An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get through', with lots of examples in context
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Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs!
This article is all about the wonderful English phrasal verb 'get through', which I am sure many of you will be familiar with already. In this post, I will explain the different meanings that 'get through' has and give you lots of examples of usage for each one to help you memorise and use them in your everyday English. So, without further ado, let's get started. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end with your own 'get through' sentence 😊
GET THROUGH: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 8 |
Past tense forms | Got through / Got-gotten through |
Separable? | Sometimes |
MEANINGS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
Before we look at the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'get through', let's first examine the meanings of the words 'get' and 'through' on their own.
To begin, we have the verb that gives most English learners nightmares: 'to get'.
As I've mentioned before in previous posts, English native speakers love using this verb as it has such a lot of different uses and meanings and we seem to be able to fit it in almost everywhere. Some of the main meanings of the verb 'to get' include 'to receive', 'to become' and 'to understand', but I would say that for the purposes of the phrasal verb 'get through', the meaning that is most important is 'to arrive somewhere'.
What time did you get home last night?
She got to work on time despite the terrible traffic.
How did you get here? I thought your car had broken down and was off the road?
The prepositional particle 'through' is one that does not feature in as many phrasal verbs as some of the others but the ones that it does feature in are all great ones to know. As a preposition and adverb, 'through' means a movement or passage from one side of something to the other, via the middle of it and is used with a wide variety of different nouns, from doors and windows to cities and forests. In addition to physical movement, 'through' can also be used to describe temporal movement, i.e. a period of time from the beginning to the end of something and we will return to this idea later in this post.
You may also be familiar with the alternative spelling 'thru', which is an accepted non-standard form of 'through' and that should only be used informally and not in formal documents or writing.
Now, that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the meanings of the phrasal verb 'get through'....
MEANING 1: To physically pass through something
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CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To go through, to pass through |
Separable? | No |
The first meaning of 'get through' that we will look at is one that should be reasonably logical to you as it is more or less the combination of the literal meaning of the words 'get' (in the sense of arriving) and 'through', i.e. to physically pass from one one side of something to the other.
This could be used typically with nouns like door, window, hole, gap or anything that someone or something could pass from side of to the other, through its centre.
One of the potential synonyms of this particular meaning is 'go through' but you should note that we use 'get through' when there is some sort of difficulty in passing through something, if there is a question about it or in a negative statement when the action is not possible at all. 'Go through', on the other hand, tends to be used when the movement is unimpeded (not obstructed) and without difficulty or problem.
I realised that I had to lose weight when I could not get through the gap in the fence.
The door was locked, how did you manage to get through it?
The burglar managed to get through a small downstairs window that the house owners had left open.
In addition to this, we can also use this application of 'get through' when talking about being able to reach a destination when there was some sort of blockage or obstruction that was preventing us from getting there.
We finally got through the blizzard and made it home just before midnight.
John got through customs after proving to the customs officers that he was a Canadian citizen.
You can't get through that way, you need to turn back.
MEANING 2: To pass a difficult experience or period
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To go through, to pass, to endure, to suffer, to bear |
Separable? | No |
As we go through the different meanings of 'get through', you'll notice that there is a running theme of 'passing' that links many of them and this second usage is no exception as it means 'to pass a difficult or experience or period in your life'.
Typical situations that this application is used in:
Grief when a loved one dies
Divorce
Illness
Court cases
Exams
A difficult or challenging period at work
As you can guess from the list of typical situations above, this application of 'get through' is used to describe when we live through something unpleasant or hard, from the beginning to the end, with the focus on arriving on the other side when the negative experience is in the past and we can hopefully smile and forget about it.
We will get through this as a family.
When I lost my job things were difficult financially for a while but I got through it and now I have a much better job.
Losing a loved one is very hard but with time and support, you will get through the dark period of grief.
Typically, this is usage is not separable, however if there is a person or thing that helps us to get through a difficult period, we do then separate 'get' and 'through' and insert the person experiencing the hard times between them as a direct object pronoun.
I am so tired today. The only thing that will get me through work is coffee!
Jane's children got her through the period of mourning after her husband died.
MEANING 3: To do a difficult or challenging task
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To do, to endure, to sit through |
Separable? | No |
In the previous section, I explained how 'get through' can be used to talk about passing a difficult period or experience in your life and this third usage is related to this as it means 'to do a difficult or challenging task'.
Typical situations that this application is used in:
When you have lots of work to do within a specific time period
When you have to do something boring or uninteresting
Perhaps the main way that this application of 'get through' is used is with reference to work, or more specifically work that you have to do. If you have a busy job, which involves many different tasks and deadlines, then it is likely that at some point you will need to say that you "have a lot to get through" when you have a lot of work or a list of jobs to do within a specific time period.
Let's get this meeting started. We have a lot of points to get through and not much time.
I'm going to try and get through as much of this work as possible before the end of the day.
Furthermore, 'get through' can also be used to describe having to do something boring, unpleasant or difficult in general. This tends to be used a lot when there is something good or positive to look forward to after the dull or undesirable task has been done.
I just have to get through this week at work and then I am going on holiday for a fortnight!
You just need to get through the first two boring chapters of this book and then it gets really good.
Roger is not looking forward to this meeting but knows that he just has to get through it and then he can go to the pub.
