20 Phrasal Verbs with GET | GET片語動詞完整指南

If you look up the word “get” in the dictionary, you’ll find roughly 30 different definitions. Add a preposition or adverb, and that number explodes. Native English speakers use GET phrasal verbs dozens of times every day — to describe waking up, recovering from a cold, handling workplace pressure, ending relationships, and everything in between. For Taiwan learners, mastering GET phrasal verbs (GET片語動詞) is one of the fastest ways to sound natural in English conversation.

Why GET Is the Most Useful Verb for Phrasal Verbs | 為何GET是最重要的片語動詞

The word “get” appears in the top 10 most frequent English words. But raw frequency isn’t the reason to study it — it’s the range. GET can mean receive, become, arrive, understand, fetch, persuade, and more. When you pair it with particles like up, over, or around, each combination becomes a distinct expression that often has no direct Chinese equivalent.

Consider this: a Taiwanese colleague might say “I overcame the difficulty.” A native speaker says “I got over it.” The phrasal verb sounds natural. The longer version sounds like a textbook. Once you internalize these 20 combinations, your spoken English shifts noticeably.

One important grammar note before diving in: some GET phrasal verbs are separable, meaning you can put the object between GET and the particle (get the problem out of the way OR get out of the problem). Others are inseparable. If you want the full breakdown, check out our guide to separable vs inseparable phrasal verbs — it explains exactly when and how to split them.

20 Essential Phrasal Verbs with GET | 20個必學GET片語動詞

Movement & Position | 移動與位置

1. Get up (起床 / 起來)
Meaning: to rise from bed, or to stand after sitting/lying.
— I have to get up at 6 AM every weekday.
— Get up from your seat when the teacher enters.

2. Get down (蹲下 / 沮喪)
Meaning: to move to a lower position; or informally, to feel depressed.
— The children got down on the floor to look at the bug.
— Don’t let one bad test result get you down.

3. Get on (上車 / 進展)
Meaning: to board a bus, train, or plane; also to make progress.
— We got on the MRT at Taipei Main Station.
— How are you getting on with your English studies?

4. Get off (下車 / 離開)
Meaning: to leave a vehicle; also to leave work at the end of the day.
— I get off at Gongguan Station.
— What time do you get off work?

5. Get out (出去 / 離開)
Meaning: to leave a place, or to exit a car (not public transport).
— Let’s get out of this restaurant — it’s too noisy.
— She got out of the taxi and walked into the building.

Relationships & Emotions | 人際關係與情緒

6. Get along (with) (相處融洽)
Meaning: to have a friendly, comfortable relationship with someone.
— Do you get along with your new manager?
— My two cats don’t get along at all — they fight every morning.

7. Get over (克服 / 從中恢復)
Meaning: to recover from an illness, disappointment, or emotional difficulty.
— It took me two weeks to get over that cold.
— She hasn’t gotten over losing the presentation contract yet.

8. Get together (聚會 / 相聚)
Meaning: to meet socially, or for a group to assemble.
— We should get together for hot pot this weekend.
— The team got together to plan the project timeline.

9. Get into (對…感興趣 / 進入)
Meaning: to become interested or involved in something; to enter a place or situation.
— I’ve recently gotten into learning Korean dramas in English.
— How did you get into teaching English?

10. Get away (with) (逃脫 / 不受懲罰)
Meaning: to escape; or to do something wrong without being caught or punished.
— We managed to get away for a long weekend in Kenting.
— He gets away with arriving late because the boss likes him.

11. Get at (意指 / 批評)
Meaning: to imply or mean something indirectly; or to criticize repeatedly.
— I don’t understand what you’re getting at. Can you be more direct?
— My supervisor keeps getting at me about my reports.

Progress & Work | 進步與工作

12. Get ahead (取得進步 / 晉升)
Meaning: to make progress, especially in a career.
— Strong English skills help you get ahead in multinational companies.
— She worked 60-hour weeks to get ahead before the promotion round.

13. Get by (勉強過活 / 應付)
Meaning: to manage with limited money, time, or ability.
— His English isn’t perfect, but he gets by in meetings.
— We’re getting by on one salary right now — it’s tight.

14. Get through (度過 / 完成 / 聯繫到)
Meaning: to survive a difficult period; to finish a task; or to successfully contact someone.
— I don’t know how I got through finals week.
— I’ve been trying to get through to the client all morning — the line is busy.

