The verb “to get” is perhaps the most commonly used verb in spoken English. With many meanings, it is also perhaps the most difficult to learn. Below is a list of the most common meanings and uses of this verb.
Note: “To get” is an irregular verb. The past tense, as well as the past participle, is “got”.
“To get” + Direct Object
To Receive
| | Did you get my email yesterday? |
| | I got my drivers license in the mail this morning. |
To Obtain
| | Peter got his Master’s degree from Boston University in 2005. |
| | We got permission to build the extension on our house. |
To Buy
| | Can you get some milk while you are at the supermarket? |
| | Carrie is getting a new car next week. |
To Earn/Charge
| | How much do you think I can get for my old car? |
| | I get overtime pay when I work more than 8 hours a day. |
To Fetch
| | Can you get my jacket for me? |
| | She got a cup of coffee and sat down to talk. |
“To get” + Expression of Place
To Arrive
When we use the verb “to get” to mean “to arrive”, the preposition of direction or movement, “to” is necessary.
| | What time do you get to work in the mornings? |
| | Greg didn’t get to the party until 11 o’clock. |
To Reach
| | Oliver can you help me? I can’t get the book, the shelf is too high. |
“To get” + Adjective
To become
In this sense, “to get” indicates a process or change of state.
| | Don’t get angry, I was just joking! |
| | We better go inside, it’s getting dark. |
| | Winter is almost here, it’s getting colder every day. |
| | I’m getting tired, I think I will go to bed. |
| | I heard you are sick. I hope you get better soon. |
| | Brad jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly because he was late for work. |
| | When did you get married? |
“To get” + Preposition or Adverb
There are many phrasal verbs which use the verb “to get”; below is a list of the most common.
To get on/in
Meaning: to enter. We use “to get on” with buses, trains, and planes, but “to get in” with cars and houses.
| | Where do you get on the train? “The Broadway/Lafayette stop.” |
| | The flight was delayed. We didn’t even get on the plane until 11:30. |
| | Get in the the house, it’s raining! |
| | She got in the car and immediately started crying. |
To get off/out of
Meaning: to exit. We use “to get off” with buses, trains and planes, but “to get out of” with cars, houses and rooms.
| | We have to get off the bus at the next stop. |
| | John got off the plane at 6 o’clock. |
| | Get out of my room immediately! |
| | She got out of the car and slammed the door. |
To get by
Meaning: to survive; to have just enough money
| | How are you getting by right now without a job? |
| | We can’t get by on just one salary. |
To get over"
Meaning: to recover, physically or emotionally
| | Alice still hasn’t gotten over her ex-boyfriend. |
| | Has your mother gotten over the flu yet? |
To get up
Meaning: to get out of bed
| | The children get up at 7 o’clock every morning. |
| | I didn’t get up until 11 o’clock this morning. |
Other Uses of “To get”
To Understand
| | I don’t get it, can you repeat what you just said? |
| | Henry didn’t get the joke and so was the only one not laughing. |
To Persuade
| | I tried to get Jane to come to the party, but she just wouldn’t be convinced. |
| | Can I get you to change your mind? |
El verbo “to get” es quizás el verbo más utilizado en el inglés coloquial. Con tantos significados, también quizás puede ser el más difícil de aprender. A continuación, tienes una lista de los significados más comunes para este verbo.
Nota: “To get” es un verbo irregular. El pasado y el participio pasado son “got”.
“To get” + Direct Object (“To get” + objeto directo)
To Receive (Recibir)
Ejemplos:
| | Did you get my email yesterday?(¿Recibiste mi email ayer?) |
| | I got my drivers license in the mail this morning.(He recibido el carnet de conducir por correo esta manaña.) |
To Obtain (Conseguir/Obtener)
Ejemplos:
| | Peter got his Master’s degree from Boston University in 2005.(Peter obtuvo su Master de la Universidad de Boston en 2005.) |
| | We got permission to build the extension on our house.(Conseguimos la autorización para construir la ampliación de nuestra casa.) |
To Buy (Comprar)
Ejemplos:
| | Can you get some milk while you are at the supermarket?(¿Puedes comprar leche mientras estés en el supermercado?) |
| | Carrie is getting a new car next week.(Carrie comprará un nuevo coche la semana que viene.) |
To Earn/Charge (Ganar/Cobrar)
Ejemplos:
| | How much do you think I can get for my old car?(¿Cuánto piensas que podría cobrar por el coche antiguo?) |
| | I get overtime pay when I work more than 8 hours a day.(Gano pagos extras cuando trabajo más de 8 horas al día.) |
To Fetch (Traer/Recoger/Ir a buscar/Llamar)
Ejemplos:
| | Can you get my jacket for me?(¿Puedes recoger mi chaqueta por mí?) |
| | She got a cup of coffee and sat down to talk.(Se sirvió una taza de café y se sentó para hablar.) |
“To get” + Expression of Place (“To get” + expresión de lugar)
To Arrive (Llegar)
Cuando utilizamos “to get” con el significado de “llegar”, hace falta la preposición de dirección o movimiento “to”.
