🔍 In short. Italian phrasal verbs (verbi sintagmatici) are a basic verb of motion plus a place adverb: andare via (go away), venire fuori (come out), portare giù (carry down), tirare su (pull up), mettere su (put on / set up). Some are transparent (andare giù = scendere), some are idiomatic (far fuori = to do away with). Italian uses far fewer of them than English, and often prefers a single verb instead. This guide sorts the particles, the base verbs, the predictable versus idiomatic split, and the fixed expressions.
English builds meaning by stacking particles on one verb: get up, get on, get over, get away. Italian phrasal verbs work the same way on the surface but the language leans on them much less, so the real skill is knowing when a phrasal verb is natural and when a plain verb sounds better.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- What an Italian phrasal verb is
- Why Italian uses far fewer than English
- The seven particles: giù, su, fuori, via
- The base verbs: andare, venire, portare, tirare, mettere
- Predictable ones: andare giù = scendere
- Idiomatic ones: far fuori, mettere su
- Phrasal verb or simple verb?
- Uscire fuori, entrare dentro: redundant?
- With a pronoun: andarsene, tirarsi su
- Fixed expressions: mettere su casa
- Common mistakes English speakers make
- Dialog: moving day in a Modena flat
- Cheat sheet: verb + particle
- Mini-challenge
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
What an Italian phrasal verb is
The name of tiramisù is itself one: tirare (to pull) plus su (up), “pull me up”. That is exactly how Italian phrasal verbs are built: a common, high-frequency verb of motion plus a small place adverb that sticks to it and adds a meaning the two words do not have separately. The Italian term is verbi sintagmatici.
The two parts have strong cohesion: speakers feel andare via as one idea, not as “go” plus “away”. That cohesion, with a little extra meaning on top, is what makes Italian phrasal verbs a category of their own rather than just a verb followed by an adverb.
🔍 The formula. Italian phrasal verbs = a basic verb (andare, venire, portare, tirare, mettere) + a place adverb (giù, su, fuori, dentro, avanti, via, indietro). Learn the handful of verbs and the handful of adverbs and the combinations open up.
Why Italian uses far fewer than English
Here is the single most useful fact about Italian phrasal verbs: there are far fewer of them than in English. Where English freely says go up, go down, go out, go away, go back, go over, go through, Italian often has a dedicated single verb instead and prefers it.
- andare giù → usually just scendere (to go down)
- andare su → usually just salire (to go up)
- andare fuori → usually just uscire (to go out)
- andare dentro → usually just entrare (to go in)
So while Italian phrasal verbs of the “go away” type do exist, a learner should not build sentences the English way by default. When a clean single verb is available (scendere, salire, uscire, entrare), Italian usually takes it.
The seven particles: giù, su, fuori, via
Almost every one of the Italian phrasal verbs is built from just seven place adverbs. Memorize this short list and you can recognize the whole family.
- giù = down (portare giù, carry down)
- su = up (tirare su, pull up)
- fuori = out (venire fuori, come out)
- dentro = in, inside (andare dentro, go inside)
- avanti = forward, on (andare avanti, go on)
- via = off, away (mandare via, send away)
- indietro = back (tornare indietro, go back)
Those seven cover the bulk of Italian phrasal verbs you will ever hear. Notice they are adverbs, not prepositions: nothing comes between the verb and a noun the way it does in English (“pick the box up”).
The base verbs: andare, venire, portare, tirare, mettere
The other half of Italian phrasal verbs is an equally short list of base verbs. They are high-frequency verbs of motion, carrying and placing: intransitive andare and venire, transitive portare, tirare, mettere, mandare, buttare.
- Portiamo giù gli scatoloni prima che piova.
Let’s carry the boxes down before it rains. - Tira su la tapparella, qui dentro non si vede niente.
Pull the shutter up, you can’t see anything in here. - Hanno mandato via l’idraulico senza pagarlo.
They sent the plumber away without paying him. - Butta via quei cartoni, non ci servono più.
Throw those cardboard boxes away, we don’t need them.
Cross five base verbs with seven particles and you have most of the Italian phrasal verbs in everyday use. That is why the list feels small once you see the grid behind it.
Predictable ones: andare giù = scendere
Italian phrasal verbs split into two groups. The first is composizionale: the meaning is just verb plus direction, fully predictable, and usually swappable with a single verb.
- andare giù = scendere · andare su = salire
- venire fuori = uscire · venire su = salire (verso chi parla)
- portare giù = carry down · portare su = carry up
With this group the phrasal form is colloquial and warm, the single verb neutral. Vieni su un attimo feels friendlier than sali un attimo, but both are correct. These transparent Italian phrasal verbs are the safe ones for a learner.
Idiomatic ones: far fuori, mettere su
The second group is the one to study one by one: idiomatic Italian phrasal verbs, where the meaning is not the sum of the parts and no single verb predicts it.
- far fuori = to do away with, finish off (Hanno fatto fuori tutta la torta.)
