English Reference
Phrasal verb

get to

phrasal verb.
A1 Beginner Oxford

phrasal verb.To arrive at or reach a place.

phrasal verb.To arrive at or reach a specific destination. This transitive phrasal verb is inseparable.


SIMPLE

We get to the office at nine.

CONTEXTUAL

What time does your train get to London?

COMPLEX

After a long and difficult journey through the mountains, the explorers finally got to the hidden temple just as the sun was setting.

Usage

This phrase is almost always followed by a noun that is a place or destination.

Teaching tip

Contrast 'get to' (common, informal) with 'arrive at/in' (more formal); 'get to' is one of the most frequent ways to express arrival in spoken English.

Don't confuse

get to vs arrive at/in — Get to is the informal way to describe the journey's end, while arrive is the formal choice for reaching a destination.

Pitfall
I get the school at 8.I get to the school at 8.

The preposition 'to' is necessary to mean 'arrive at'; 'get' by itself means 'receive' or 'obtain'.

  • leave
  • depart from
  • set off from
Particles
to
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + to + object
This entry
Level A1 · Beginner
Updated