Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Log in: access an account you already have
You already have a library account. You want to open it and see the books you have borrowed. You need to log in, not register again.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
log in
Access a computer system or online account with the required sign-in information.
Example
“I log in to my library account.”
I access the library account I already have.
The short answer
Log in means to gain access to a computer system or online account using the required sign-in information. You can say Please log in or name the destination: I log in to my account. It does not mean creating a new account.
Name the access action, then the destination.
Use log in on its own when the account is understood. Add to when naming the account in this pattern. For a completed past access action, say logged in, with double g.
From a button instruction to a past update
Please log in.
I log in to my library account.
I logged in yesterday.
A Sign in button often refers to the same access action. Websites choose different labels; you are learning the English meaning, not a particular website’s steps.
Give a short access update
Name the destination
my library account
Add the access pattern
log in to my library account
Report the completed action
I logged in to my library account.
Try it now
Choose the account action.
Read all answers and explanations
You already have an account. What does log in ask you to do?
Access an existing account.Log in accesses the existing account. Creating or removing an account is a different action.
Choose the log in to pattern naming your account.
I log in to my account.Log in to my account keeps the verb and particle together before the destination.
You accessed your account yesterday. Choose the completed past form.
I logged in yesterday.The past form is logged in. Log is present/base form; logging alone does not make a complete past-tense statement.
Put it into practice
Correct the action in the update.
The account was created last month. This morning you only accessed it. Replace the inaccurate action.
I created a new account this morning.
See a model answer
I logged in to my existing account this morning.
The edit changes the meaning of the action while keeping this morning as its time.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Is sign in different here?
Many services use sign in for the same basic account-access action. Follow the service’s labels; the word log in does not specify one universal procedure.
Please sign in to your account.
Why do I also see login as one word?
Login is commonly a noun or a word describing access details. For the verb practiced here, write two words: log in.
I forgot my login details, so I can’t log in.
Take it into your day
Use log in for access, log in to for the destination, and logged in for the completed past action.
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Log in is part of the Phrasal Verbs course’s online communication vocabulary. Build beyond this one access action with grouped vocabulary lessons and complete-conversation practice with time to take a speaker’s role.
Explore the course English Master Course: Phrasal Verbs