Phrasal verb
Get over
What does 'get over' mean?
'Get over' means recover from an illness or feel better after an upsetting experience. For example, 'Tom is getting over a stomach bug, so he is resting at home.' Use 'getting over' when recovery continues, 'got over' for a past recovery, and 'be over' when recovery has finished.
Key points
- 'Get over' describes physical or emotional recovery.
- Put the illness, experience, or person after 'over'.
- Use 'getting over' while recovery is continuing.
- Use 'got over' for a finished past recovery.
Can you use "Get over" yourself?
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Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Watch & learn
Get over
Use get over for gradual physical or emotional recovery without implying that every recovery is quick or complete.
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! we get over, to
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The full explanation
Get over means recover: become well or feel better again after an illness or an upsetting experience.
Elena is still getting over a cold, so she listens at choir rehearsal.
Why it works: Getting over shows that recovery is continuing.
2 more examples
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Marcus took several weeks to get over missing the audition.
Get over can describe feeling better after a disappointment.
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They were sad after the breakup, but they eventually got over it.
The pronoun it comes after over.
Read the full guide
Use get over for illness or an upsetting experience
Use get over when someone recovers from an illness or begins to feel better after something upsetting. Recover means become well or feel better again. You can talk about a cold, bad news, a job rejection, or the end of a relationship. The phrase does not say how long recovery takes. In daily conversation, get over is a natural alternative to recover from.
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Marco rested because he was still getting over a cold.
Why it works: He is recovering from an illness.
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Elena needed a few days to get over missing the audition.
Why it works: She is recovering from disappointment.
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They broke up last summer, and it took him months to get over her.
Why it works: Get over someone can describe emotional recovery after a relationship ends.
Your turn
Which sentence talks about recovering from a mild illness?
Answer: She is getting over a cough this week.
Show the answer
Answer: She is getting over a cough this week.
Get over means recover from an illness such as a cough.
Choose getting over for recovery in progress and be over for the resulting state
Choose the verb form by looking at the time. Use getting over while recovery is continuing. Use got over for a finished recovery in the past. Use be over for the finished state. The phrase does not set a deadline. Feeling better after an upsetting event also does not mean that a person has forgotten it.
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Carlos is still getting over an infection, so he is taking things slowly.
Why it works: Getting over shows recovery in progress.
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By Sunday, she was over the cold.
Why it works: Be over describes the finished state.
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Both brothers got over their illness before the trip.
Why it works: Got over places the recovery in the past.
This also comes up in Get by and Nag.
Your turn
Which sentence says that recovery has finished?
Answer: Leo is over his cold now.
Show the answer
Answer: Leo is over his cold now.
Be over describes the finished state of recovery.
Keep the illness, experience or person after over
Keep get over together when you mean recover. Put the illness, experience, person, or pronoun after over: "get over the cold" and "get over it." Do not put the object between get and over. "Get it over with" is a different phrase. It means finish an unpleasant task so that it is no longer waiting for you.
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I know the rejection hurts, but you will get over it.
Why it works: It comes after over.
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We need to clean the garage, so let us get it over with.
Why it works: Get it over with means finish a task.
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Incorrect: She wanted to get the disappointment over quickly.
Why it works: For recovery, do not put the object between get and over.
Your turn
Which sentence uses get over correctly for recovery?
Answer: He had a rough week, but he got over it.
Show the answer
Answer: He had a rough week, but he got over it.
For recovery, the pronoun follows over: got over it.
Use got over for the past and get over after did
Use got over in a simple past statement. After did or didn't, use the base form get over. With have or has, American English often uses gotten. British and Australian English often use got. Both forms are common in their own varieties. Still says that recovery continues. Yet in a question asks whether recovery has finished, and in a negative sentence says that it has not finished.
| Time | Form | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | get / gets over | She gets over colds quickly. | Add -s with he, she, or it. |
| In progress | getting over | I am still getting over a cold. | Use be + getting over. |
| Past | got over | He got over the illness last week. | Use got in a past statement. |
| Present perfect | have/has got over or gotten over | She has gotten over it (US). | UK and Australian English often use got here. |
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Did your sister get over that headache before the concert?
Why it works: After did, use the base form get over.
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I didn't get over the news until I talked to my adviser.
Why it works: After didn't, use the base form get over.
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Has your roommate gotten over the flu yet?
Why it works: Gotten is common in American English after has. Yet asks if recovery has finished.
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She hasn't gotten over it yet.
Why it works: Yet says the recovery has not finished.
Your turn
Which past question is correct?
Answer: Did you get over your cold before the flight?
Show the answer
Answer: Did you get over your cold before the flight?
