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Everyday English · People & feelings

Get on with

Have a friendly relationship with someone.

You have a friendly or comfortable relationship with someone. You can work, talk or spend time together without frequent disagreement.

Plain-English lessonVisual explanation3 practice steps

01 · Picture the situation

Understand it in three steps

Cartoon of two friendly classmates sharing ideas and helping each other with a workbook.
Picture the meaningThe classmates get on well with each other.
01Two people meet
02They talk and cooperate
03A friendly relationship

Imagine this: You have a new classmate. You enjoy talking, share ideas and help each other. You get on well with your classmate.

02 · Hear it in everyday life

Examples you can use

Three natural sentences

  1. I get on well with my neighbours.
  2. She got on with her new team from the start.
  3. Do you get on with your classmates?

A short conversation

PERSON AHow is your new roommate?
PERSON BFriendly. We get on really well with each other.

Read the conversation aloud. Then swap roles and try it again without looking.

03 · Build your sentence

How to use get on with

Keep the person after with: get on with Maya / get on with her. Well often goes before with: get on well with her. Do not move the person into the middle.

BASE FORMget on with
PAST SIMPLEgot on with
AFTER HAVE / HASgot on with (UK) / gotten on with (US)

The base form is used after can, will and to. The past simple describes a finished past event. The third form follows have or has, for example when connecting an earlier action to now.

A common mistake to avoid

Use thisI get on with them.
Avoid this in this meaningI get them on with.

This three-word expression stays together before its object. Them comes after with.

Do not confuse it: Get on with someone is common in British English. Get along with someone is another common expression, especially in American English. Both describe a relationship.

Does it have another meaning?

Get on with something can mean continue or start doing a task: “Get on with your work.” A person and a task lead to different meanings.

Learn the meaning and sentence pattern together. Small words such as up and off do not have one fixed meaning in every expression.

04 · Make it stick

Try it for yourself

Choose an answer before opening the explanation. Then make a sentence about your own life.

1. You and your neighbour have a friendly relationship. You…
  1. get on well with your neighbour
  2. pick your neighbour on
  3. hand your neighbour in
Check answer 1

A. get on well with your neighbour

Get on well with describes a good relationship.

2. I get on well ___.
  1. them with
  2. with them
  3. on them
Check answer 2

B. with them

Keep the person after with: with them.

3. Your turn

Who do you get on well with, and why?

See a possible model and self-check

I get on well with my neighbours.

This is one model, not the only correct answer. Check that your sentence uses the meaning taught here, the right verb form and the word order above. Change the person, place or time to make it your own.