- mettere su = to set up, start (mettere su casa, mettere su un’attività); also to put on the stove (metti su il caffè)
- tirare su = to lift, but also to raise a child or to cheer someone up (tirare su di morale)
- buttare giù = to swallow quickly, to jot down, or to demoralize (buttare giù due righe)
- saltare fuori = to turn up, appear unexpectedly (È saltata fuori una vecchia foto.)
🔍 Two groups. Transparent Italian phrasal verbs (andare giù = scendere) are optional flavour. Idiomatic ones (far fuori, mettere su, tirare su di morale) carry meaning you cannot guess: learn those as vocabulary, like any other expression.
Phrasal verb or simple verb?
The practical question with transparent Italian phrasal verbs is register. The single verb is the neutral, written choice; the phrasal one is spoken, familiar, often a bit more vivid.
- Spoken: Aspetta, scendo giù a prendere la posta. → Written/neutral: Scendo a prendere la posta.
- Spoken: Vieni su, ti offro un caffè. → Neutral: Sali, ti offro un caffè.
- Idiomatic, no swap: Hanno messo su un ristorante. (You cannot replace mettere su with one motion verb here.)
Rule of thumb: in a formal email choose the single verb; in conversation the phrasal one sounds more natural. For idiomatic Italian phrasal verbs there is no choice, the phrasal form is the only one that carries the meaning.
Uscire fuori, entrare dentro: redundant?
You will hear uscire fuori, entrare dentro, salire su, scendere giù. These are not the productive Italian phrasal verbs of this guide: the verb already contains the direction, so the adverb just repeats it.
- Spoken, common: Esci fuori un attimo!
- Written, clean: Esci un attimo!
- Fine when the adverb adds real info: Esci fuori di casa (out of the house, a goal, not just emphasis).
For a learner the safe rule is to drop the redundant adverb in writing: uscire, not uscire fuori. Recognize the doubled form in speech, but do not treat it as one of the standard Italian phrasal verbs.
With a pronoun: andarsene, tirarsi su
A second layer of Italian phrasal verbs adds a pronoun to the block. The most common is andarsene, “to go away, to leave”, which is andare + via made pronominal and felt as a single, very frequent verb.
- Me ne vado, è tardi.
I’m leaving, it’s late. - Se ne sono andati senza salutare.
They left without saying goodbye. - Dopo la brutta notizia ha avuto bisogno di tirarsi su.
After the bad news he needed to pick himself up. - Non startene lì, vieni a darci una mano.
Don’t just stand there, come and give us a hand.
You will also hear venirsene fuori con (“to come out with”, to blurt something unexpected) and tirarsi su di morale. With a plain object pronoun the order is simply attached: portala giù, buttali via, tirala su. These pronominal Italian phrasal verbs are worth a separate pass because andarsene alone appears in almost every conversation.
Fixed expressions: mettere su casa
Some Italian phrasal verbs have hardened into set expressions you learn whole, the way you learn avere fame or perdere tempo. The verb plus particle behaves like one single verb.
- mettere su famiglia / mettere su casa = to settle down, start a household
- tirare avanti = to get by, keep going (Tiriamo avanti con quello che abbiamo.)
- dare via = to give away (Diamo via la vecchia libreria.)
- portare avanti = to carry on, pursue (portare avanti un progetto)
- buttare via = to throw away, waste (buttare via tempo / soldi)
Treat each of these fixed Italian phrasal verbs as a single vocabulary item. Trying to translate mettere su famiglia word by word leads nowhere; learned as a block, it is easy.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Most errors with Italian phrasal verbs come from importing English habits. These five are the ones that show up in every B1 class.
- Overusing them: building andare fuori, andare giù everywhere instead of uscire, scendere. Italian prefers the single verb.
- Splitting them like English: not tira la tapparella su but tira su la tapparella. The adverb stays next to the verb.
- Translating idiomatic ones literally: far fuori is not “make outside”, it is “do away with”.
- Adding a preposition: it is portare giù la valigia, not portare giù di la valigia.
- Doubling the direction in writing: scendere giù, salire su are spoken only; in writing use scendere, salire.
Dialog: moving day in a Modena flat
Lorenzo and Caterina are moving into a flat in Modena. Listen for the Italian phrasal verbs: base verb plus place adverb, one block.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Allora, portiamo giù gli scatoloni o li lasciamo in macchina?
So, do we carry the boxes down or leave them in the car?
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Portiamoli su subito. Prima però tira su la tapparella, qui non si vede niente.
Let’s take them up right away. But first pull the shutter up, you can’t see a thing in here.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Fatto. Metti su il caffè mentre svuotiamo la prima scatola?
Done. Shall you put the coffee on while we empty the first box?
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Sì. Guarda, è saltata fuori una vecchia foto di noi due a Modena.
Yes. Look, an old photo of the two of us in Modena turned up.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: Tienila! Quei cartoni invece buttali via, sono rotti.
Keep it! Those cardboard boxes, though, throw them away, they’re torn.
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Va bene. Andiamo avanti con il salotto, la cucina la sistemiamo domani.
All right. Let’s carry on with the living room, we’ll sort the kitchen tomorrow.
