Here's why it's difficult to understand native speakers: some words combine to make a new meaning. For example:

• I ran into my neighbor at the store.

Ran = 🏃💨

Into = 📥

Ran into = 🏃💨📥 ???

"Ran" is the past tense of "to run," but this sentence does NOT mean I was running at the store. 🙅‍♀️

So what does it mean? 🤔

Ran into = met, encountered

• I ran into my neighbor at the store = I saw my neighbor at the store (and probably talked to the neighbor, too)

Huh?! Why?!

"Ran into" is an example of a phrasal verb. A phrasal verb is 2+ words that come together to make a new meaning. The new meaning is not always obvious. "Ran into" does not include the action of running.

In short: phrasal verbs are weird.

Phrasal verbs can also be difficult to learn. It's vital to understand how they work AND to learn them in context.

Phrasal verbs are essential to understanding native speakers and sounding more natural when you speak English.