So, why are phrasal verbs important?

Phrasal verbs are essential for English fluency

I believe that bilingualism is a superpower. I was fully aware of the advantages of speaking English fluently and the opportunities it brought along, and I wanted that for my students. But how could that ever be possible if I offered them only a fragmented picture of that language? It was not fair. 
So, this is how I finally embraced the study of phrasal verbs in my classes. But If you still need stronger reasons, let’s consider the following ones:

1. 
   You’ll notice that you’re understanding English conversations more easily.
   
2. 
   Using phrasal verbs will help you sound more natural when speaking in English.
   
3. 
   You’ll learn how English is actually spoken.
   

1. You will notice that you’re understanding English conversations more easily

So, you’ve been studying English for a while and have a good handle on the language, but you still get the sense that you’re falling short with your listening skills. You may recognize the actual words you’re hearing, but they don’t make any sense together and you cannot grasp their meaning. 
That’s because in spoken English, tons of phrasal verbs are used, and to understand the actual meaning of what is said, you need to know what the phrasal verbs mean.

Phrasal verb basics

Let’s go over some grammar points quickly:

• 
  Phrasal verbs consist of a verb plus a particle that may be a preposition or an adverb. In some cases, they may even contain more than two words (e.g. come down to, catch up with) 
  
• 
  For the vast majority, their meanings cannot be inferred from knowing the definition of individual words separately
  
• 
  And to make things more complicated, one can have multiple meanings.
  

Quite challenging for sure!
I’m not going to tell you learning phrasal verbs won’t require time and effort. But try to think of it as a learning investment and I promise you, it will pay off. 
Do you want to understand the dialogues in movies, the lyrics of songs, Instagram’s lives from your favorite artists? Do you want to follow a conversation without feeling you’re missing a great deal of what people are saying? 
If your answer is yes, then you cannot take phrasal verbs out of the picture. Otherwise, you would definitely be missing out on the meanings of so many essential expressions.