Common Uses of Get

In spoken and written English, particularly informal, GET is used a lot! We have a huge variety of meanings for GET and many many phrasal verbs and expressions. Here are some common uses:

• Get = reach/arrive

– What time did you get home?
– I think I’ll get there at 6pm.
– How do I get to the cinema from here?

• Get = obtain

– I got a really nice birthday present from my grandmother.
– She got 90% in the exam.
– You need to get permission to use that room.

• Get = become

– Would you mind closing the window? It’s getting really cold in here.
– You’ve gotten so tall. I hardly recognized you.
– In Ireland it gets bright very early in the summer months.

Phrasal Verbs with Get

There are lots of phrasal verbs with get. You won’t be able to learn them all immediately – Here are some common ones to start with:

Physical Movement

• Get up = Leave your bed | I usually get up at 6am on week days.
• Get out = Leave the room | Get the dog out! He’s destroying the furniture!
• Get off = Leave a form of transport | You should get off the train at the next stop.
• Get on = opposite of ‘Get off’, ie. Enter a form of transport | He got on the bus in Dublin city centre.

Ten Other Phrasal Verbs with Get

• Get on = Have a good relationship | They got on with their neighbours really well.
• Get by = survive (financially) | The minimum wage has increased so now it’s easier to get by in a low-paid job.
• Get away with = escape, avoid punishment | I don’t know how he got away with it. It was obvious he committed the crime.
• Get out of = avoid doing something | She got out of the washing up because she cooked the meal.
• Get over = recover (from an illness) | She had a really bad chest infection. It took her two weeks to get over it.
• Get through = finish | When our nephews come to stay with us we always get through the milk very quickly!
• Get through = survive/recover from a difficult situation | I know breaking up with your girlfriend was tough but you’ll get through it.
• Get down = depress | The news really got me down but my friend cheered me up
• Get up to = do something (usually naughty) | It’s very quiet in there. I wonder what the kids are getting up to!
• Get down to = begin an activity | That’s enough gossiping. Let’s get down to some work.

If this was useful for you, you might be interested in this post on common idioms.