Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Set off for a place: describe starting a journey
Your ferry leaves later in the morning. You leave home while it is still dark and begin traveling toward the harbor. That is when you set off.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
set off
Start traveling on a journey.
Example
“We set off for the harbor before sunrise.”
We began our journey toward the harbor before the sun came up.
The short answer
Set off can mean begin a journey. Use for before a destination: “We set off for the harbor.” Use on before a journey: “We set off on a long trip.” The past form is still set off.
Focus on the start of the journey.
Set off tells us that traveling begins. It does not tell us when someone arrives. For introduces where you are going; on can introduce the trip itself. Add a time if it matters. You can set off by car, by bicycle or on foot.
Separate departure from arrival.
What time did you leave for the harbor?
We set off at five and arrived at six.
Set off at five gives the departure time. Arrived at six gives a different event an hour later.
Give the travel details
Describe the departure
We set off early.
Name the destination
We set off for the harbor.
Name the kind of journey if useful
We set off on a weekend trip.
Try it now
Check what you’ve learned.
Read all answers and explanations
“We set off at five and arrived at six.” What happened at five?
We started the journey.Set off marks the actual start of the journey, rather than planning it or arriving.
They are traveling toward the coast. Choose the word that names their destination: “They set off ___ the coast after breakfast.”
forFor introduces the destination in this pattern. On could introduce a journey, such as on a road trip.
Choose the completed past event.
Yesterday, we set off early.The past form of set is set, so the expression remains set off.
Build it yourself
Describe the departure.
You began traveling to the harbor before sunrise. Build a sentence that states the departure, not the arrival.
Choose the pieces in order. You can remove a piece or start again. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your sentence
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
I set off for the harbor before sunrise.
“I set off for the harbor before sunrise.” gives the start and destination of the journey. It does not give an arrival time.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Do I always need to add a destination?
No. Leave it out when it is already clear or is not important to your point.
“Are you ready? We should set off soon.”
Do I need to be driving to use set off?
No. The expression describes starting the journey, not a particular form of transport.
“The walkers set off on the trail before lunch.”
Take it into your day
Use set off to say when travel begins. Use arrive separately if you need to tell someone when you reached the destination.
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