A detailed explanation of how to use the phrasal verb 'get off' correctly like a native speaker.
Hello and welcome to this instalment of Phrasal Verbs Explained; a blog which aims to help you understand English phrasal verbs in a clear and coherent way, so that you can use them to improve your language level and sound more like a native speaker.
This post is all about the phrasal verb 'to get off'. It is my first post to focus on a phrasal verb with the verb 'to get', which is a verb with a large number of meanings and usages. My original plan was to try and fit all of the different meanings of 'get off' into one post, but there are just too many and therefore I thought it would be better to give you the information in two separate parts. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the phrasal verb 'to get off'....
KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 11 |
Literal meaning | Yes |
Idiomatic meaning | Yes |
Separable | Yes |
Past forms | Got / gotten off / Got / gotten off |
British or American | Both |
For more explanation of the terms in the table above, click here
MEANING 1: Literal
​CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
​Separable | No |
​Potential synonyms | ​To alight, to disembark, to get down |
As learners of English, I am sure that you will be aware that the verb 'to get' is used extensively by native speakers and it probably seems that it can be used to express almost anything in English, especially in spoken language.
It is true that we love the verb 'to get' and we use it all the time because it is so versatile and has such a large number of meanings. This also means that there are also many phrasal derived from the verb 'get', which often have several meanings or more.
The meaning of 'get' that is relevant for this first section means to arrive at or reach a particular place.
Examples of usage....
I want to get home before 7pm this evening.
My flight got to Paris on time.
When we combine this meaning of 'get' with the prepositional particle 'off', the literal meaning that it gives us is to reach, or arrive at, a particular place that is no longer on something. To put this another way, this means to no longer be physically on something that holds or supports us.
As I imagine you will already know, this form is very commonly used to talk about leaving or exiting public transport, (hopefully) when you reach your destination.
Examples of usage....
When we got off the airplane in London, we were shocked at how cold it was.
Get ready, we have to get off the train at the next station.
Please be reminded that you can only use 'get off' for public transport that you can be on. See the list on the 'carry on' post for more information on this.
Apart from forms of transport, the phrasal verb 'get off' is used very commonly with any nouns that we use 'on' with. This would either be things that support or hold us e.g. a sofa or a stage, or surfaces with which something has physical contact e.g. a blanket.
Examples of usage....
My Dad has hurt his back and he finds it difficult to get off the sofa.
I felt sick when I got off the roller coaster!
My cat was sitting on my pink towel and refused to get off!
MEANING 2: Literal (with a direct object)
CEFR Language Level | A2 - Elementary |
Usage | Common |
​Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To remove, to take off |
The second meaning that we are looking at of 'get off' is not a different meaning to the first one, but rather the same meaning with the addition of a direct object. In other words, in this meaning we are talking about removing something (direct object) that is on an object or surface. We do not want the thing to be on the object or surface and the end result is that it no longer is. This can either be physically removing it or making it move somehow (asking, shouting, threatening etc).
As there is a direct object in this case, this form of 'get off' is separable and the direct object needs to go between get and off.
Examples of usage....
I have been trying to get the cat off my pink towel for 10 minutes and he is refusing to move!
Get your dirty hands off the clean sheets!
Since the use of 'on' is so widespread in English, 'get off' can be used in many different situations and with many different potential nouns in this way.
Common examples of this usage would be telling cats or children to get off an item of
furniture, getting the top off a bottle or someone getting the snow off their car in the morning so that they can drive it.
Examples of usage....
Get everything off the table please, it is time for dinner!
I've broken my arm, can someone please help me get my coat off?
The theatre security guards got the imposter off the stage very quickly!
It is also very common to use "get off!" in an imperative form, when asking or telling a person to take their hands off you or to stop physically touching something.
EXTRA TIPS TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER
In many cases this literal meaning of 'get off' is very similar to the phrasal verb 'to take off', however there is a difference in how they are used which you should be aware of.
We tend to use 'take off' in positive statements or when there is no difficulty or problem removing the item. In contrast, we use 'get off' with questions and negative statements or when there is a perceived difficulty or problem removing the item.
Consider the following examples....
I normally take my shoes off before I enter my house, but today my laces were so tight that I could not get them off!
Helen spent 10 minutes trying to get the petrol cap on her car off, which was strange as she can normally take it off in a few seconds.
IDIOM ALERT
So, before we continue on to look at the idiomatic meanings, I want to make you aware of some commonly used expressions and idioms with 'get off' and parts of the body....
To get something off your chest = To say something to someone that you have wanted to say for a long time. This is usually something that you have been reluctant to say in the past as it may be controversial or cause an argument.
Example of usage....
I need to talk to you and get a few things off my chest
To get your mind off something = In English if something is on our mind, it means it is worrying us and we can't stop thinking about it. It is normally a good idea to do something entertaining or interesting to stop us thinking about it. This is what we call getting your mind off something.
Example of usage....
I had a long walk by the river earlier which really helped me to get my mind off things.
To get off someone's back = To leave someone alone if you have been criticising or pressuring them to do something. This is often used by the person to tell the person criticising or pressuring them to stop. An alternative to this is to get off someone's case.
