Meaning & use
get to
Last updated
Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
To arrive at a place, or to reach a particular point after travelling or making progress.
Grammar: Followed by a place: get to the station.
Patterns
- get to somewhere
- get to the point
What time did you get to the airport?
We got to the top just before sunset.
I finally got to the end of the book last night.
phrasephrasal verbinformal
To have the chance or be allowed to do something enjoyable or special.
Grammar: Followed by an infinitive verb: get to meet her.
Patterns
- get to do something
We got to see the whales up close.
Kids get to choose the movie on Fridays.
She got to ride in the pilot's seat.
phrasephrasal verbinformal
To upset, annoy or affect someone emotionally.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: it gets to me.
Patterns
- something gets to someone
The constant noise is starting to get to me.
Don't let their teasing get to you.
The pressure of the job really got to him.
phrasephrasal verb
To succeed in contacting or reaching someone, or to start dealing with something.
Grammar: Followed by a person or a task: get to the emails.
Patterns
- get to someone
- get to something
I'll get to your question in a minute.
It took days for the news to get to the village.
The manager can't get to the problem until Monday.
Word forms
| third person singular | gets to |
|---|---|
| past tense | got to |
| past participle | got to / gotten to |
| -ing form | getting to |
Common combinations
- get to know someone
- It takes time to get to know new coworkers.
- get to the point
- Please get to the point; we are short on time.
- get to work
- I usually get to work by eight.
- get to sleep
- I couldn't get to sleep last night.
- get to the bottom of
- Investigators want to get to the bottom of the leak.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reach
- Reach is a bit more formal and takes a direct object, so you reach a place but get to a place.
- arrive
- Arrive is intransitive and needs at or in, and it does not cover the 'be allowed' or 'upset' meanings.
- bother
- Bother fits the 'annoy' meaning but is milder and less emotional than get to someone.
- manage
- Manage in the sense of finding a chance is more about effort than the pleasant surprise suggested by get to.
Opposites
Word family
- get verb
- the base verb with many meanings
- get through phrasal verb
- to finish or survive something
- get around to phrasal verb
- to finally find time to do something
Commonly confused: get to or have to?
get to vs have to
Have to means you must do something, but get to means you are allowed or lucky enough to do it.
Practice
We ___ visit the control room during the school trip, which was amazing.
Choose one answer.
Got to means we were allowed or had the chance. Had to and needed to express obligation, which does not fit an amazing experience.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.