GET in English – Receive, Become, Understand & More! | Speak English with J & May — Transcript

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1. 0:00Making [music] English easy for
2. 0:02everyone.
3. 0:02>> Speak English with Jay and May.
4. 0:05>> Hey English learners. Welcome back to
5. 0:08Speak English with Jay and May, your
6. 0:11cozy little place to build your English
7. 0:14confidence. I'm May.
8. 0:16>> Hello May. And hello everyone. I'm Jay.
9. 0:19May. How are you doing today?
10. 0:21>> I'm doing great Jay. Actually, I just
11. 0:24got back from the grocery store and on
12. 0:27the way home, I got a little lost and
13. 0:30then I got so hungry, so I got some
14. 0:32noodles from a street stall.
15. 0:35>> Wait, you used got like four times just
16. 0:39now. Is that normal?
17. 0:41>> Yes, and that's exactly what we're
18. 0:43talking about today. Get. One tiny word
19. 0:47that does so many jobs in English.
20. 0:50>> Oh, wow. I always wondered why native
21. 0:53speakers say get all the time, like
22. 0:55everywhere.
23. 0:56>> Because it really is everywhere, Jay.
24. 1:00It's one of the most useful words in the
25. 1:02English language. And once you
26. 1:04understand it, your English will feel so
27. 1:07much more natural.
28. 1:08>> Okay, I'm already excited. But first,
29. 1:11May, can we tell our listeners something
30. 1:14real quick?
31. 1:14>> Oh, yes. If this podcast helps you learn
32. 1:18English in a fun and easy way, please
33. 1:21subscribe to our channel. Turn on
34. 1:23notifications and share us with a friend
35. 1:26who's also learning English. It really
36. 1:28means the world to us.
37. 1:30>> And leave us a comment below. We love
38. 1:32hearing from you. Okay, May. Let's get
39. 1:35into it. Did you see what I did there?
40. 1:38[laughter]
41. 1:39>> Perfect. You already used it. Let's get
42. 1:42into it. That's one use right there.
43. 1:45Okay, Jay, let me ask you something.
44. 1:48What do you think get means?
45. 1:51>> Um, I always thought it just means
46. 1:53receive, like I got a gift.
47. 1:56>> That's a great starting point. Yes, get
48. 1:59can mean receive, but here's the thing.
49. 2:02It has so many other meanings, too.
50. 2:05Native speakers use get to mean receive,
51. 2:08buy, become, understand, arrive, fetch,
52. 2:13and even more.
53. 2:15>> Wait, all of that from one word?
54. 2:18>> One tiny word.
55. 2:20Don't worry though, we're going to go
56. 2:22through the most important uses one by
57. 2:25one with real examples, easy ones.
58. 2:28>> Okay? Okay, let's start with the first
59. 2:31use.
60. 2:32>> All right. Use number one, get means to
61. 2:35receive something. Like, I got a text
62. 2:38message from my boss or she got a
63. 2:41birthday present.
64. 2:43>> Oh, that's easy. So, if someone gives me
65. 2:46something, I get it.
66. 2:48>> Exactly. You receive it. Simple. Now,
67. 2:52use number two, get means to buy or
68. 2:55obtain something. like I'm going to get
69. 2:59some coffee or can you get me some bread
70. 3:02from the store?
71. 3:03>> Oh, so get and buy can sometimes mean
72. 3:07the same thing.
73. 3:08>> Yes. In casual conversation, absolutely.
74. 3:11If I say I need to get a new phone, I
75. 3:15mean, I'm going to go buy one. Very
76. 3:18natural, very common.
77. 3:20>> That's so useful. I feel like I hear
78. 3:22that all the time now. You do because
79. 3:25native speakers use get instead of by
80. 3:28constantly in everyday talk. Now, here's
81. 3:31where it gets really interesting, Jay.
82. 3:34>> Ooh, what's the next one?
83. 3:35>> Use number three, get means to become.
84. 3:39This one is huge. Like, it's getting
85. 3:42cold outside or I got tired after the
86. 3:46meeting.
87. 3:46>> You mean like a change is happening?
88. 3:49>> Exactly. Get shows that something is
89. 3:53changing. She got angry. That means she
90. 3:56became angry. He got better after being
91. 4:00sick. He became better. I'm getting
92. 4:03hungry. I'm becoming hungry right now.
93. 4:06>> Oh wow. So get shows that something is
94. 4:09changing or moving from one state to
95. 4:12another.
96. 4:13>> Yes, you got it. And that you got it is
97. 4:17actually another use. It means you
98. 4:20understood.
99. 4:21>> Wait, so get also means to understand.
