English irregular verbs, past tense of Get: Get - Got - Got/Gotten

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Get is one of the most common verbs in English. What is Get? How is the past tense of Get conjugated? Let's explore this with PREP below!

I. What is Get?
II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Get? The past tense of Get in English
III. How to conjugate the verb Get
1. 1. In tenses
2. 2. In special sentence structures
IV. Phrasal verbs with Get in English
V. Idioms with Get in English
VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Get with answers
1. 1. Exercise: Conjugate the verb Get in the correct tense in parentheses
2. 2. Answer key

I. What is Get?

Before we explore how to conjugate Get past form, let's understand the meaning of Get with PREP!

Get is pronounced /ɡet/ and functions as a verb, with the following meanings:

Meaning	Example
To receive something that is given, sent, or paid	I got a gift from my friend.
To obtain something in exchange for money; to purchase	I need to get some groceries.
To begin to be; to grow to be or develop into something; to undergo a change	It's getting cold outside.
To grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something; to comprehend	Do you get what I'm saying?
To reach a particular place or destination; to come to a location	What time will we get to the station?
To hold or support while moving; to transport from one place to another	Can you get me a glass of water?

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Get? The past tense of Get in English

What is the past tense of Get? V0, V2, V3 are abbreviations for: Base form, Past simple of Get, and Past participle. Let's take a closer look at V0, V2, V3 of Get in the table below!

Verb form		Example
V0	Get(s) /ɡet/	I get a cold today.
V2	Got /ɡɑːt/	I got a cold yesterday.
V3	Got /ɡɑːt/ or Gotten /ˈɡɑː.t̬ən/	I have got a cold since I traveled to Japan 4 days ago.

Get past tense and past participle are: Get in past simple is Got and Get past participle form is Got or Gotten. Therefore, past perfect of Get is Had Got.

III. How to conjugate the verb Get

How is the verb Get conjugated in the 12 tenses of English and special structures? Let’s explore the past perfect tense of Get below!

1. In tenses

12 tenses in English	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	get	gets	get
	I get up early every day. He gets a lot of emails at work. They get tired after a long working day.
Present progressive tense	am getting	is getting	are getting
	I am getting ready for the meeting. He is getting better at playing the guitar. They are getting dressed for the party.
Present perfect tense	have gotten	has gotten	have gotten
	I have gotten a promotion at work. He has gotten good grades this semester. They have gotten new jobs recently.
Present perfect progressive tense	have been getting	has been getting	have been getting
	I have been getting better at time management. He has been getting ready for his exam all week. They have been getting help from their teacher for months.
Past simple tense	got	got	got
	I got a new phone last week. He got lost in the city yesterday. They got married last year.
Past progressive tense	was getting	was getting	were getting
	I was getting ready when you called. He was getting dressed when the doorbell rang. They were getting on the bus when it started raining.
Past perfect tense	had gotten	had gotten	had gotten
	I had gotten home before it started raining. He had gotten the news before we arrived. They had gotten their tickets before the concert sold out.
Past perfect progressive tense	had been getting	had been getting	had been getting
	I had been getting ready for an hour before the event. He had been practicing for 3 months before the performance. They had been getting advice from a coach for weeks before the game.
Future simple tense	will get	will get	will get
	I will get a new job soon. He will get the report done by tomorrow. They will get their results next week.
Future progressive tense	will be getting	will be getting	will be getting
	I will be getting ready when you arrive. He will be getting on the train at 5 PM. They will be getting dinner when we call.
Future perfect tense	will have gotten	will have gotten	will have gotten
	I will have gotten the documents by the end of the day. He will have gotten the job offer by next week. They will have gotten married by this time next year.
Future perfect progressive tense	will have been getting	will have been getting	will have been getting
	I will have been getting ready for an hour by the time the event starts. He will have been getting better at tennis after months of practice. They will have been getting training for years by the time they graduate.

2. In special sentence structures

Special structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional sentences
Second conditional - Main Clause	got	got	got
Second conditional - Main Clause	If I got more sleep, I would get more work done. If he got a promotion, he would get a higher salary. If they got better equipment, they would get the job done faster.
Third conditional - Main Clause	had gotten	had gotten	had gotten
Third conditional - Main Clause	If I had gotten up earlier, I would have gotten to the meeting on time. If they had gotten more funding, they would have gotten the project finished sooner. If they had gotten a head start, they would have gotten ahead of their competitors.
Subjunctive Mood
Subjunctive expressing present situation	get	get	get
Subjunctive expressing present situation contrary to fact	would get	would get	would get
Subjunctive expressing past situation contrary to fact	would have gotten	would have gotten	would have gotten
Example	They insist that they need to get more training for the new system. If he got a better job, he would get paid more. If I had gotten up earlier, I would have gotten to the meeting on time.

IV. Phrasal verbs with Get in English

After learning about the concept and how to conjugate the past tense of Get, let's quickly go over the list of phrasal verbs with Get in English below!

Phrasal verb with Get	Meaning	Example
Get up	To rise from bed after sleeping; to stand up	I usually get up at 6 AM.
Get along (with)	To have a friendly and harmonious relationship with someone; to be on good terms	She gets along well with her coworkers.
Get over	To recover from something difficult, such as an illness, hardship, or emotional upset; to overcome	It took him months to get over the breakup.
Get by	To manage to live or survive, especially in difficult circumstances, such as financial hardship or challenging situations	It's hard to get by on such a low salary.
Get rid of	To remove or eliminate something; to dispose of	I need to get rid of these old clothes.

V. Idioms with Get in English

In addition to the knowledge about the past tense of Get mentioned above, let's list the idioms with Get in English below!

Idioms with Get	Meaning	Example
Get the ball rolling	To begin a process or activity; to initiate action.	Let's get the ball rolling on this project as soon as possible.
Get a kick out of something	To take great pleasure or enjoyment from something; to find joy or amusement in someone or something	I get a kick out of watching old comedy movies.
Get cold feet	To feel frightened or anxious about doing something important, often leading to hesitation or withdrawal	She got cold feet right before the wedding.
Get the hang of something	To learn how to use something or to become accustomed to doing something; to acquire the necessary skills or understanding.	It took me a while to get the hang of using this software.
Get out of hand	To become unruly or difficult to control; to escalate beyond manageable limits.	The party got out of hand when too many people showed up.

VI. Exercises on applying the past tense of Get with answers

To better understand the past tense of Get in English, let's complete the exercises below with PREP!

1. Exercise: Conjugate the verb Get in the correct tense in parentheses

I __________ (get) a new car every two years.
Jane __________ (get) ready for school right now.
They __________ (get) a lot of experience since they started working here.
If I __________ (get) the promotion, I would be happier.
By the time you arrive, I __________ (get) everything prepared.
We __________ (get) along well when we were younger.
When the storm hit, they __________ (get) home safely.
Jack __________ (get) better at tennis after months of practice.
They __________ (get) tired of waiting for hours last night.
By this time next year, they __________ (get) married.

2. Answer key

get
is getting
have gotten
got
will have gotten

got
had gotten
has been getting
got
will have gotten

In this article, PREP has answered the question "What is the past tense of Get?" and provided additional information about the concept, phrasal verbs, and idioms with Get. Be sure to follow PREP regularly for more useful English knowledge!

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