1.
to be friendly with someone
“I get along with my classmates.”
“Do you get along with your sister?”
“They don't get along.”
Synonyms: to get on with, to be on good terms
Phrasal verb
What does get along mean?
Meaning: to be friendly with someone
B1
This page for:
Quick answer
Get along (often get along with) = to be friendly with someone. I get along with my sister = my sister and I like each other. It is common in American English. British English also uses get on (with).
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to manage, to make progress (no object)
common“How are you getting along?”
Synonyms: to manage, to cope
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- get along
- Past Simple:
- got along
- Past participle:
- got along (UK) / gotten along (US)
- -ing form:
- getting along
Common mistakes to avoid
Get along with or get on with (US or UK)?
Get along with is more common in American English. Get on with is more common in British English. The meaning is the same. I get on with my brother (UK) = I get along with my brother (US).
Not separable
Get along is not separable. I get along with him ✓ / I get him along with ❌. The word with and the person come after the whole phrasal verb.
How are you getting along? = how are you managing?
With a plural subject, get along without with keeps the meaning “be friendly”: They get along well. But in a question about how someone is doing, the meaning changes: How are you getting along? = how are you managing? This is meaning 2.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: get along
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Get along: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
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English contestGet along: often tested in the English contest
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Frequently asked questions
What does get along mean?+
Get along means to have a friendly relationship with someone, often with with. I get along with my friends = my friends and I like each other. Without with and with a plural subject, the meaning is the same: they get along = they are friendly with each other. In How are you getting along?, it means to manage or make progress.
What is the difference between get along and get on?+
They mean the same. Get along (with) is more American. Get on (with) is more British. Both mean to have a friendly relationship with someone. They get on well = they get along well. The only difference is where people use them.
Is get along separable?+
No, it is not separable. Say get along WITH + a person. With a pronoun: get along with him ✓. The order is fixed.
What is the past simple of get along?+
Got along. Get is irregular: get → got → got (British English) / gotten (American English). They got along well at the party = they were friendly with each other at the party.
Does get along have other meanings?+
Yes. Get along and get on can also mean to make progress: How are you getting on with your homework? = how is your homework going? This is very common in spoken British English.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/get-along
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.