100. 4:25>> Yes. Use number four. Get means to
101. 4:29understand. Like, do you get what I'm
102. 4:31saying? Or I didn't get the joke or oh,
103. 4:36I get it now. [laughter]
104. 4:38>> I feel like I've said I don't get it so
105. 4:40many times in English class.
106. 4:42>> Everyone has, and that's perfectly
107. 4:44natural. It's a super casual way to say
108. 4:48I don't understand. You would never say
109. 4:50that in a formal essay, but in
110. 4:52conversation. Perfect.
111. 4:54>> Okay, so we have receive, buy, become,
112. 4:59and understand. What's next?
113. 5:02>> Use number five. Get means to arrive or
114. 5:05reach a place. Like, what time do you
115. 5:08get to work? Or we got home really late
116. 5:12last night. Oh, so get to means arrive
117. 5:16at.
118. 5:17>> Exactly. When did you get to the airport
119. 5:20means when did you arrive at the
120. 5:22airport. It's shorter, more casual, and
121. 5:25native speakers use it all the time.
122. 5:28>> That's so simple. I don't know why they
123. 5:30didn't teach us this in school,
124. 5:32[laughter]
125. 5:32>> right? School teaches you arrive. Real
126. 5:35life teaches you get there.
127. 5:37>> Okay, May, keep going. What's the next
128. 5:39use? Use number six, get means to fetch
129. 5:44something or go and bring it back. Like,
130. 5:46can you get me a glass of water? Or I
131. 5:49need to get my jacket from the car.
132. 5:52>> So, it's like go get something, right?
133. 5:55Go and bring it back.
134. 5:57>> Yes. Can you go get the kids from
135. 5:59school? Means go there, pick them up,
136. 6:02and bring them back. Very natural in
137. 6:05everyday family conversations.
138. 6:07>> Oh, I've heard that in movies. so many
139. 6:10times and never thought about it.
140. 6:13>> That's the thing about get. It's hiding
141. 6:16in plain sight everywhere.
142. 6:18>> Okay, wait. Is there more? Because this
143. 6:21is already a lot.
144. 6:23>> There's more. But don't worry, you're
145. 6:26doing amazing. Let's keep going. Use
146. 6:28number seven. Get means to catch
147. 6:31something like a bus, a train, a cold,
148. 6:35or even a criminal. Wait, you can get a
149. 6:39cold?
150. 6:40>> Yes, I got a cold last week. That means
151. 6:43you caught the cold. You became sick.
152. 6:46And did you get the bus means did you
153. 6:49catch the bus in time?
154. 6:51>> Oh, get a cold. So, it's like the cold
155. 6:55came to you and you received it, but you
156. 6:58didn't want it. [laughter]
157. 7:00>> Exactly. Nobody wants to get a cold, but
158. 7:04yes, it means the illness came to you.
159. 7:07Same with get a fever or get the flu.
160. 7:10>> This is wild. One word means so many
161. 7:14things.
162. 7:15>> And here's the interesting part, Jay. A
163. 7:17lot of these meanings actually connect
164. 7:19if you think about it. Something comes
165. 7:22to you. Whether it's a gift, a bus, or a
166. 7:25cold, you get it.
167. 7:27>> Oh, that actually makes sense. like
168. 7:30things moving toward you or reaching
169. 7:32you.
170. 7:33>> Yes, you're thinking like a native
171. 7:35speaker now. Okay, use number eight. And
172. 7:38this one is really fun. Get can mean to
173. 7:42cause something to happen or to make
174. 7:45someone do something
175. 7:46>> like make someone do something,
176. 7:49>> right? I'll get the mechanic to fix my
177. 7:52car. That means I will arrange for the
178. 7:55mechanic to fix it. Or can you get
179. 7:58someone to help us means can you arrange
180. 8:01for someone to help.
181. 8:03>> Oh, so it's like organizing or arranging
182. 8:06things.
183. 8:07>> Exactly. I need to get this done. I need
184. 8:11to make this happen. Get it completed.
185. 8:13Very common in work and daily life.
186. 8:16>> I feel like my boss says get it done all
187. 8:19the time. [laughter]
188. 8:21>> Every boss in the world says that. And
189. 8:24now you understand exactly what it
190. 8:26means.
191. 8:27>> Okay, May, what's next? I'm really
192. 8:29getting into this.
193. 8:30>> Yes, you're getting it. Okay, use number
194. 8:34nine, get plus an adjective to describe
195. 8:36a change in state or feeling. We touched
196. 8:39on this with become, but let me give you
197. 8:42more examples. Get ready, get dressed,
198. 8:45get lost, get started.
199. 8:48>> Oh, get ready means become ready. Yes.
200. 8:52Get ready means prepare yourself. Get
201. 8:55dressed means put on your clothes. Get
202. 8:58started means begin. These are commands
203. 9:01we use every single day.
