The present study examines the most important difficulties and errors that Iraqi and Iranian students face in using English phrasal verbs. It also considers the role of native language, teaching materials, and learning strategies in shaping learners’ performance. To achieve this goal, this study uses a mixed (quantitative and qualitative) approach. The participants of this study are intermediate to upper-level students from Iraqi and Iranian universities. Data were collected through a test to measure the ability to recognize and use phrasal verbs, a questionnaire to examine learners’ strategies and attitudes, and an analysis of the teaching materials they used. The findings show that learners in both contexts face significant difficulty with phrasal verbs, especially idiomatic and opaque types. In general, students were more successful in recognizing these verbs than in using them accurately in practical applications, which indicates that their knowledge is incomplete. The results also indicate that the mother tongue plays a role in the formation of learners' errors, while many students tend to avoid using phrasal verbs or rely on memorizing them. In addition, the analysis of educational materials shows that there is not enough attention to complex phrasal verbs and educational activities for their active use are limited.