After did, use the base form get over.
Recognise surprise in can't get over and movement in get over a wall
Get over can have three meanings. With a price, it can express surprise. With a breakup, it can describe emotional recovery that is still difficult. With a wall, it can mean move across it. The words after get over show the meaning. Use the recovery meaning in your own practice first.
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I can't get over the price of those tickets.
Why it works: This means I am very surprised by the price.
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He still can't get over the breakup.
Why it works: This means he is still finding emotional recovery difficult.
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The hikers got over the wall and followed the path.
Why it works: This means they moved across a barrier.
Your turn
What does "I can't get over the price of this phone" mean?
Answer: The speaker is very surprised by the price.
Show the answer
Answer: The speaker is very surprised by the price.
With a price, can't get over usually expresses surprise.
Avoid Get over it! when someone needs support
Get over is ordinary in conversation, but the command form can sound rude when a person is ill, sad, or disappointed. It can suggest that their feelings should end immediately. Choose words that give the person time instead. A calm response can offer time or a chance to talk. Recover from is also useful in formal or medical writing.
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Dismissive: You missed the role, so just get over it!
Why it works: This can sound impatient.
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Supportive: Missing that role hurts. Take the time you need.
Why it works: This recognizes the person's feelings.
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Formal: The patient took several months to recover from surgery.
Why it works: Recover from fits a formal health report.
Your turn
Which reply is kind to a disappointed friend?
Answer: Take the time you need to feel better.
Show the answer
Answer: Take the time you need to feel better.
This reply gives support without telling the person to hurry.
Hear get over as a connected phrase in six short dictations
In quick speech, get over may sound like one connected phrase. In many American accents, the t in get can sound like a quick light tap before the vowel in over. In British and Australian speech, the connection may sound different. Listen for the whole phrase and its meaning instead of waiting for one clear t sound.
In connected speech, listen to the words around get over as well as the sounds. A cold, bad news, or a breakup points to recovery. A price can point to surprise. A wall or fence can point to movement. In a past sentence, got over may be followed by the problem. In a continuing sentence, still can come before getting over.
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I hope you get over your cold soon.
Why it works: Listen for get over as one connected group.
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He got over it after some time.
Why it works: The phrase can move quickly into it.
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She is getting over an illness.
Why it works: Listen to the rhythm of getting over.
Your turn
What is a useful way to hear get over in fast speech?
Answer: Listen for the full phrase and its meaning.
Show the answer
Answer: Listen for the full phrase and its meaning.
Connected speech can make individual sounds less clear, so listen for the phrase.
Recall get over to explain a recovery and write a supportive reply
Try these four retrieval tasks before you read the model answers. They help you choose the meaning, keep the words in the right order, build a question, and reply with care. The examples are new practice sentences. They are not dictation answers. Read each full sentence and decide what get over means before you choose or write.
1. Meaning: Which sentence uses get over for recovery? A: I can't get over the price of the hotel. B: Nina needed time to get over the disappointment. C: They got over the fence before sunset. 2. Repair: Correct this sentence: "After the bad news, Omar got it over slowly." 3. Build: Put these cues in order: [ did / you / get over / the cold / before Monday? ] 4. Reply: Complete a two-line exchange. A: "Are you coming to the club meeting?" B: Explain that you are still getting over a cold and say what you can do today.
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1. B: Nina needed time to get over the disappointment.
Why it works: Get over the disappointment means recover emotionally. A is surprise about a price, and C is movement across a fence.
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2. After the bad news, Omar got over it slowly.
Why it works: For recovery, put it after over.
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3. Did you get over the cold before Monday?
Why it works: After did, use the base form get over.
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4. A: Are you coming to the club meeting? B: I will join online today because I am still getting over a cold. I hope to come in next week.
Why it works: The reply uses getting over for recovery in progress and gives a clear plan.
Your turn
Which reply is supportive and uses get over correctly?
Answer: I know you are disappointed. Take your time to get over it, and call me if you want to talk.
Show the answer
Answer: I know you are disappointed. Take your time to get over it, and call me if you want to talk.
The reply uses get over it correctly and gives the person time and support.
Other meanings of "get over"
This lesson practises one meaning. You may also hear these.
Express surprise about something, especially a price.
I cannot get over the cost of lunch.
Move across or past a barrier.
The children got over the fence safely.
Common mistakes with "get over"
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
He is getting it over a fever.Say: He is getting over a fever.
Keep the phrasal verb together; put the illness after 'over'.
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Not this:
Did you got over the disappointment?Say: Did you get over the disappointment?
After 'did', use the base form 'get', not 'got'.
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Not this:
They got over with it after the breakup.Say: They got over it after the breakup.