204. 9:03>> Oh wow. Get lost. Does that mean become
205. 9:07lost or?
206. 9:09>> Well, it can mean actually become lost
207. 9:12like I got lost in the city. But as a
208. 9:15rude expression, if someone says get
209. 9:17lost to another person, it means go
210. 9:20away. Leave me alone. Very informal. A
211. 9:23little rude. Don't say it to your boss.
212. 9:26>> Okay. Noted. No. Get lost to the boss.
213. 9:31[laughter]
214. 9:31>> Please. Okay. Use number 10. Get in
215. 9:35phrasal verbs. This is where it gets
216. 9:37really powerful. Jay, when you add a
217. 9:39small word after get, the meaning
218. 9:42completely changes.
219. 9:43>> Like what? Can you give me some
220. 9:45examples?
221. 9:46>> Yes. Get up means to rise from bed or
222. 9:50stand up. Get over means to recover from
223. 9:53something like I got over my cold or
224. 9:56emotionally I got over the breakup.
225. 9:59>> Oh, so get over it means stop being
226. 10:02upset about something.
227. 10:04>> Exactly. Get over it. Move on. Stop
228. 10:07dwelling on it. And then get along means
229. 10:10to have a good relationship with
230. 10:12someone. Do you get along with your
231. 10:14co-workers?
232. 10:15>> Get along. I like that one. What about
233. 10:18get away?
234. 10:19>> Get away means to escape or go somewhere
235. 10:22for a break. I need to get away this
236. 10:24weekend means I need a little vacation.
237. 10:27A little escape from daily life.
238. 10:29>> Oh, that sounds nice, actually.
239. 10:32>> And get back means to return. What time
240. 10:35will you get back means what time will
241. 10:38you come back home?
242. 10:39>> Okay, I need to write all of these down.
243. 10:42Get up, get over, get along, get away,
244. 10:46get back. That's already five phrasal
245. 10:49verbs.
246. 10:50>> And there are so many more, but let's
247. 10:52focus on a few extra important ones. Get
248. 10:55on to board a vehicle. Get on the bus.
249. 10:59Get on the train.
250. 11:00>> And the opposite. Getting off.
251. 11:03>> Yes. Get off the bus. Get off at the
252. 11:06next stop. Same structure, opposite
253. 11:09direction. Super useful when you're
254. 11:11traveling.
255. 11:12>> This is actually so practical. I can use
256. 11:15these tomorrow.
257. 11:17>> That's the goal. And Jay, here's another
258. 11:19one. Get through. It means to survive
259. 11:23something difficult or to finish
260. 11:25something. I can't believe I got through
261. 11:28that exam. Or we'll get through this
262. 11:31hard time together.
263. 11:33>> Oh, that's kind of emotional, actually.
264. 11:35We'll get through this together.
265. 11:38>> It really is. It's a phrase of hope and
266. 11:40support. Very powerful in everyday
267. 11:43English.
268. 11:44>> What about get in touch? I've seen that
269. 11:47a lot in emails.
270. 11:48>> Yes, get in touch means to contact
271. 11:51someone. Please get in touch with me if
272. 11:54you have questions. It's used in both
273. 11:56casual and professional English.
274. 11:59>> Oh, nice. So, it's not too formal, not
275. 12:02too casual.
276. 12:03>> Exactly. It sits right in the middle.
277. 12:05Friendly, but professional. Perfect for
278. 12:08emails, messages, networking.
279. 12:10>> May, can we do some quick examples like
280. 12:13real life situations where you'd use
281. 12:16get?
282. 12:16>> Yes, let's do it. Imagine you wake up in
283. 12:20the morning. You get up, you get
284. 12:22dressed, you get some breakfast, and
285. 12:25then you get in your car or get on the
286. 12:27bus to go to work.
287. 12:29>> Oh, wow. You used get like five times in
288. 12:32one morning routine.
289. 12:34>> And that's completely natural. A native
290. 12:36speaker would say all of that without
291. 12:38even thinking about it. Now at work, did
292. 12:41you get my email? I need to get this
293. 12:44report done. Can you get a meeting set
294. 12:47up for Thursday?
295. 12:49>> Okay, that's literally every workday,
296. 12:52>> right? And then maybe after work, I'm
297. 12:55getting tired. Let's get something to
298. 12:58eat. I need to get home before it gets
299. 13:01dark.
300. 13:02>> Okay, I am genuinely amazed right now.
301. 13:05It's just everywhere. [laughter]
302. 13:07>> I told you. And once you start noticing
303. 13:10it, you can't stop. Jay, here's
304. 13:12something I want you to try. Imagine
305. 13:15you're telling a friend about your whole
306. 13:17day. Try to use get as many times as you
307. 13:21can.