Dinner at my wife's parents' house is always so monotonous. I don't know how I get through it every Sunday.
MEANING 4: To pass to the next stage of a competition
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To go through, to proceed |
Potential antonyms | To be / get knocked out |
Separable? | No |
For the fourth meaning of 'get through', we are returning to the theme of passing and this time we are particularly focussed on competitions as this meaning is 'to pass to the next stage of a competition'.
Typical situations that this application is used in:
Sports tournaments
Contests and competitions with rounds and finals
Competitions are all around us in the modern world, whether that be the football World Cup, the Olympics or a televised singing competition, and they remain a very popular form of entertainment for many people all over the world. Many of these contests are structured in such a way that there are rounds at the beginning, which then progress to quarter finals, semi finals and finals, with only the best competitors or teams progressing all the way to the end. In these types of competitions, the phrasal verb 'go through' is commonly used to express when a player or participant has been successful and passes, or gets through, to the next round or final.
Simon didn't get through to the semi finals in the darts competition. He's really upset about it.
Do you think that the England team will get through to the final in the World Cup?
The young runner managed to get through the first round of the 800 metres but was eliminated in the next stage.
MEANING 5: To use all of something
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | British English |
Potential synonyms | To run out, to use up, to go through |
Separable? | No |
For our next meaning of 'get through', we are looking at one that is primarily used in British English, although I believe that it would be understood all over the anglophone world and it is means 'to use all of something', or alternatively, 'to use a lot of something'.
Typical nouns that this application is used with:
Supplies
Food
Money
Electricity and gas
Alcohol
This application tends to be used with things that we consume often, which we often run out of and then need to replenish, such as supplies, food or money. 'Get through' is typically used with these to express when we use all of an item, or a large or surprising amount of it.
My friend and I got through three bottles of wine last night! That's obviously why I have such a bad headache today.
Helen's teenage children get through a loaf of bread and two pints of milk every day.
London is a very expensive city and you can easily get through all of your holiday money if you're not careful whilst you visit.
How much electricity do you get through every week? We don't get through that much but our bill is always very high!
MEANING 6: To have a law accepted
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To push through, to be implemented, to enact |
Separable? | Yes |
The sixth meaning of 'get through' is 'to have a law accepted' and is slightly different to the other meanings that we have looked at so far as this one is only ever used in a separable way. Consequently, it takes a direct object which is the 'rule' or 'law' in question that is accepted or passed.
To clarify this meaning, if you get a law through, it means that you propose a law or piece of legislation and then do the necessary work to ensure that it is accepted and ratified by parliament or the relevant committee, council, commission or board. As you can imagine, this is mainly used in the world of politics and government at local, national and international levels, so you may not ever need to use it but it is useful to know just in case!
The politician worked tirelessly to get her law protecting single women through.
Despite all of their efforts, the government failed to get their new climate change legislation through as it was blocked by the opposition every time they tried.
MEANING 7: To manage to speak to someone on the phone
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CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To connect |
Separable? | No |
For our seventh meaning of 'get through', we are turning our attention to telephone calls as this one is 'to manage to speak to someone on the phone'.
Typical situations that this application is used in:
When phone lines are busy or engaged
When a phone call is unexpectedly answered
Despite it being easier than ever before to contact people by telephone in today's world, there are still times when we try to contact someone and we are unable to reach them. This could possibly be because the phone line is busy or the other person does not answer for whatever reason. In both of these instances, we can say that we didn't or couldn't get through when we tried to call them, as the call was not answered.
I've been calling Lisa all day and haven't been able to get through. I hope she is okay!
We had to call this number to book the tickets but we couldn't get through as the line was engaged.
Moreover, we don't just use 'get through' when we aren't able to speak to the desired person, but also when we do manage to speak to them. Often, as per usual with the verb 'get', there is usually an element of difficulty or surprise attached to this for example if other people have tried and failed to contact the person or if you have to wait a long time for the person to answer.
John was on the phone to the electrics company for thirty minutes before he finally got through to a representative.
I can't believe you had a problem getting through to the doctors surgery today. I didn't, I got through straight away when I called at 9am.
MEANING 8: To make someone understand something
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CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To make someone understand |
Separable? | Yes |
Last but not least, we have our eighth meaning of 'get through', which again is only used in a separable way. In addition, we require the extra preposition 'to', giving us the construction: 'to get something through to someone', which means 'to make someone understand something'.
Typical situations that this application is used in:
When someone refuses to believe something that is true
When someone does not understand something
When you want to convey a message to someone but they do not understand
The reason that I covered the telephone meaning in the last section was because it is a bit similar to this one, however instead of getting through to someone on the phone, you are instead getting through to their brain or mind. This usage is normally reserved for when someone refuses to believe something or just does not understand something and so it is therefore used most frequently when the speaker is annoyed or frustrated about this. What we ultimately want with this usage is for the other person to fully comprehend and understand something, often when it is something that will help them or be beneficial to them in some way.
I've tried telling my girlfriend that I will never cheat on her again but I can't seem to get it through to her and she still doesn't trust me.
The teacher has told the students many times about the dangers of smoking but she can't get it through to them.
I wish I could get it through to you that I don't care about you anymore.
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We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'get through'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
Very good and practical examples, especially that all the phrasal verns with "get" are difficult to learn by non native English speakers.