Why “get” is hard
The verb get has many meanings by itself (receive, become, arrive, understand). When it combines with a particle such as over, along or by, the meaning often changes again. “Get over” has little to do with “over” as a direction, and “get by” is not about passing someone.
This page gives you the meanings of common phrasal verbs with get, then four exercises with an answer key. It covers frequent, useful verbs rather than every possible combination. Some have more than one meaning, and we list the one you are most likely to meet first.
Common phrasal verbs with get
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get along (with) | have a friendly relationship | “I get along well with my neighbours.” |
| get on (with) | have a good relationship (mostly British); also, continue doing something | “Do you get on with your boss?” |
| get over | recover from an illness or a bad experience | “It took her a week to get over the flu.” |
| get up | leave your bed, or stand up | “I get up at seven.” |
| get back | return | “What time did you get back last night?” |
| get by | manage with a small amount of money or resources | “They get by on one income.” |
| get through | finish or survive something difficult; also, reach someone by phone | “I got through the exam. I couldn’t get through to the helpline.” |
| get across | make an idea understood | “He struggled to get his point across.” |
| get ahead | make progress or succeed | “She works hard to get ahead in her career.” |
| get away | escape, or go on a short holiday | “We want to get away for the weekend.” |
| get away with | avoid punishment for something | “He got away with breaking the rule.” |
| get out of | avoid doing something you should do | “He tried to get out of the meeting.” |
| get round to (US: get around to) | finally find time to do something | “I haven’t got round to the dishes.” |
| get together | meet socially | “Let’s get together on Friday.” |
| get off | leave a bus, train, plane or bike | “She got off the train at Central Station.” |
| get at | suggest or mean something indirectly | “What are you getting at?” |
| get down | make someone feel sad | “The grey weather gets me down.” |
Things to know before practising
- Some can take an object between the verb and particle. You can say “get your message across” or “get your point across”, and “the weather gets me down”. With others, the particle stays attached to the verb: you “get over” an illness, not “get an illness over”.
- Many are followed by a preposition. Examples are “get away with it”, “get along with colleagues” and “get round to doing”. Learn the full pattern, not only the two words.
- British and American usage differ slightly. “Get on with” is common in British English where American speakers often say “get along with”. Americans commonly use gotten as the past participle of get, while British speakers use got.
- Context decides the meaning. “Get through” means survive in one sentence and reach someone by phone in another, so read the whole sentence.
Exercise 1: choose the correct phrasal verb
Choose the correct option for each sentence.
- After the flu, it took her two weeks to ___ it.
- a) get over
- b) get off
- c) get along
- We ___ for coffee every Friday after work.
- a) get by
- b) get together
- c) get away
- He tried to explain, but he could not ___ his idea to the group.
- a) get across
- b) get off
- c) get up
- My salary is low, but we manage to ___.
- a) get on
- b) get out
- c) get by
- I keep calling the helpline, but I cannot ___.
- a) get back
- b) get through
- c) get at
- She ___ the bus in the city centre.
- a) got off
- b) got over
- c) got along
- What are you ___? Just tell me directly.
- a) getting by
- b) getting at
- c) getting down
- He broke the rules but ___ it, and nobody noticed.
- a) got round to
- b) got through to
- c) got away with
Exercise 2: match the verbs to their meanings
Match each phrasal verb (1 to 6) with its meaning (A to F).
- get along
- get up
- get back
- get out of
- get ahead
- get round to
- A. avoid doing something you should do
- B. have a friendly relationship
- C. finally find time to do something
- D. return
- E. make progress or succeed
- F. leave your bed
Exercise 3: complete the sentences
Use a phrasal verb from the bank. Change the form if needed.
Word bank: get over, get along, get round to, get away, get back, get out of
- I have been meaning to clean the garage for months, but I haven’t ___ it yet.
- My sister and I ___ really well. We rarely argue.
- We are going to the coast to ___ for the weekend.
- She tried to ___ the meeting by saying she was ill, but her manager did not believe her.
- It took me a long time to ___ the disappointment.
- What time did you ___ from work yesterday?
Exercise 4: rewrite with a phrasal verb
Rewrite each sentence so that the words in bold are replaced by a phrasal verb with get.
- She recovered from the illness quickly.
- They have a good relationship.
- He escaped punishment for breaking the window.
- We finally found the time to do the taxes.
Answer key
Exercise 1: 1-a, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c, 5-b, 6-a, 7-b, 8-c.
Exercise 2: 1-B, 2-F, 3-D, 4-A, 5-E, 6-C.
Exercise 3:
- got round to (US: gotten around to)
- get along (British speakers may also say “get on”)
- get away
- get out of
- get over
- get back
Exercise 4 (sample answers):
- She got over the illness quickly.
- They get along (or get on) well.
- He got away with breaking the window.
- We finally got round to the taxes. (US: got around to)
Tips for remembering
- Group them by meaning. For example, put get along, get on and get together in a “relationships” group, and get over, get through and get by in a “difficulty” group.
- Write your own sentence for each one. An example about your own life is easier to remember than a definition.
- Learn the preposition that follows. Write “get away with” and “get round to”, not just “get away” and “get round”.
- Review a few at a time. Five or six verbs per session is easier than a long list, and coming back to them later helps (see the importance of review in learning).
Related practice
Phrasal verbs and idioms are both fixed expressions whose meanings are not obvious from single words. For more of this kind of practice, try our idiomatic expressions exercises. If you are building lessons for learners, our ideas for online English lessons include ways to turn short exercises like these into live activities.