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Langtraveler Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

get to

Hello.
I have a question about thenusage of "get to."

If one means to say this:
I start to do my homework.

Do all of these sentences mean the same?
1. I get to do my homework.
2. I get to doing my homework.
3. I get doing my homework.

Thank you in advance.
  

Top answer

(1) means that you find the circumstance/opportunity to do your homework. It does not mean the same as "I start to do my homework". (2) and (3) seem like fairly loose English to me.

— GPY

  • (1) means that you find the circumstance/opportunity to do your homework.
  • It does not mean the same as "I start to do my homework".
  • (2) and (3) seem like fairly loose English to me.
  • I don't think I would use either.
  • I would probably understand (2) to mean that your homework is one of a series of tasks.
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8 Answers
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(1) means that you find the circumstance/opportunity to do your homework. It does not mean the same as "I start to do my homework".

(2) and (3) seem like fairly loose English to me. I don't think I would use either. I would probably understand (2) to mean that your homework is one of a series of tasks. You have completed the earlier tasks, and your homework is next on the list. (3) seems
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Thank you GPY. But doesn't "get to" mean "start to" as well as "have an opportunity to?"
For example, "When people get to know me, they get to like me."
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langtraveler Thank you GPY. But doesn't "get to" mean "start to" as well as "have an opportunity to?"For example, "When people get to know me, they get to like me."
"get to" can have a variety of meanings. It has a different meaning in "get to know" and "get to like" compared to "get to do my homework". In "get to know" and "get to like" it is closer to "start
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So when one says about something kind of a state, "get to" could mean "start to" or "grow to,"(although I'm not sure about this one) while when something is concerning a behaviour, like "do homework," it could not.

Do I understand what you meant well?
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langtravelerSo when one says about something kind of a state, "get to" could mean "start to" or "grow to,"(although I'm not sure about this one) while when something is concerning a behaviour, like "do homework," it could not.Do I understand what you meant well?
Unfortunately it may not be that simple. For example, "belonging" would be considered a state, and
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Thank you for your reply!
I think "belonging" is a state, but if I think "belong" itself has an attribute of behaviour. I guess we cannot belong to something gradually. (although there can be some step I mean the action itself) When "doing homework," or "belonging to something", there is a clear start point, while it is quite hard to point where "knowing" or "liking" exactly starts. I can kno
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langtravelerWhen "doing homework," or "belonging to something", there is a clear start point, while it is quite hard to point where "knowing" or "liking" exactly starts.
That's a good point. Probably for something that has a clear start point, the meaning of "get to ..." cannot be like "get to know" or "get to like". There is also a feeling that "get to know",
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Thank you for your reply, GPY.
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