MicroEnglish.

Break up
Phrasal Verbs | B1

Listening exercises with “Break up”

to break up (with somebody) = to end a relationship (with somebody)

If we are talking about a couple, then we can just use break up, not break up with somebody. e.g. Have you heard that Tom and Sarah broke up while they were on holiday?

When you talk about one person in a relationship, then we use break up with somebody. This might be because it was that person’s decision, or just because they are more important to us. e.g. Have you heard that Tom broke up with Sarah while they were on holiday? 

Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?

Accent: North America

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Dan .
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Dan his girlfriend and hasn't .
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Accent: Scotland

80%
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, .
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Her parents she was , so she by her mum.
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Accent: North America

80%
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. .
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He a servant. I don't doesn't just him.
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In

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6 responses

  1. Laura Leviller Avatar
    Laura Leviller

    A friend broke up wilth his girlfriend recently. It was so hurt for him. I’ve tried to talk with him in this days, but he still didn’t get over.

    Reply
    1. Chris Bargery Avatar
      Chris Bargery

      Hi Laura! Thanks for your example – I hope your friend is OK.

      A couple of corrections:
      – ‘Hurt’ is (most commonly) used as a verb (e.g. My head hurts), so in your second sentence you need an adjective to describe how your friend feels. You could say something like “it was so hurtful/hard/difficult for him”.
      – Well done for using the other phrasal verb ‘to get over something’. We always need to use the object (to get over something, e.g. to get over a relationship, an illness, a disappointment etc). In your example, we already know that you are talking about the relationship, so you should say: “he still hasn’t got over it“.
      – Notice that I use the present perfect (“he still hasn’t got over it”) instead of the past simple (“he still didn’t get over it”). Do you know why?

      Reply
      1. Laura Leviller Avatar
        Laura Leviller

        Hi, thanks so much. The past perfect is because the action doesn’t finish yet. Its a mistake in my sentence. Thanks. By the way, I’m in London! It’s for a short time.

        Reply
        1. Chris Bargery Avatar
          Chris Bargery

          Great! I hope you have a lovely time. I’m glad the weather is good for you 🙂

          Reply
  2. cristian_omar Avatar
    cristian_omar

    In some degree, breaking up with a couple will always be something sad. Getting over them could last days or months depending on the strength of feelings of each other.

    Reply
    1. Chris Bargery Avatar
      Chris Bargery

      I agree Cristian.

      – Careful with how you use ‘couple’. In English, this refers to both people. So, a couple breaks up, or one person breaks up with the other person. Your sentence should be”: “breaking up with someone will always be sad”. Does that make sense?
      – ‘*In some degree’ should be ‘to some degree’.

      Well done!

      Reply

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