12 Phrasal Verbs with “Be”

12 Phrasal Verbs with BE (Meanings & Examples)

Hello English learners 👋 Welcome to a new lesson.

Phrasal verbs are a key feature of natural English. Although we often associate phrasal verbs with action verbs like get, take, or put, the verb be is also used in many extremely common phrasal structures.

These expressions appear frequently in everyday conversation, news, and Cambridge exams (B2–C1), so learning them will make your English sound more natural, fluent, and confident.

In this lesson, you’ll learn 12 common phrasal verbs with be, with clear meanings and natural example sentences.

1️⃣ Be about to

Meaning: to be on the point of doing something (very soon).

• She is about to start her final exams.
• We were about to leave when he arrived.
• The train is about to depart.

2️⃣ Be after

Meaning: to want, pursue, or try to get something.

• He’s been after that promotion for months.
• They’re after your advice on the project.
• The police are after the suspect.

3️⃣ Be against

Meaning: to oppose or disagree with something.

• Many residents are against the new proposal.
• She was against moving abroad without planning.
• The union is against the pay cuts.

4️⃣ Be along

Meaning: to arrive (often used informally).

• I’ll be along in a few minutes.
• She said she’d be along by noon.
• Don’t worry — help will be along shortly.

5️⃣ Be away

Meaning: to be absent or not present.

• I’ll be away from the office next week.
• She likes to be away from the city sometimes.
• Please set an out-of-office message if you’ll be away.

6️⃣ Be for

Meaning: to support or agree with something.

• I’m completely for the idea.
• Many people are for stricter environmental laws.
• Are you for or against the proposal?

7️⃣ Be in

Meaning: to be present, involved, or fashionable.

• She’s in the office today.
• He’s in the new film they’re shooting.
• Wide trousers are in again this season.

8️⃣ Be into

Meaning: to be very interested in something.

• I’m really into hiking at the moment.
• She’s always been into classical music.
• Are you into podcasts?

9️⃣ Be off

Meaning: to leave, stop working, or be cancelled.

• I need to be off early today.
• The meeting is off due to illness.
• Once work was done, he was happy to be off.

🔟 Be on

Meaning: to be shown, operating, or happening.

• What’s on TV tonight?
• The lights are on.
• You need to be on high alert while driving.

1️⃣1️⃣ Be out

Meaning: to not be at home, to be available, or to be visible.

• I’m afraid she’s out at the moment.
• The new magazine issue is out now.
• The flowers are out in the garden.

1️⃣2️⃣ Be up to

Meaning:

1. a) to be doing something (often secretive or informal)
2. b) to be capable of doing something

• What are you up to?
• I’m not up to running a marathon yet.
• She isn’t up to attending the meeting today.

Final tip

Phrasal verbs with be are especially common in spoken English, and many of them carry subtle meanings that depend on context. Learning them in full sentences, rather than lists, will help you use them accurately and naturally — a big advantage in B2 First and C1 Advanced exams.

Learn phrasal verbs with BACK here

Learn words with multiple meanings here

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