1 A2 neutral
To arrive at or reach a place.
"What time do you think you'll get to the station?"
inseparable
get to
A2 neutral inseparable transitive
To arrive at a place, have the opportunity to do something, or to emotionally affect someone.
In plain English
To arrive somewhere, to have a chance to do something, or to make someone feel upset.
What does "get to" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic neutral
To have the opportunity or permission to do something enjoyable.
"She got to meet her favourite author at the book festival."
inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic informal
To affect someone emotionally, causing distress, annoyance, or sadness.
"I try not to let negative comments get to me, but sometimes it's hard."
inseparable
4 B1 neutral
To reach a particular stage, point, or level in a process.
"We need to get to the core of the problem before we can propose a solution."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To arrive at a physical location — transparent in the travel sense.
Actually means
To arrive somewhere, to have a chance to do something, or to make someone feel upset.
Usage tip
Extremely common across many uses. 'Get to do something' (have the opportunity) is particularly useful for ESL learners. 'It really gets to me' (emotional sense) is very common informal English. 'Get to the point' is a fixed expression.
Words that pair with "get to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
point know bottom of work stage truth someone heart
How to conjugate "get to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
get to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gets to
he/she/it
Past simple
got to
yesterday
Past participle
got/gotten to
have + pp
-ing form
getting to
continuous
Hear "get to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "get to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "get to"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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