Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
The verb look produces many widely used phrasal verbs. From searching to caring for someone, these expressions appear constantly in English.
Searching and Finding
| Phrasal Verb | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look for | suchen nach | I’m looking for my keys. |
| look up | nachschlagen | Look up the word in a dictionary. |
| look into | untersuchen/prüfen | We’ll look into the matter. |
| look through | durchsuchen/durchblättern | She looked through the reports. |
Appearance and Impression
| Phrasal Verb | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look like | aussehen wie | That cloud looks like a bear. |
| look well | gut aussehen (Gesundheit) | You look well after your holiday. |
| look good on | gut stehen/passen | That colour looks good on you. |
Attention and Care
| Phrasal Verb | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look after | sich kümmern um | She looks after her younger siblings. |
| look out | aufpassen/vorsichtig sein | Look out — there’s a car coming! |
| look out for | Ausschau halten nach | Look out for pickpockets in the market. |
| look over | überprüfen/durchsehen | Can you look over my essay? |
Direction and Expectation
| Phrasal Verb | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look forward to | sich freuen auf | I’m looking forward to seeing you. |
| look back on | zurückblicken auf | She looks back on her childhood fondly. |
| look up to | aufblicken zu/bewundern | He looks up to his older brother. |
| look down on | herabsehen auf | Don’t look down on others. |
“Look forward to” is always followed by a noun or a gerund (verb + -ing), not by an infinitive. Say “I’m looking forward to meeting you” — not “I’m looking forward to meet you.”