Get up, get home, get better: the many meanings of get

The rule

Get has several everyday meanings: get up (leave your bed), get home / get to work (arrive), get + adjective (become: get better, get tired, get ready) and get + thing (receive: get an email).

Arabic and French use a different verb for each meaning (وصل، أصبح، تلقّى; arriver, devenir, recevoir), so learners translate and say I arrived to home. In everyday speech, get is shorter and more natural.

Examples

In a conversation

A: You look tired. What time did you get up?

B: At 5! I got to work at 7 and I didn't get home until 9.

A: That's a long day. Get some rest!

B: I will. I'm getting ready for bed now.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

1. What time did you ___ last night?
   • a) get to home
   • b) get home
   • c) arrive to home
2. Did you ___ my message about the meeting?
   • a) get
   • b) take
   • c) arrive
3. My grandmother was ill, but she's ___ better now.
   • a) going
   • b) becoming
   • c) getting

Tip

No to before home: get home, go home, come home. But use to with other places: get to work, get to the station.

Answers

1. b) get home. No to before home: get home.
2. a) get. Here get means receive.
3. c) getting. For health, we say get better.

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