT | point someone/something out | indicare | indicate with your finger | I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by. |
| PUT | put something down | mettere | put what you are holding on a surface or floor | You can put the groceries down on the kitchen counter. |
| PUT | put someone down | screditare, criticare qualcuno | insult, make someone feel stupid | The students put the substitute teacher down because his pants were too short. |
| PUT | put something off | rimandare | postpone | We are putting off our trip until January because of the hurricane. |
| PUT | put something out | spegnere, estinguere | extinguish | The neighbours put the fire out before the firemen arrived. |
| PUT | put something together | mettere insieme | assemble | I have to put the crib together before the baby arrives. |
| PUT | put up with someone/something | sopportare, tollerare | tolerate | I don't think I can put up with three small children in the car. |
| PUT | put something on | indossare, mettere | put clothing/accessories on your body | Don't forget to put on your new earrings for the party. |
| RUN | run into someone/something | incontrare qualcuno, scontrarsi | meet unexpectedly | I ran into an old school-friend at the mall. |
| RUN | run over someone/something | investire | drive a vehicle over a person or thing | I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway. |
| RUN | run over/through something | riprovare, ripassare | rehearse, review | Let's run over/through these lines one more time before the show. |
| RUN | run away | fuggire, scappare | leave unexpectedly, escape | The child ran away from home and has been missing for three days. |
| RUN | run out | finire, essere senza | have none left | We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair with soap. |
| SENT | send something back | rispedire indietro | return (usually by mail) | My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp. |
| SET | set something up | organizzare | arrange, organize | Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the company. |
| SET | set someone up | incastrare | trick, trap | The police set up the car thief by using a hidden camera. |
| SHOP | shop around | guardare in giro, da vari negozianti | compare prices | I want to shop around a little before I decide on these boots. |
| SHOW | show off | vantarsi, darsi delle arie | act extra special for people watching (usually boastfully) | He always shows off on his skateboard |
| SLEEP | sleep over | dormire a casa di qualcuno | stay somewhere for the night (informal) | You should sleep over tonight if the weather is too bad to drive home. |
| SORT | sort something out | organizzare | organize, resolve a problem | We need to sort the bills out before the first of the month. |
| STICK | stick to something | attenersi a qualcosa, seguire rigorosamente | continue doing something, limit yourself to one particular thing | You will lose weight if you stick to the diet. |
| SWITCH | switch something off | spegnere | stop the energy flow, turn off | The light's too bright. Could you switch it off. |
| SWITCH | switch something on | accendere | start the energy flow, turn on | We heard the news as soon as we switched on the car radio. |
| TAKE | take after someone | prendere da, somigliare a | resemble a family member | I take after my mother. We are both impatient. |
| TAKE | take something apart | smontare | purposely break into pieces | He took the car brakes apart and found the problem. |
| TAKE | take something back | riportare indietro | return an item | I have to take our new TV back because it doesn't work. |
| TAKE | take off | decollare | start to fly | My plane takes off in five minutes. |
| TAKE | take something off | togliersi, levarsi | remove something (usually clothing) | Take off your socks and shoes and come in the lake! |
| TAKE | take something out | portare fuori | remove from a place or thing | Can you take the garbage out to the street for me? |
| TAKE | take someone out | portare qualcuno fuori, uscire con | pay for someone to go somewhere with you | My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie. |
| TEAR | tear something up | strappare, fare a pezzi | rip into pieces | I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave them back to him. |
| THINK | think back | ripensare, ricordare | remember (often + to, sometimes + on) | When I think back on my youth, I wish I had studied harder. |
| THINK | think something over | pensare a, riflettere su | consider | I'll have to think this job offer over before I make my final decision. |
| THROW | throw something away | buttare via | dispose of | We threw our old furniture away when we won the lottery. |
| TRY | try something on | provare | sample clothing | I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't think they will fit. |
| TRY | try something out | provare | test | I am going to try this new brand of detergent out. |
| TURN | turn something down | abbassare | decrease the volume or strength (heat, light etc) | Please turn the TV down while the guests are here. |
| TURN | turn something down | rifiutare, respingere | refuse | I turned the job down because I don't want to move. |
| TURN | turn something off | spegnere | stop the energy flow, switch off | Your mother wants you to turn the TV off and come for dinner. |
| TURN | turn something on | accendere | start the energy, switch on | It's too dark in here. Let's turn some lights on. |
| TURN | turn something up | alzare, aumentare | increase the volume or strength (heat, light etc) | Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite song. |
| TURN | turn up | saltare fuori, comparire | appear suddenly | Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over the neighbourhood. |
| USE | use something up | finire, esaurire, consumare | finish the supply | The kids used all of the toothpaste up so we need to buy some more. |
| WAKE | wake up | svegliarsi | stop sleeping | We have to wake up early for work on Monday. |
| WARM | warm someone/something up | scaldare, riscaldare | increase the temperature | You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace. |
| WARM | warm up | fare riscaldamento, riscaldarsi | prepare body for exercise | I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a run. |
| WEAR | wear off | svanire, scomparire | fade away | Most of my make-up wore off before I got to the party. |
| WORK | work out | esercitarsi, allenarsi | exercise | I work out at the gym three times a week. |
| WORK | work out | riuscire | be successful | Our plan worked out fine. |
| WORK | work something out | calcolare | make a calculation | We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house. |