get by — manage / survive (Murphy Unit 137, Phrasal verbs 1)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”get by = manage / survive with limited resources (ability, money, language).
- I don’t speak German very well, but I can get by. (manage despite limited language)
- We get by on a small salary. (survive financially)
- I can get by with my basic Italian. (manage using limited skill)
With prepositions
Section titled “With prepositions”| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get by | manage, survive | I can get by. |
| get by with [X] | manage using X (limited) | I get by with basic German. |
| get by on [money] | survive on income | We get by on one salary. |
Similar phrasals (don’t confuse)
Section titled “Similar phrasals (don’t confuse)”| Phrasal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get by | manage / survive | I can get by. |
| give up | quit / surrender | I gave up smoking. |
| take off | remove / depart | The plane took off. |
| find out | discover | I found out the truth. |
| get on | board / progress / relate | Get on the bus. / We get on well. |
| break down | stop working | The car broke down. |
Test application
Section titled “Test application”I don’t speak German very well, but I can ___.
Answer: get by — manage despite limited language ability.
Why not the others?
- give up — quit, not “manage”
- taking off — removing/departing, wrong form (-ing)
- find out — discover, not “manage”
- getting on — boarding/progressing, wrong form (-ing)
- broke down — stopped working, past tense
- get by ✓ — manage
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 137 — Phrasal verbs 1. Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “I don’t speak German very well, but I can ___” → get by (manage with limited ability).