English Lesson: How to Use Get - Learn this Incredibly Useful and Adaptable Verb (Lots of Examples!)

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- Hello, this is Jack from ToFluency.com,

and welcome to this lesson on the word get.

Okay, this is a power word in English,

and I'm sure you know that there are so many different ways

to use this word.

And that is what we're going to do in this lesson.

We are going to look at the different meanings of this word.

We're going to look at some common collocations.

And we'll also look at some idioms that use get as well.

Now as you already know,

repetition is so important

when it comes to learning English,

so don't just take this lesson and then move on.

Instead, go to the description

and click the link to my website

where you can see all of the examples

that we use in this lesson,

and I'll also share some ways in which

that you can remember these phrases over the long term.

So, when we're going through this, focus on the examples.

And I'm going to use examples from everyday English

so that you use them in conversation.

Okay, let's look at the 10 ways you can use get

before moving on to collocations and idioms.

Now, if you have been a subscriber of this channel

for some time,

then you would have noticed that I have got

some new things recently.

So I got these fake plants, some wood for the background,

and just some other bits and bobs.

So, did you notice I said, I've got, or I got.

So this just means to gain possession of, or to buy.

And that's the first way we use get,

to gain possession of or to buy.

In case you're wondering,

I got all these things from Amazon,

which is an online shopping store.

I would love to know if you have Amazon in your country,

and if so, do you use this?

Here are some more common expressions with get

to use and this way.

What did you get for your birthday?

What did you get for your birthday?

I'm thinking about getting a new car soon,

which is true.

I'm thinking about getting a new car soon.

I haven't got my wife anything for Christmas yet.

I'm starting to panic.

The second way we can use get

is when we want to talk about becoming ill or being ill.

And a very common phrase here is to get sick, to get sick.

Now, touch wood, real wood,

I haven't been sick for a long time.

And I can also say I haven't got sick for a long time.

I haven't got sick.

Now, with all of these examples,

when we use the present perfect,

in American English you'll also hear gotten.

I haven't gotten sick for a long time.

But in British English we just say

I haven't got sick for a long time.

Here are some more examples.

I've got a cold.

I have got a cold.

Now you might hear people say I caught a cold

or I've caught a cold,

but this is a little bit more common.

I've got a cold.

She keeps getting sick.

She keeps getting sick.

And the next one, I've got a bit of a headache today.

I've got a bit of a headache today.

Now I've made various lessons on phrases that you can use

to talk about getting sick,

and also there's a conversational lesson on this topic too.

So go to the description to check those out.

The third way we can use get is to obtain something

or to bring something to someone.

Now my wife and I use this a lot at home.

For example, could you get me a tea?

Could you get me a tea?

Another way just to say this is, can you make me a tea?

So we use both in our house.

Can you get me a tea?

Can you make me a tea?

Here are some more examples.

If you have time get me some bananas on your way home.

Or in American English,

if you have time get me some bananas on your way home.

That is a first conditional sentence.

Get some breakfast and then we'll go.

Get some breakfast and then we will go.

Speaking of bananas, listen to this.

Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana.

Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana.

Now if that didn't make any sense to you,

you can respond by saying, I didn't quite get that.

I didn't quite get that.

Now in this case it means I didn't quite understand that.

So we can use get to mean understand and also to hear.

Some more examples.

I didn't get what you mean.

Could you explain that again?

I didn't get what you mean.

And I didn't quite get that.

Could you speak up?

I didn't quite get that.

Could you speak up?

Now the next one is really useful,

and we use it for things that change.

For example, it's getting dark.

It's getting dark.

Which means it's not fully dark now

but it's changing from light to dark.

So it's getting dark.

Another example is your tea's getting cold.

I would drink it now.

Your tea's getting cold.

And talking about the weather,

it's getting hot out there.

It is getting hot out there.

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Get down!

Now that could mean a few things.

And we use get in this way to talk about movement.

To get down, to move to the floor.

Here are some more examples of using get for movement.

Get your hands out of your pockets.

Get your hands out of your pockets.

And I stubbed my toe getting into bed.

I stubbed my toe getting into bed.

Now talking about movement we can also use get

when it comes to cars and public transport.

Now this can be a little bit confusing,

but what I recommend you do is just, again,

learn the sentences

so that you can internalize those structures.

And I'll leave a link to the method that I recommend using

if you want to do this.

But let's just have a look at some examples now

in this category.

So, after you get on a train, you get off it.

The first example is let's get off here.

Let's get off here.

Now you would use this when you're on a bus or a train.

So you get off a bus or a train.

But if I asked my wife, "Where do you want to get out?"

if I'm dropping her downtown,

this means we're in a car.

So you get out of a car, you get off a train or a bus.

And if I say, "Quick, get in, it's raining outside.

"Quick, get in."

Again, this is about a car, because you get in a car,

but you get on a train or a bus.

So you can say, quick, get on the train,

it's gonna leave soon.

Quick, get on the train.

Speaking of traveling, when you arrive somewhere,

you can say to get somewhere instead,

and this is actually more common than using the verb arrive.

So, for example, I could ask my wife,

"What time is David going to get here?"

What time is David going to get here?

Here are some more examples.

I hope my package gets here today.

I hope my package gets here today.

Come on, let's get going.

We'll get there really late otherwise.

Come on, let's get going.

We'll get there really late otherwise.

Now sometimes in my lessons I give quizzes.

And if you want to take some quizzes here on YouTube,

then I'll leave a link to the playlist in the description.

