Meaning & use
get from
Last updated
Meanings
phrasetransitive
to obtain or receive something from a particular person, place, or thing
Grammar: Takes an object after 'from': get a letter from a friend.
Patterns
- get something from someone
- get something from somewhere
I got this jacket from a charity shop.
Where did you get that information from?
She gets great joy from helping others.
phrasetransitive
to start in a particular state or position and move away from it
Grammar: Used with a place or point: get from A to B.
Patterns
- get from one place to another
It takes about an hour to get from the airport to the city center.
How do you get from here to the station?
Common combinations
- get something from someone
- I got a nice email from my old teacher.
- get from A to B
- We need a map to get from A to B.
- get a kick from
- He gets a kick from risky sports.
- get pleasure from
- She gets pleasure from gardening.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obtain from
- More formal; use it in writing when you mean 'receive officially'.
- derive from
- Suggests a source or origin, often abstract: 'derive satisfaction from work'.
Commonly confused: get from or get off?
get from vs get off
Means 'leave a bus/train' or 'stop touching'; not the same as receiving from a source.
Practice
Where did you get that lovely bag ___?
Choose one answer.
'Get from' is the correct phrase when you mention the source. 'Get of' is not standard English, and 'get to' would mean 'arrive at' or 'be able to', which doesn't fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get from”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.