Verbe GET - comprendre enfin comment l'utiliser!

Watch the video here

https://youtu.be/_WOcayP228A

‘To get’ is a very important verb in English and it's used in a variety of different ways.

So today we're really going to break down the grammar, the meaning of the verb get in different contexts.

All right, let's get started!!!!

So, just to find out how much you already know,

I'm going to ask you to look at these four sentences and to categorize the verb get.

What meaning does the verb get have in the following sentences?

- Is it to persuade?

- Is it to obtain /receive?

- Is it to arrive?

or

- Is it to become?

Have a look!

Questions:

I get nervous before I give a speech

If I get good grades my parents will be happy

When I got to Paris, I went straight to the Eiffel Tower

I finally managed to get someone to help me with the garden

Answers:

I become nervous before I give a speech

If I receive good grades my parents will be happy

When I arrived in Paris, I went straight to the Eiffel Tower

I finally managed to persuade someone to help me with the garden

Okay, did you get them right!!!

If you didn't get any of them right, then keep watching because you have a lot to learn.

If however you got all of them right but you're still not sure, Why?

Well, then you also have a lot to learn because I'm going to explain exactly the reasons why we use get in each of these sentences.

So, let's look at the first case,

When using get and

This is get + a noun or get + a pronoun

- get + a noun

get + a noun can mean receive or obtain

For example,

- I got a message today asking me to come into the office.

I got a message - I obtained a message/I received a message.

get + noun can also mean catch

As in,

- catch a bus

- Let's not bother with a taxi, we can catch a bus / we can get a bus.

get + noun can also mean to buy

For example,

- When you go to the shop, can you get me some milk?

So, it's the same thing as

Can you buy me some milk?

So, here we saw three different meanings for get :

- it can mean obtain/receive

- it can mean catch

or

- it can mean buy

So that's get + noun

- get + to

The next case is get + to

Whenever we have get + to together, it means to arrive in/arrive at .

- When do you think we'll get to London

- When do you think we'll arrive in London

- I got to the train station early

- I arrived at the train station early

- get + adjective

We use get + adjective to mean to become

Okay,

So for example,

If I said,

- I am tired

I use the verb to be - I am tired

But if I say,

- I am getting tired means I'm becoming tired

(I'm not super tired just yet but I'm getting there)

Okay.

The same with,

- I am better at English

means you're there, you are good at English.

But if you say,

- I'm getting better at English

it means you're on the way, you're on the journey to becoming better.

So that is get + adjective.

Some more examples of this would be,

- It's dark.

What if I said,

- It is getting dark. - meaning it is becoming dark.

Okay, it's a little bit more informal than saying becoming.

Becoming is too formal, so we say it's getting dark.

The same with,

- I am used to living in a foreign country now

- I am used to living

Okay, that means that you are settled in that, you're happy that you're doing.

Okay

But,

- I'm getting used to living in a foreign country

means you're still in the process, you're becoming used to living in another country.

So, we use that get + adjective to describe something that's still in the process.

- get + past participle

Now the next place where we use get is get + past participle

Now, we often use is get + past participle to describe passive structure.

Well, we can use get in exactly the same way, but it's just a little more informal than using

is + past participle

Let me give you an example,

- Two men were arrested yesterday

You could say,

- Oh! did you hear, two men got arrested yesterday

Okay, so it's a little more informal.

You wouldn't really hear it in a news broadcast.

Okay!

- Dan was fired yesterday

Dan was fired yesterday - that's the more normal passive structure, the more formal passive structure.

And

The more informal then is,

- Did you hear Dan got fired yesterday!

You notice the difference, ones are just a little more casual.

Another example could be,

- I got stuck in traffic this morning on my way to work

It's a little more casual than saying,

- I was stuck in traffic but it means the same thing

And notice, those two examples are a little bit negative being stuck in traffic and being fired.

So, we often use this get + the past participle to indicate something bad/ negative/ unexpected happening.

- get + object + infinitive with to

The next case is when we use get + object + infinitive with to

To - to mean, to make/tell/ask/persuade someone to do something.

For example,

- My car broke down on the highway I need to get someone to pick me up

Here you could also say,

- I need to ask someone

- I need to tell someone to pick me up

Another example,

- Can you get Paul to finish writing that email, we need to send it out asap.

In this sentence it means

Can you ask? Can you tell? Can you make Paul finish that email?

It's a bit more insistent than in the first example.

Now, in America it's quite common to use have instead of get

In that case.

So for example,

- I need to have someone pick me up

or

- I need to have someone repair my car

- get + object + past participle

Now the last case is where we use get + object + past participle

When we want to say that someone is going to do something for us and we're going to pay for that service.

For example,

- I'm going to get my hair cut

Notice how we don't mention the hairdresser in this sentence.

We say

- I'm going to get my hair cut

And sometimes we can say,

- I'm going to have my hair cut

But personally I use get more often.

- I'm going to get my hair cut

- I'm going to get my passport renewed and it runs out in six months

- I'm going to get my eyes tested because I need glasses

Okay, do you think you got all of that?

Excellent!!

Don't forget to do the quiz that's coming afterwards and yes, the answers will be displayed as well, so you can check your responses.

QUIZ

Replace get with another verb so they mean the same thing

I think we should go inside, it's getting cold

Can you tell me what time you are getting to Heathrow?

I have to get my son to do his homework before Monday

Steve got blamed for disrupting the class

Answers

I think we should go inside, it's becoming cold

Can you tell me what time you are arriving at Heathrow?

I have to tell my son to do his homework before Monday

Steve was blamed for disrupting the class

Now next week, we're going to be looking more at get in different phrasal verbs.

So we're really going to get you to practice using these expressions, using these phrasal verbs and becoming really familiar with them.

So check out next week's video when it comes out.

Bye Bye and See you next week :)

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