got
- 01 A1 Beginner
the past tense of 'get', used when you received, bought, or reached something in the past.
the past tense and past participle of 'get', indicating past acquisition, arrival, or change of state.
Simple“I got a beautiful watch for my birthday last year.”
In context“After months of searching for a suitable replacement, the team finally got the approval they needed to proceed with the project.”
UsageIn American English, 'gotten' is the standard past participle, while 'got' is the past tense.
Teacher's tipRemind students that 'got' is often a more natural, informal choice than 'received' or 'purchased' in spoken English.
PitfallI have got a new car yesterday. I got a new car yesterday.Use the simple past 'got' for a specific finished time like 'yesterday'. 'Have got' is for the present.
- 02 A2 Elementary
used in the phrase 'have got' to say that you own or possess something right now.
used as a perfective form to indicate present possession or relationship; typically functions as 'have got'.
Simple“I've got two sisters and one brother.”
In context“The apartment has got a wonderful view of the park, which was the main reason we decided to sign the lease.”
UsageUsually follows 'have' or its contraction (e.g., 'I've got').
Teacher's tipExplain that 'I've got' and 'I have' mean the same thing, but 'I've got' is much more common in British English speech.
- 03 A2 Elementary
used in the phrase 'have got to' to show that you must do something.
used as a semi-modal auxiliary to express necessity or obligation.
Simple“I've got to finish this report before the meeting starts.”
In context“We have got to address these safety concerns immediately if we want to avoid a total shutdown of the facility.”
UsageFollowed by a base verb; often reduced to 'gotta' in very casual speech.
Teacher's tipIn very informal American English, the 'have' is sometimes dropped entirely (e.g., 'I got to go').
Synonymsmustneed to - 04 B1 Intermediate
used to say that you understand an idea or a joke.
used to indicate successful comprehension of a concept, instruction, or humorous point.
Simple“I didn't understand the math problem at first, but then I suddenly got it.”
In context“The manager explained the new filing system twice before the rest of the staff finally got the hang of it.”
UsageOften used as a short response: 'Got it.'
Teacher's tipThis is very common in workplace communication to confirm that instructions were heard and understood.
SynonymsAntonyms
got vs gotten — Gotten is the standard past participle in American English for obtaining or becoming, while British English uses got for all past participle functions.
Usage got a lot · got under way · got a better
Analogous to Chinese 有, such as Hokkien 有 (ū), Cantonese 有 (jau⁵), Mandarin 有 (yǒu). Sense 1 is also comparable to Malay ada.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.