Ejemplos:
| | What time do you get to work in the mornings?(¿A qué hora llegas al trabajo por las manañas?) |
| | Greg didn’t get to the party until 11 o’clock.(Greg no llegó a la fiesta hasta las 11.) |
To Reach (Alcanzar)
Ejemplo:
| | Oliver can you help me? I can’t get the book, the shelf is too high.(¿Podrías ayudarme, Oliver? No puedo alcanzar el libro, el estante es demasiado alto.) |
“To get” + Adjective (“To get” + adjetivo)
To become (Ponerse/hacerse/volverse)
En este sentido, “to get” indica un proceso o un cambio de estado.
Ejemplos:
| | Don’t get angry, I was just joking!(No te enfades, sólo estaba bromeando.) |
| | We’d better go inside, it’s getting dark.(Mejor nos vamos dentro, está oscureciendo.) |
| | Winter is almost here, it’s getting colder every day.(El invierno se acerca, está haciendo cada día más frío.) |
| | I’m getting tired, I think I will go to bed.(Me estoy cansando. Creo que voy a acostarme.) |
| | I heard you are sick. I hope you get better soon.(He oído que estás enfermo. Que te mejores pronto.) |
| | Brad jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly because he was late for work.(Brad saltó de la cama y se puso la ropa rápidamente porque era tarde para ir al trabajo.) |
| | When did you get married?(¿Cuándo te casaste?) |
“To get” + Preposition or Adverb (“To get” + preposición o adverbio)
Hay muchos verbos frasales que utilizan el verbo “to get”. A continuación, tienes una lista de los más comunes.
To get on/in (Subir)
Cuando hablamos de subir, en inglés utilizamos “to get on” con autobuses, trenes, aviones, pero “to get in” con coches y casas.
Ejemplos:
| | Where do you get on the train? “The Broadway/Lafayette stop.”(¿Dónde te subes al tren? “En la parada Broadway/Lafayette.”) |
| | The flight was delayed. We didn’t even get on the plane until 11:30.(El vuelo se retrasó. No subimos al avión hasta las 11:30.) |
| | Get in the the house, it’s raining!(ìEntra en la casa, está lloviendo!) |
| | She got in the car and immediately started crying.(Subió al coche e inmediatamente se puso a llorar.) |
To get off/out of (Bajar)
En inglés utilizamos “to get off” con autobuses, trenes, aviones, pero “to get out of” con coches, casas y habitaciones.
Ejemplos:
| | We have to get off the bus at the next stop.(Tenemos que bajar del autobús en la siguiente parada.) |
| | John got off the plane at 6 o’clock.(John bajó del avión a las 6 de la tarde.) |
| | Get out of my room immediately!(¡Vete de mi habitación de inmediato!) |
| | She got out of the car and slammed the door.(Bajó del coche y cerró la puerta con mucha fuerza.) |
To get by (Sobrevivir)
Ejemplos:
| | How are you getting by right now without a job?(¿Cómo estás sobreviviendo ahora sin empleo?) |
| | We can’t get by on just one salary.(No podemos sobrevivir con un solo sueldo.) |
To get over (Recuperar/Superar)
Ejemplos:
| | Alice still hasn’t gotten over her ex-boyfriend.(Alice todavía no se ha recuperado de la separación con su ex novio.) |
| | Has your mother gotten over the flu yet?(¿Tu madre se ha recuperado ya de la gripe?) |
To get up (Levantarse)
Ejemplos:
| | The children get up at 7 o’clock every morning.(Los niños se levantan a las 7 de la mañana cada día.) |
| | I didn’t get up until 11 o’clock this morning.(No me levanté hasta a las 11 de esta mañana.) |
Other Uses of “To get” (Otros usos de “to get”)
To Understand (Entender/Comprender)
Ejemplos:
| | I don’t get it, can you repeat what you just said?(No entiendo, ¿Puedes repetir lo que acabas de decir?) |
| | Henry didn’t get the joke and so was the only one not laughing.(Henry no entendió la broma, así que fue el único que no estaba riéndose.) |
To Persuade (Convencer)
Ejemplos:
| | I tried to get Jane to come to the party, but she just wouldn’t be convinced.(Intenté convencer a Jane para venir a la fiesta, pero no se convenció.) |
| | Can I get you to change your mind?(¿Puedo hacer que cambies de opinión?) |