15. Get behind (落後)
Meaning: to fall behind schedule or fail to keep up with work.
— I got behind on my writing assignments during Golden Week.
— If you get behind in this course, it’s very hard to catch up.

16. Get back to (回覆 / 返回)
Meaning: to respond to someone later; or to return to a previous state or task.
— Can I get back to you on that by Thursday?
— After the holiday, it’s hard to get back to a work routine.

Removing & Avoiding | 去除與迴避

17. Get rid of (擺脫 / 去除)
Meaning: to remove, throw away, or eliminate something unwanted.
— I need to get rid of these old textbooks — I have no more shelf space.
— How do I get rid of this error message?

18. Get out of (逃避 / 避免)
Meaning: to avoid doing something you don’t want to do.
— He always gets out of the dishes by pretending to be busy.
— I tried to get out of the Saturday meeting but couldn’t.

19. Get around (繞過 / 規避)
Meaning: to find a way to avoid a rule or problem; also to travel to many places.
— He found a way to get around the no-phone policy.
— It’s easy to get around Taipei by MRT.

20. Get back (取回 / 報復)
Meaning: to recover something you lost; informally, to take revenge.
— Did you get your deposit back from the landlord?
— After the bad review, she said she’d get back at him somehow.

How to Remember GET Phrasal Verbs | 如何記憶GET片語動詞

The fastest method is grouping by the particle, not by meaning. Notice that get over, get through, และ get by all involve managing something difficult — and the particles (over, through, by) all suggest moving past an obstacle. That spatial logic often carries through even in abstract uses.

A second method that works for Taiwan learners specifically: pair each phrasal verb with a situation you actually face. Get behind = that feeling after the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. Get through = surviving the last week before a deadline. Get by = making your English work in a client meeting even when you’re nervous. Concrete memory beats abstract definition every time.

If you want to build on this and learn GET phrasal verbs in professional settings, our 25 Phrasal Verbs for Work guide covers the business English versions in depth — including how to use get back to และ get ahead in emails and meetings.

Common Mistakes Taiwanese Learners Make | 台灣學習者常見錯誤

The most frequent error is using get on for cars. You get on buses, trains, planes, and bikes — but you get in a car (or taxi). This is because cars are enclosed spaces you step inside, while larger vehicles are platforms you board. Almost every ESL textbook explains this, and almost every student ignores it for months.

The second mistake is forgetting that get over works for non-illness situations too. “I can’t get over how good that beef noodle soup was” is perfectly natural. It’s not just for colds and breakups. The range of emotion or experience you can “get over” is much wider than most learners use it for.

A third one: get away with often comes with a slightly negative judgment embedded. Saying “my boss gets away with leaving early” implies the speaker thinks this isn’t fair. If you just mean someone left early without consequence, the implied criticism is there whether you intend it or not.

Practice Exercises | 練習題

Fill in the blank with the correct GET phrasal verb. Answers are below.

1. I need to _______ early tomorrow — my flight leaves at 7 AM. (wake up and rise)
2. Did you _______ your flu? You were sick for so long. (recover from)
3. Do you _______ well with your new coworkers? (have a good relationship)
4. He always tries to _______ doing the group presentation. (avoid)
5. My English isn’t perfect, but I can _______ in most situations. (manage)
6. She _______ on the MRT at Zhongxiao Fuxing and sat down. (boarded)
7. I’ve been trying to _______ the manager all afternoon. (contact)
8. We finally _______ those broken air conditioners. (eliminated)

Answers (答案): 1. get up  |  2. get over  |  3. get along  |  4. get out of  |  5. get by  |  6. got on  |  7. get through to  |  8. got rid of

Learning phrasal verbs is less about memorizing a list and more about noticing them in the wild — in movies, podcasts, and conversations. The next time you hear a native speaker use one, you’ll recognize it. That’s when it sticks. For a deeper look at other frequently-used combinations, our complete phrasal verbs guide for Taiwan learners has 45 more to explore.

แหล่งที่มา

1. Using English — Phrasal Verbs with GET — comprehensive reference database of GET phrasal verbs with definitions and examples.
2. Preply — 13 Phrasal Verbs with “Get” and How to Use Them — practitioner-focused explanations with example sentences.
3. EF Education — The Verb “To Get” — grammar reference for GET usage patterns across contexts.