Translation guide
The English phrasal verb 'get to' has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common uses for learners: arriving at a place, having the opportunity or permission to do something, starting to do something, bothering or affecting someone emotionally, and reaching a point or stage. Each meaning is explained with natural Japanese equivalents.
Expressing physical arrival at a destination.
The most common and neutral verb for arriving at a place. Used with the particle に for the destination.
駅に着いたら電話して。
Call me when you get to the station.
What time will you get to the airport?
A more formal term for arrival, often used in announcements or written contexts.
We will soon get to Tokyo.
Implies finally arriving after difficulty or a long journey. Has a nuance of 'manage to reach'.
We finally got to the summit.
Expressing that one is able to do something, often something enjoyable or desired.
A standard pattern meaning 'can do' or 'get to do'. It emphasizes the possibility or opportunity.
I'm happy that I get to go to Japan.
I didn't get to meet him.
Humble expression meaning 'I am allowed to do' or 'I get to do', implying gratitude for the opportunity. Often used in formal or polite speech.
I get to go home early today.
Literally 'have the opportunity to'. More formal and explicit than 〜ことができる.
I'm glad I got to study abroad.
Expressing the initiation of an action, often after a delay or when one finally addresses something.
Attach to the masu-stem of a verb to mean 'start doing'. Natural for 'get to work', 'get to cleaning', etc.
Let's get to work soon.
He got to cleaning right away.
Means 'to get started on' or 'to set about' a task. Often used with に.
Literally 'put one's hand to', meaning to start working on something, often something that has been put off.
Expressing that something is annoying, upsetting, or getting to someone emotionally.
Means 'to hurt one's feelings' or 'to offend'. Commonly used when someone's words or actions bother you.
The way he said it really got to me.
Means 'to irritate' or 'to make someone frustrated'. Used when something is persistently annoying.
His attitude really gets to me.
Means 'to resonate in one's heart' or 'to touch one deeply'. Can be positive or negative depending on context.
Expressing progression to a certain point in a process, story, or state.
Literally 'come to the point of'. Used for reaching a stage in a process or narrative.
We finally got to the main topic.
Now that we've gotten to this point, we can't give up.
Formal expression meaning 'to reach the point of' or 'to lead to'. Often used in written or formal speech.
The negotiations didn't get to an agreement.
English 'get to' is highly context-dependent. Avoid directly translating the words 'get' and 'to'. Instead, identify the intended meaning first, then choose the appropriate Japanese expression. For example, 'get to work' is not 仕事に着く but 仕事に取りかかる or 仕事を始める.
Let's get to preparing dinner.
やっと宿題に手をつけた。
I finally got to my homework.
The last scene of the movie really got to me.