Get on with meaning
Get on with means to start or continue doing something, especially work, after a pause. It can also mean to have a friendly relationship with someone.
get on with something
get on with · got · getting
Stop chatting and get on with your work.
Get on with meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Start or continue doing something, especially work, after a pause
get on with something
- Stop chatting and get on with your work.
- I’d better get on with dinner.
- Can we get on with the meeting, please?
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2
Have a friendly relationship with someone
get on with somebody or something
- I get on with everyone in my class.
- Does he get on with his stepbrother?
- She doesn’t get on with her neighbours at all.
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3
Make progress with a task
get on with something
- How are you getting on with the essay?
- I’m getting on with the new software quite well.
- How did you get on with those tax forms?
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use get on with in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is get on with separable?
Get on with is not separable. The task or the person comes at the end: get on with your homework, get on with her.
Get on with it! on its own is an impatient way to say hurry up and do it. It can sound rude.
Verb tenses for get on with
| Present | I get on with · she gets on with |
|---|---|
| Past | got on with |
| Present perfect | have got on with (US: have gotten on with) |
| -ing form | getting on with |
Common mistakes with get on with
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I’d better get on my homework.
Right: I’d better get on with my homework.
You need with before the task.
Wrong: Can you get on with to clean the kitchen?
Right: Can you get on with cleaning the kitchen?
After with, use a noun or the -ing form.
Wrong: We get on with each other since school.
Right: We have got on with each other since school.
With since, use the present perfect.
Synonyms and opposites of get on with
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Get on with quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1OK, enough coffee. Let’s ___ the report.
Get on with means continue or start a task.
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2Choose the right sentence.
You need both on and with.
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3Your friend talks for ages before telling the story. You say: ___!
Get on with it! means start the main part now.
More phrasal verbs with get
All phrasal verbs with get, by level, with an exercise
19 phrasal verbs start with get. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- get onA2go onto a bus, train, plane, boat or bike
- get offA2leave a bus, train, plane, boat or bike
- get backA2return home or to a place where you were before
- get inA2enter a car, a taxi, a building or a small space
- get outA2leave a car, a room or a building
- get intoA2go inside a car, a building or a small space
- get overB1feel better after an illness
- get alongB1like each other and be friendly
- get aroundB1travel or move from place to place
- get togetherB1meet other people, usually to spend time together
- get byB2manage to live or do something with just enough money, skill or help
- get throughB2pass an exam or reach the next stage of a competition
- get awayB2escape from a person or a place
- get away withB2do something wrong and not be punished for it
- get aheadB2be successful in your job or in life
- get out ofB2avoid doing something you should do, often with an excuse
- get down toB2start doing something seriously and with full attention
Get on with FAQ
Questions people ask about get on with.
What does get on with your life mean?
It means stop thinking about a bad time in the past and live normally again: It’s been a year. You need to get on with your life.
Should I say get on with or get along with?
For people, both mean have a friendly relationship. Get on with is mostly British; get along with is common in US English. Only get on with means continue a task.
What is the past tense of get on with?
Got on with: We got on with the cleaning. In US English the past participle is often gotten: We’ve gotten on with it.
Use get on with in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.