What Does "get along with" Mean?
- Meaning: To have a friendly, harmonious, or cooperative relationship with someone. It suggests a lack of conflict and a level of mutual liking or tolerance.
- Compositionality: This is a semi-idiomatic phrasal-prepositional verb. While "along" hints at moving forward together, the full meaning of social harmony is not immediately obvious from the individual words.
- Register: This expression is neutral to informal. It is perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation, journalism, and most business contexts, though more formal academic writing might prefer "harmonize with" or "maintain a rapport with."
How to Use It
- Grammatical pattern: It follows the structure verb + particle + preposition + object (get + along + with + someone/something).
- Typical objects: The object is almost always a person, a group of people (the union, the neighbors), or even animals (the dog, Butterscotch).
- Separability: This is an inseparable phrasal verb. You cannot place the object between the components. You must say "get along with them," never "get them along with."
- What sounds unnatural: Using the wrong preposition (e.g., "get along to") or attempting to separate the particles makes the sentence ungrammatical.
Real-World Examples
These examples are sourced from get along with on Ludwig.guru.
"I get along with everybody." — newyorker.com
"He was easy to get along with." — nytimes.com
"Can they get along with the union?" — nytimes.com
"He cannot get along with his daughter." — newyorker.com
"They don't get along with the police." — theguardian.com
Similar Phrases and Alternatives
| Phrase |
Context |
| get on with |
The British English equivalent; identical in meaning and usage. |
| hit it off |
Informal; specifically describes liking someone immediately upon meeting. |
| see eye to eye |
Idiomatic; emphasizes agreeing on specific opinions or values. |
| be on good terms |
More formal; describes the state of a relationship rather than the social dynamic. |
| coexist |
Formal/Neutral; often implies living together peacefully despite differences. |
Common Mistakes
- Preposition Confusion: Learners often mistakenly use "to" instead of "with" (e.g., "I get along to him"). Always use with when identifying the person.
- Missing Preposition: Learners often omit the final preposition 'with' when an object follows. You can say "We get along," but if you name a person, you must say "I get along with Sarah."
- Separation Error: Trying to put the object in the middle (e.g., "I get him along with") is a common error; the phrase must stay together.
Quick-Reference Summary
| Expression |
Meaning |
Grammatical Pattern |
Register |
| get along with |
To have a friendly relationship |
verb + along + with + [object] |
Neutral / Informal |
FAQs
Can the parts of get along with be separated by an object?
No, get along with is an inseparable phrasal-prepositional verb. The object must always follow the entire phrase, such as in "I get along with my boss," rather than "I get my boss along with."
What is the difference between get along and get along with?
The difference is purely syntactic. Use get along when the subjects are already mentioned (e.g., "They get along"), but you must use the version with with when an object follows the verb.
Is it correct to say I get along to my coworkers?
No, this is a common mistake where learners use the wrong preposition. You should always use with to indicate the person you have a relationship with; using "to" or omitting the preposition entirely when an object follows is ungrammatical.