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In this podcast, you will hear two people, Debbie and John, talking about the uses of get – listen out for them!

Debbie: Hi John!
John: Hi Debbie!
Debbie: I have a challenge for you!
John: I love a challenge. What is it?
Debbie: How many different uses of get can you think of?
John: That is a challenge! Let´s get going! Get going is an expression that means start – it can be to start doing something or to start a journey.
Debbie: Excellent! Let´s get going with the challenge!
John: Well, the first use I can think of is to obtain. For example: Can you get me a glass of water, please?
Debbie: Great! Here you are!
John: Thank you. Get can also mean to receive, like to get a present or to get an email.
Debbie: Absolutely! What did you get for your last birthday?
John: I didn´t get anything but I did go to a nice restaurant.
Debbie: No presents - we´re getting old!
John: That´s another example! Get + adjective means become. Get sick, get wet, get angry, get lost, get old…
Debbie: Yes, that´s a very common one! For example, do you often get tired after lunch?
John: Yes, I do. I often get a coffee in my local café to wake me up if I can´t get some shut-eye. Get can mean buy, too. Get a coffee, get some milk from the supermarket... and get some shut-eye is an expression which means to get some sleep. Is there anything you need to get this weekend?
Debbie: Yes! I need to get some food shopping and I also need to get some new shoes for my son – his feet keep getting bigger!
John: Well, my son is a teenager so he´s stopped growing but now we worry about what time he´ll get home and we don´t get much shut-eye because sometimes he gets home past midnight!
Debbie: Oh, that is a worry! That would get on my nerves!
John: Get on someone´s nerves means to annoy someone – traffic really gets on my nerves! Get can also mean arrive – get home, get to the office, get to the airport…
Debbie: What time did you get here today?
John: I got here at 9.30 – I was actually a little late because I got the bus and it got stuck in traffic!
Debbie: I got the train and I arrived in time to get a coffee before starting work.
John: Get can also mean take or catch – get the bus, get a taxi and get the train.
Debbie: You´re doing great. So far you have thought of six different uses of get and three expressions! Obtain, receive, become, buy, arrive and catch or take for transport. Get going, to start something; get on someone´s nerves, to annoy and get some shut-eye, to get some sleep.
John: I have a few more uses I can think of too.
Debbie: Great!
John: We can also use get to mean understand. For example, I don´t get many jokes.
Debbie: Really? What about this one? What do you call a fish with no eye?
John: I don´t know. What do you call a fish with no eye?
Debbie: A fsh. Hahahaha!
John: (silence)
Debbie: Do you get it? No eye, the letter i – fsh.
John: That´s a terrible joke!
Debbie: I´ve got a better one if you want to hear it.
John: No, thank you. And there´s another use – have got - to talk about possession. For example, I have got three brothers. Have you got any siblings?
Debbie: I´ve got one sister. You´ve met her before, remember?
John: Ah yes, I met her last year when we were getting the office painted and we went for lunch because it smelt so bad. She was very nice!
Debbie: I´ll tell her you think so. We´re getting our nails done together this weekend.
John: We can use get in the causative – to get something done - when we pay someone to do something for us rather than doing it ourselves like Debbie and her sister, they are getting their nails done at the weekend and I get my house cleaned once a week.
Debbie: Do you? We always clean the house ourselves, I would love to get it done by a cleaner!
John: Yes. I don’t really have time to do it myself and it gives me more time to get on with things I enjoy doing.
Debbie: How lucky! Get on with is a phrasal verb. There are many phrasal verbs using get.
John: Yes, but we´ll talk about verbs with get in another podcast.
Debbie: You did really well at my challenge!
John: Do I get a prize?
Debbie: Hmmm. I´ll get you a coffee, does that sound good?
John: That sounds great.
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