👩🏽🦱 Caterina: E la vecchia libreria? Non entra. La diamo via a qualcuno.
And the old bookcase? It won’t fit. Let’s give it away to someone.
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Giusto. Con calma mettiamo su casa, non c’è fretta.
Right. We’ll set up the house slowly, there’s no rush.
Count them: portare giù, portare su, tirare su, mettere su (il caffè), saltare fuori, buttare via, andare avanti, dare via, mettere su casa. One moving day runs through the core Italian phrasal verbs, transparent and idiomatic side by side.
Cheat sheet: verb + particle
One table for the whole logic of Italian phrasal verbs. Keep it open while you do the quiz.
| Phrasal verb | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| andare giù / su | transparent | = scendere / salire |
| venire fuori | transparent | = uscire, to come out |
| portare giù / su | transparent | carry down / up |
| mandare via | transparent | send away |
| mettere su | idiomatic | set up / put on the stove |
| tirare su | idiomatic | lift / raise a child / cheer up |
| far fuori | idiomatic | do away with, finish off |
| buttare giù | idiomatic | swallow / jot down / demoralize |
| saltare fuori | idiomatic | turn up unexpectedly |
| tirare avanti | fixed | get by, keep going |
Mini-challenge
🎯 Mini-challenge. Six sentences with Italian phrasal verbs. Fill the particle (giù, su, fuori, via, avanti), then read each sentence aloud once.
- Aiutami a portare _____ gli scatoloni, sono pesanti.
- Tira _____ la tapparella, è ancora buio in casa.
- Frugando nei bauli è saltata _____ una vecchia lettera.
- Quei vestiti non li metto più: li do _____ a mia cugina.
- La cucina la facciamo domani, intanto andiamo _____ col salotto.
- Non dovevi andare _____ senza salutare i vicini.
👉 Show answers
1. portare giù (carry down) · 2. tira su (pull up) · 3. saltata fuori (turned up) · 4. do via (give away) · 5. andiamo avanti (carry on) · 6. andare via (leave, go away)
Test your understanding
The quiz below drills Italian phrasal verbs: the particles, the transparent versus idiomatic split, and the fixed expressions. Take it after the cheat sheet.
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Frequently asked questions
Seven questions about Italian phrasal verbs come up in every B1 class. The answers below draw on classroom usage and on the Treccani entry verbi sintagmatici.
What is a phrasal verb in Italian (verbo sintagmatico)?
It is a basic verb of motion or placing plus a place adverb that work as one unit: andare via, venire fuori, portare giù, tirare su, mettere su. The two parts have strong cohesion and often add a meaning the words do not have separately. The base verbs are few (andare, venire, portare, tirare, mettere, mandare, buttare) and the adverbs are few too (giù, su, fuori, dentro, avanti, via, indietro).
Why does Italian use fewer phrasal verbs than English?
Because Italian usually has a dedicated single verb where English stacks particles. Andare giù is normally just scendere, andare su is salire, andare fuori is uscire, andare dentro is entrare. Phrasal verbs exist but the language leans on them far less, so a learner should not build sentences the English way by default.
When do I use andare giù instead of scendere?
They mean the same thing; the difference is register. Scendere is the neutral, written choice. Andare giù (and venire su, scendere a prendere) is colloquial and warmer. In a formal email use the single verb; in conversation the phrasal one sounds more natural. With transparent phrasal verbs you can always fall back on the single verb.
What is the difference between transparent and idiomatic phrasal verbs?
Transparent (composizionale) ones are verb plus direction, fully predictable and swappable with one verb: andare giù = scendere. Idiomatic ones carry a meaning you cannot guess: far fuori = to do away with, mettere su = to set up, tirare su di morale = to cheer up, buttare giù = to jot down. Learn the idiomatic ones as vocabulary.
Are uscire fuori and entrare dentro correct?
They are very common in speech but redundant: uscire already means to go out, so fuori only repeats it. In writing use uscire, entrare, salire, scendere on their own. The doubled form is acceptable in conversation, or when the adverb adds real information (esci fuori di casa, out of the house).
How do I say where the object goes: tira su la tapparella or tira la tapparella su?
The adverb stays next to the verb: tira su la tapparella, porta giù la valigia, butta via i cartoni. Italian does not split the verb and particle around the object the way English does (pick the box up). With a pronoun the order is portala giù, buttali via.
What does mettere su famiglia mean?
It is a fixed expression: to settle down, start a household (also mettere su casa). Mettere su on its own can mean to set up (mettere su un’attività) or to put on the stove (metti su il caffè). Treat these fixed phrasal verbs as single vocabulary items rather than translating them word by word.
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Related guides
Three guides that sit next to Italian phrasal verbs in the verbs and prepositions cluster, plus the institutional reference.
- Italian Improper Prepositions: davanti, vicino, fuori, dentro as adverbs and prepositions.
- Italian Motion Prepositions: a, da, verso, in, fino a for movement and direction.
- Italian Modal Verbs: dovere, potere, volere, sapere and the verbs they pair with.
- Treccani: verbi sintagmatici: institutional reference.