For recovery, the pronoun comes directly after 'over'; 'get it over with' has a different meaning.
Use it naturally
How people really use “get over”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- get over a coldI need some rest to get over a cold.
- get over a breakupIt can take time to get over a breakup.
- get over the disappointmentTalking to a friend helped me get over the disappointment.
What people also say
- “I'm still getting over a cold.” instead of “I am still in the process of recovering from a cold.”The shorter version sounds natural in everyday conversation.
Questions about "Get over"
Does get over mean recover?
Yes. In everyday English, get over means recover from an illness or feel better after an upsetting experience. Recover from is also common, especially in formal writing.
She needed a few days to get over the infection.
He got over the shock of losing his job.
Do I say get over it or get it over?
Say get over it when you mean recover. Keep get over together, with it after over. Get it over with means finish an unpleasant task.
It was a difficult loss, but the team got over it.
Let us finish the paperwork and get it over with.
What is the difference between getting over a cold and being over it?
Getting over a cold describes recovery in progress. Being over a cold says the recovery has finished.
I am still getting over a cold, so my energy is low.
Now that I am over the cold, I can run again.
Should I say have got over or have gotten over?
Both are correct. American English often uses have gotten over. British and Australian English often use have got over. Both use got for the simple past.
In Chicago, someone might say, 'I have gotten over my fever.'
In London, you may hear, 'I have got over my fever.'
What does I can't get over it mean?
Context decides the meaning. It can show surprise about a fact or price. It can also mean that a person is still finding emotional recovery difficult.
I cannot get over how expensive these tickets are.
He cannot get over the breakup yet.
Is it rude to tell someone to get over it?
It often sounds blunt or impatient because it tells a person to stop feeling upset. In a supportive conversation, offer patience instead.
Telling a grieving coworker to get over it can cause offense.
You could say, 'Take the time you need.'
Before you go
Remember this
Use get over for physical or emotional recovery. Put the noun or pronoun after over. Choose getting over while recovery continues, and use kind words when someone is having a hard time.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
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Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- Marcus took several weeks to get over missing the audition.
- They were sad after the breakup, but they eventually got over it.
Read the transcript
I need a few days to get over a cold.
Get over means recover. Here it follows to and comes before a cold.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- For 'to,' listen for the short, light sound 'tuh' before 'get over.'
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- Marcus took several weeks to get over missing the audition.
- They were sad after the breakup, but they eventually got over it.
Read the transcript
She was upset yesterday, but she got over it.
Got over shows past recovery. It comes before it.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In 'over it,' listen for 'ove-rit,' with the r joining the start of 'it.'
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In 'over it,' listen for 'ove-rit,' with the r joining the start of 'it.'
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- Marcus took several weeks to get over missing the audition.
- They were sad after the breakup, but they eventually got over it.
Read the transcript
Maria came to the choir practice early, but she is still getting over an illness and will only listen today.
Still getting over shows that recovery is continuing.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In 'getting over,' listen for 'gettin-gover,' with no pause between the words.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In 'getting over,' listen for 'gettin-gover,' with no pause between the words.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In 'getting over,' listen for 'gettin-gover,' with no pause between the words.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
- Marcus took several weeks to get over missing the audition.
- They were sad after the breakup, but they eventually got over it.
Read the transcript
Julian was sad when another person won the promotion, but he knew that remaining bitter would not help. He took a long walk by the lake to clear his head, and he got over a painful moment with quiet grace. By Monday morning he was ready to help his coworkers with a positive plan.
Got over says Julian started to feel better after disappointment.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In 'got over,' listen for 'go-tover,' with the final t joining the start of 'over.'
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In 'got over,' listen for 'go-tover,' with the final t joining the start of 'over.'
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In 'got over,' listen for 'go-tover,' with the final t joining the start of 'over.'
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Save my progressStage 3 of 5
Speak
Say it with the speaker, then use it in your own answer.
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Say it along with the speaker
I need a few days to get over a cold.
Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Your sister failed her driving test and wants to stop learning. Speak to her for 30 to 60 seconds from memory. Explain how you can help her get over the disappointment and make a gentle plan for trying again.
Use: get over getting over
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0:00
Hear how someone else might say it
I know you feel bad about your driving test. You worked hard, and this was a big disappointment. It may take a few days to get over it, so we don't need to book another test today. While you're getting over this disappointment, we can do something fun together. How about a movie tonight? When you feel ready, we can talk about what was difficult. Then you can practice those things with your teacher. I'll help you make a plan, and you can choose when to try again.
Try once more and answer this: What could you do together before her next test?
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Write
Put it in your own words
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- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
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