308. 13:21>> Oh. Um, okay. I got up late. I got
309. 13:27dressed quickly. I got on the bus. I got
310. 13:30to the office. I got my coffee. I got
311. 13:33through all my meetings. I got tired. I
312. 13:36got home. And I got into bed. [laughter]
313. 13:40>> That was perfect. Seriously, Jay, you
314. 13:43just used get in nine different ways and
315. 13:46it all sounded completely natural.
316. 13:49>> I can't believe that. It just flowed
317. 13:52out.
318. 13:52>> That's how it works. Once you learn the
319. 13:55patterns, it becomes automatic. And that
320. 13:58is exactly the goal of learning English.
321. 14:00not to translate but to just let the
322. 14:03words flow.
323. 14:04>> Okay. But may I have one question. How
324. 14:07do I know which meaning of get to use
325. 14:10because there are so many?
326. 14:12>> Great question. The answer is context.
327. 14:16The words around get will always tell
328. 14:18you the meaning. Get cold. Temperature
329. 14:21is changing. Get a gift receiving
330. 14:24something. Get to the station arriving
331. 14:27somewhere. You don't need to memorize
332. 14:30all the meanings first. Just listen,
333. 14:32read, and the meaning becomes clear from
334. 14:35the situation.
335. 14:36>> That makes it less scary actually. I
336. 14:38don't have to memorize everything at
337. 14:40once.
338. 14:41>> Not at all. Start with a few, use them
339. 14:44every day, and the rest will come
340. 14:46naturally. That's how language works.
341. 14:49Not in a classroom, in real life.
342. 14:52>> You know, May, I feel like get is like
343. 14:54that one friend who can do everything.
344. 14:57Like, need a driver? Call that friend.
345. 15:00Need food? Call that friend. Need
346. 15:02emotional support? Call that friend.
347. 15:05[laughter]
348. 15:06>> That is such a perfect analogy. Get is
349. 15:09that incredibly versatile friend. It
350. 15:12shows up everywhere. It helps with
351. 15:14everything and everyone loves it.
352. 15:16>> And once you know that friend, life gets
353. 15:19so much easier. [laughter]
354. 15:21Did it again.
355. 15:24>> You're a natural. Okay, Jay, let's do a
356. 15:27quick roundup before we close. Can you
357. 15:29remember some of the uses we covered?
358. 15:32>> Okay, let me try. Get means receive,
359. 15:35buy, become, understand,
360. 15:39arrive, fetch, catch, cause something to
361. 15:44happen, and then all the phrasal verbs
362. 15:46like get up, get over, get along, get
363. 15:49away, get back, get through, get in
364. 15:53touch. That's incredible. You remembered
365. 15:56all of them. And listeners, if you
366. 15:58followed along today, you did amazing,
367. 16:01too.
368. 16:02>> Honestly, I feel so much more confident
369. 16:04about using get now. Before this, I was
370. 16:07kind of scared of it. Like, what if I
371. 16:09use the wrong meaning?
372. 16:11>> And now,
373. 16:12>> now I feel like just use it. The context
374. 16:15will make it clear.
375. 16:17>> That's exactly the right mindset. The
376. 16:20more you use it, the more natural it
377. 16:22becomes and you'll start noticing it
378. 16:25everywhere in songs, movies,
379. 16:28conversations, and even your own
380. 16:31thoughts in English.
381. 16:33>> May I have a little challenge for our
382. 16:35listeners?
383. 16:36>> Oh, yes. What is it?
384. 16:37>> Try to use get in five different ways
385. 16:41today. Just five. And come tell us in
386. 16:43the comments which ones you used.
387. 16:46>> I love that challenge. Drop your
388. 16:48sentences in the comments [music] below.
389. 16:50We would genuinely love to read them.
390. 16:53And here's our closing question for
391. 16:56today. Which use of get [music]
392. 16:58surprised you the most? Was it get
393. 17:01meaning understand or get meaning become
394. 17:06or one of the phrasal verbs?
395. 17:08>> Tell us in the comments. We're always
396. 17:10reading and we love hearing from you.
397. 17:13>> We hope you had as much fun with this
398. 17:15episode as we did. If you enjoy learning
399. 17:18English with us, please subscribe, turn
400. 17:21on the bell so you never miss a daily
401. 17:24episode, and share this with someone who
402. 17:26would love it.
403. 17:28>> Everyday, new English, new confidence,
404. 17:31new get. [laughter]
405. 17:34>> Love that. Thank you so much for
406. 17:36spending this time with us, English
407. 17:38learners. Keep going, keep learning, and
408. 17:41remember, [music]
409. 17:42you're getting better every single day.
410. 17:45>> See you tomorrow. [music] Bye everyone.
411. 17:47>> Bye.
412. 17:52[music]