Phrasal Verbs C1 Avanzados: Los Más Usados

En B2, los phrasal verbs son sobre todo un reto de vocabulario: ¿sabes lo que significa give up, come across, put off? En C1, el reto es más sutil. Ya no se trata solo de conocer el significado, sino de saber en qué registro encaja cada forma, cuándo un phrasal verb es más preciso que un verbo culto y cuándo es al contrario, y cómo usarlos en estructuras gramaticales más complejas.

Este nivel también introduce phrasal verbs que aparecen sobre todo en textos escritos: artículos académicos, informes, correos formales, editoriales. Son combinaciones que raramente escucharás en conversación cotidiana, pero que son moneda corriente en el inglés profesional real.

Para revisar la base de los phrasal verbs antes de entrar en el nivel avanzado, la guía de phrasal verbs es el punto de partida.

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Phrasal verbs de registro neutro-formal (útiles en writing y speaking C1)

Account for

Explicar la razón de algo; también suponer o representar un porcentaje.

• How do you account for the sudden drop in sales?
• Mobile traffic accounts for 65% of total visits.

Bear on / Bear upon

Ser relevante para algo, tener relación con algo.

• These factors bear directly on the outcome of the experiment.
• Her past experience bears on how she manages teams.

Bear out

Confirmar, corroborar.

• The data bears out our initial hypothesis.
• His claims were not borne out by the evidence.

Build on

Ampliar a partir de algo existente, partir de una base.

• This chapter builds on the concepts introduced in Chapter 1.
• The new policy builds on the successes of the previous one.

Carry out

Realizar, llevar a cabo (investigación, experimento, tarea).

• The study was carried out over a 12-month period.
• They carried out a thorough risk assessment.

Draw on

Recurrir a, apoyarse en (experiencia, datos, fuentes).

• Her latest novel draws on her childhood in rural Ireland.
• The report draws on data from fifteen different countries.

Set out

Exponer con claridad, presentar; también emprender algo.

• The document sets out the key objectives.
• In this essay, I will set out the main arguments for and against.
• They set out to change the way people think about nutrition.

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Phrasal verbs de análisis y argumentación

Come down to

En última instancia, reducirse a algo esencial.

• It all comes down to how much you're willing to invest.
• The decision comes down to cost versus quality.

Come up against

Encontrarse con un obstáculo o problema.

• The team came up against a number of technical obstacles.
• She came up against a lot of resistance from the board.

Follow through (on)

Llevar algo a término, cumplir lo que se ha prometido o iniciado.

• It's easy to have ideas; the challenge is following through.
• He didn't follow through on his commitment.

Hinge on

Depender críticamente de algo.

• The success of the plan hinges on whether funding is secured.
• Everything hinges on the court's decision.

Look into

Investigar, examinar en profundidad.

• The committee is looking into the causes of the incident.
• We need to look into alternative solutions.

Stand for

Representar, simbolizar; también tolerar (negativo).

• What does the acronym GDP stand for?
• I won't stand for this kind of behavior in my team.

Stand up to

Resistir, aguantar (crítica, presión, escrutinio).

• The argument doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.
• The material needs to stand up to extreme temperatures.

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Phrasal verbs con tres partículas (nivel C1)

Estos son menos comunes pero aparecen en el CAE:

Come up with ya lo conoces, pero hay otras combinaciones de tres elementos:

Come away with: llevarse una impresión o resultado

• I came away from the meeting with a clear action plan.

Get away with: salirse impunemente con algo

• He got away with serious mistakes because of his connections.
• You can't get away with poor research at this level.

Look forward to (+ gerundio): tener ganas de algo

• I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
• We look forward to working with you on this project.

Make up for: compensar

• The quality of the content makes up for the lack of design.
• You'll need to work hard to make up for lost time.

Come in for: recibir (crítica, atención, elogios)

• The minister came in for a lot of criticism over the decision.
• The new design has come in for a great deal of praise.

Live up to: estar a la altura de, cumplir expectativas

• The film didn't quite live up to the hype.
• She has always lived up to her reputation.

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Phrasal verbs del inglés profesional y corporativo

Este grupo aparece mucho en correos formales, informes y reuniones de empresa:

Bring forward: adelantar (una fecha o reunión)

• Can we bring the meeting forward to Tuesday?

Draw up: redactar, preparar un documento formal

• The lawyers drew up the contract.
• We need to draw up a new set of guidelines.

Phase out: eliminar gradualmente

• The government plans to phase out diesel vehicles by 2030.

Roll out: lanzar o desplegar de forma gradual

• The new software will be rolled out across all departments.

Scale up / Scale down: ampliar o reducir operaciones

• They scaled up production to meet international demand.
• The project was scaled down due to budget cuts.

Set aside: reservar tiempo o dinero; también ignorar temporalmente

• Set aside some time each week for review.
• Setting aside the cost issue, is the plan viable?

Sign off on: dar aprobación final a algo

• The director needs to sign off on the budget.

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En el CAE: errores que penalizan

No separar cuando hay que separar

Muchos phrasal verbs son separables cuando el objeto es un pronombre:

• ❌ They carried out it. → ✓ They carried it out.
• ❌ She turned down it. → ✓ She turned it down.

Confundir el registro

Give up es B2 y coloquial. En un ensayo C1 formal, abandon o relinquish pueden ser más apropiados. Pero carry out o set out son perfectamente formales. Saber cuándo usar cada forma es parte del nivel C1.

Key Word Transformations con phrasal verbs de tres partes

En el Part 4 del CAE, pueden pedirte transformaciones con verbos de tres partes:

• Despite working hard, the team failed to achieve the goal. → COME → Despite working hard, the team didn't come up to expectations.

Fuentes

• Cambridge English C1 Advanced (CAE): https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/advanced/
• Cambridge Dictionary (phrasal verbs): https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/
• CEFR/MCER (Council of Europe): https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages