GV

Get Passive

Using 'get' instead of 'be' in passive constructions

intermediate

When to Use Get Passive

  • •Informal contexts: I got fired last week. (more casual than 'was fired')
  • •Change of state: She got married in June.
  • •Negative events: He got robbed on the subway.
  • •Things happening to us: We got stuck in traffic.
  • •Achievements: She finally got promoted.

How to Form Get Passive

Affirmative (+)

Subject + get + past participle

Negative (-)

Subject + don't/doesn't/didn't + get + past participle

Question (?)

Do/Does/Did + subject + get + past participle?

💡 Get passive emphasizes change or action happening to someone. More common in spoken English.

Examples of Get Passive

✓They got married last summer.

✗They got marry last summer.

Get + past participle (married, not marry).

✓Did you get paid yet?

✗Did you get pay yet?

Use past participle after get.

✓The window got broken during the storm.

✗The window got break during the storm.

Get + past participle for passive meaning.

Common Mistakes with Get Passive

💡 Practice Tips for Get Passive

  • • Get passive = informal, spoken English
  • • Be passive = formal, written English
  • • Get passive often implies something unexpected or unplanned
  • • Common: get married, get divorced, get lost, get hurt, get paid
  • • Get passive emphasizes the action/change more than the agent
Quick Quiz
  1. 1.They got   in a small ceremony last June.
  2. 2.Which sentence sounds most natural in casual conversation? 
  3. Question 3: Did you blank paid for the overtime you worked? (use get)
    3.Did you paid for the overtime you worked? (use get)
  4. Question 4: Be careful — you might blank hurt on that ladder. (use get)
    4.Be careful — you might hurt on that ladder. (use get)
  5. Question 5: I always blank confused by these instructions. (correct adverb position)
    5.I always confused by these instructions. (correct adverb position)
  6. Question 6: The window blank broken during the storm last night. (use get, past)
    6.The window broken during the storm last night. (use get, past)
  7. Question 7: She finally blank promoted after five years of hard work. (use get, past)
    7.She finally promoted after five years of hard work. (use get, past)
Grammar sorted. Now grow your vocabulary.

Save the words you meet, review on a smart schedule. Free to start.

Practice this with a real tutor

Just finished Get Passive? Don't let it stay theoretical — book a lesson on Tuton.