Examples of usage....
I just wish my parents would get off my back and stop telling me to get a job.
My boss is driving me mad, I wish he would get off my case!
MEANING 3: To leave (idiomatic)
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper Intermediate |
​Usage | Moderate |
Separable | No |
Potential synonyms | Set off, Leave, Go, Get going |
The first idiomatic meaning of 'to get off' that we are going to look at is the usage meaning to leave a place to start a journey.
This is something that native speakers will often use in informal spoken English, often when they are talking about leaving somewhere to go home.
It is sometimes used in a continuous form with 'had better be' to indicate that it is time to leave a place or that the person has stayed somewhere later than they had planned.
Examples of usage....
I think I will get off now as I want to avoid rush hour. INTENDED MEANING: I think I will leave now so that I don't get stuck in traffic during rush hour.
Look at the time! I didn't realise it was so late, we had better be getting off! INTENDED MEANING: It is later than I realised so we should leave.
MEANING 4: To finish work (idiomatic)
​CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper Intermediate |
​Usage | ​Moderate |
Separable | ​No |
Potential synonyms | Leave, finish, clock off |
Our next meaning of 'get off' is to leave work, normally at the end of the day at your agreed finishing time. You could also use it to say that you are finishing at an earlier time than usual, however we do not use it to say that we are leaving a job or stopping working for a company.
It is common to use the word 'work' here, but it is not absolutely necessary as people understand from the context that we are talking about work.
Examples of usage....
I get off work at 4 o'clock today, so I could meet you after that. INTENDED MEANING: I finish work at 4 o'clock so I will be available to meet you after that time.
What time do you get off today? INTENDED MEANING: What time do you finish work today?
MEANING 5: To have time off from work (idiomatic)
​CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper Internmediate |
Usage | Moderate |
Separable | Yes |
Potential synonyms | To take time off |
Staying on the theme of work, we can also use 'get off' when talking about taking annual leave or holiday from our job. This is often when we are not yet sure if we can take the time off and we need to check with our manager to see if it is possible.
When we use it this way we need a direct object such as 'a day' or 'time'.
Examples of usage....
I need to get the day off tomorrow as I have to take my wife to the hospital. INTENDED MEANING: I need to take a holiday day tomorrow in order to take my wife to the hospital (but I do not know yet if it will be possible).
Helen asked her boss if she could get some time off but her request was denied. INTENDED MEANING: Helen's request to have annual leave from work was not accepted.
MEANING 6: To receive a less severe or no punishment (idiomatic)
CEFR Language Level | ​C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Moderate |
Separable | Sometimes |
The next usage of 'get off' is one that we use specifically for criminals and it relates to the punishment that they receive for their crimes.
If we want to say that a criminal avoids punishment completely or receives a punishment that is less severe than expected, we can use the phrasal verb 'get off' to express this.
Here, the additional preposition 'with' is required to say what the lesser punishment is that the criminal receives.
Example of usage....
The murderer was found guilty in court but somehow got off with a sentence of 15 years instead of the recommended 25 years. INTENDED MEANING: The court found the murderer to be guilty but gave him a lesser punishment than people suggested he should have received.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE
It is also to use this form of 'get off' with the criminal as the direct object and normally a lawyer as the subject. We use this when we want to say that a criminal received a lesser punishment or no punishment at all due to the intervention of the lawyer.
Example of usage....
Roger is such a good lawyer; yesterday at the trial he managed to get the entire criminal gang off. INTENDED MEANING: At yesterday's court case, Roger's work ensured that all of the criminal gang avoided a court sentence.
Finally, I just want to make you aware of the expression 'to get off lightly', which means to receive a punishment that is less severe than expected or deserved.
SPEAK LIKE A NATIVE: TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF HOW 'TO GET OFF' IS USED BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS
Get off the [noun] and give me a hand!
Please get your hands off [noun].
Get off me!
We need to get off the [public transport] here.
I should be getting off now, it's late.
I can't get my [item of clothing] off.
I've got the day off today.
Did you manage to get the week off for our holiday?
He got off very lightly, in my opinion.
EXERCISE
Re-write the following sentences using 'to get off':
We have to alight the train at London King's Cross station.
The lid on the beer bottle is stuck fast, I can't remove it!
I am not going to finish work until 6.30pm today and it looks like I am not going to be able to have annual leave tomorrow either!
It's 4.45pm, so I think I should leave now to avoid the rush hour traffic.
When Lisa listens to classical music it makes her forget all about the stress of her job.
The fraudster was sentenced to 3 months in prison; a punishment that was much less severe than everybody had predicted.
THE EXERCISE ANSWERS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN PART 2 COMING NEXT WEEK
So, that brings us to the end of 'get off' part 1. I hope that all of this information has not been too overwhelming. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the post and I sincerely hope that it has helped you a little bit further on your English learning journey.
If you found the post useful, please like and share it, so together we can help as many English learners as possible to understand and master these tricky phrasal verbs.
Also, please leave any comments, questions, suggestions or examples of 'get off' below. I really love reading them. See you next time!