But I'll say at the end of the video,

"Let me know what you get in the quiz."

Let me know what you get.

So this means to achieve or to be given something.

Some more examples in this category.

I got my acceptance letter yesterday.

I got my acceptance letter yesterday.

And another one.

I got my hair cut yesterday, what do you think?

I got my hair cut yesterday, what do you think?

Let's move on to collocations with get now.

Now if you don't know what a collocation is,

it's simply two words, or two or more words,

that go together naturally.

For example, you would say, I need to take a quick shower.

I need to take a quick shower.

Not, I need to take a fast shower.

So it's more common to say a quick shower.

And for English native speakers,

this just sounds natural to us.

So I recommend learning collocations

because you'll be able to speak in a more natural way.

Now with that in mind,

let's talk about some collocations with get,

and we're going to give you the most common ones.

The first one is get married,

and this just means to be joined in marriage.

Now there is a difference between get married

and to be married.

Let's have a look at two examples.

The first one is they got married last year.

They got married last year.

And the second one is they're married.

They are married.

Now the first one talks about the act of getting married,

and the second one focuses on the situation.

And here are some more examples with get married.

When are you going to get married?

It's not a nice question to ask.

When are you going to get married?

And the answer might be, we're getting married next year.

We're getting married next year.

Now that last example, we're getting married next year,

is a great example of how to use the present continuous

for future actions.

Now if you want to learn more about

how to talk about the future, again,

just check out the description.

There'll be a link to the lesson for you.

The next one is get ready.

To get ready.

And this can mean two things.

Firstly, it can mean

to put on all the clothes you need to have

and maybe do some makeup, if you wear makeup.

So it's to get ready to leave the house or to go somewhere.

For example, it takes her forever to get ready.

It takes her forever to get ready.

Or, I'm getting ready, almost done.

I'm getting ready, almost done.

And it could also mean to prepare.

For example, if we are going to throw a party,

I can say, we need to get the house ready for this party.

We need to prepare the house for the party.

Here's some more examples.

Can you get the presentation ready for tomorrow?

Can you get the presentation ready for tomorrow?

And get ready, this is going to be a tough exam.

God ready, this is going to be a tough exam.

The next one is to get home or to get in.

Now this just means to arrive at home.

We learned before that we can use get to mean arrive.

So here are some examples with get home and to get in.

What time did you get in last night?

What time did you get in last night?

Is he getting home tonight?

Is he getting home tonight?

The next collocation is this.

Get some or any rest or sleep.

Let's just look at an example.

Let's get home and get some rest.

Let's get home and get some rest.

And this just means to have some rest.

And we use some and any a lot with this.

I need to get some sleep.

I need to get some sleep.

Or, did you get any sleep last night?

Did you get any sleep last night?

Some more examples.

I just need to get some sleep.

I just need to get some sleep.

And, do you think we'll get any rest next week?

Do you think we'll get any rest next week?

The next one is get in trouble, to get into trouble.

And here's an example.

He's always getting into trouble.

He's always getting into trouble.

And this just means that somebody is misbehaving,

usually a child when we talk about this,

and either the police or his or her parents or their teacher

is punishing that child or telling that child off.

Here's some more examples.

He got into a lot of trouble as a kid, but he's good now.

He got into a lot of trouble as a kid, but he's good now.

What can we do to stop you from getting into trouble?

What can we do to stop you from getting into trouble?

Okay, now we are going to move on to idioms with get,

and the first one is this.

To get to the bottom of something.

To get to the bottom of something.

And this means to discover the truth about something,

especially if the truth is difficult to find,

difficult to know.

This is mainly used in formal situations.

So you'll hear detectives on crime TV shows say this.

We need to get to the bottom of this.

Or another example is

if there are a lot of things going missing at a school,

the principal or head teacher would say,

"We need to get to the bottom of this.

"Who is taking all these things?

"Why are these things going missing?

"We need to get to the bottom of this."

Here are some more examples.

The police are trying to get to the bottom

of who committed that crime.

And let's get to to bottom of this as soon as possible.

The next one is really common in everyday English,

and it's to get the hang of something,

which means to learn how to do something.

For example, it didn't take me too long

to get the hang of driving

on the right-hand side of the road.

Or the wrong hand side.

Here are some more examples.

I just can't get the hang of it.

I just can't get the hang of it.

And here's a longer example.

It might take you a little time

to get the hang of how to use get,

but if you follow my methods you'll definitely get there.

And the last idiom is to get a kick out of something.

To get a kick out of something.

And this just means to find something amusing,

to enjoy something,

usually at someone else's expense.

For example, are you getting a kick out of me falling over?

Are you getting a kick out of me falling over?

And I still get a kick out of Blackpool losing the final.

I still get a kick out of Blackpool losing the final.

Okay, so those are the various different ways

that we can use get,

and I also gave you some collocations and some idioms.

Now, again, this is a power word in English

and you're going to hear it all the time,

so it's important to understand how to use it

and then also learn the sentences

so that you'll be able to give great sentences

using the word get,

and you'll be able to do this

without thinking about the grammar rules

and how to use it specifically.

So get the repetition that you need

in order to reach that stage.

And if you want to learn about the method to do this

and to get some premium resources,

then take a look at the To Fluency program.

I'll leave a link in the description

and also a little card on your screen that you can click.

Now if you have found this lesson useful,

then please like and share it with your friends.

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Okay, thank you again for watching,

and I'll speak to you soon, bye bye.

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