Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Get over a cold: describe your recovery
A friend asks how you are after a cold. You feel better, but you do not want to say the recovery is finished. “I’m still getting over it” gives a more accurate update.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
get over an illness
Recover from an illness and return to your usual health.
Example
“I’m still getting over a cold.”
I am recovering from a cold, and that recovery is not finished yet.
The short answer
Get over an illness means recover from it. “I’m still getting over a cold” describes recovery in progress. “I got over my cold last week” reports a past recovery. Keep the illness or it after over: get over it.
Tell the listener where you are in the recovery.
Use am/is/are getting over when recovery is in progress. Still emphasizes that it continues. Use got over for a finished past recovery; got is the past form of get. The illness goes after over, and a pronoun stays there too: getting over the cold; getting over it.
Choose the update that matches the situation.
I’m still getting over a cold.
I got over my cold last week.
Still getting over does not mean “completely recovered.” Got over reports the recovery as a past event.
Make a clear recovery update
Name the illness
I’m getting over a cold.
Show that it continues
I’m still getting over a cold.
Avoid repeating the illness
I’m still getting over it.
Try it now
Choose an accurate update.
Read all answers and explanations
You are recovering from a cold, but the recovery is not finished. Which sentence says that?
I’m still getting over my cold.Still getting over describes the continuing recovery. Got over reports a past recovery. Caught a cold says when the illness began, not whether you are recovering now.
Replace the cold with it: “I’m getting over the cold.”
I’m getting over it.In the recovery meaning, the object follows over. Getting it over is not the pattern for recovering from an illness.
You want to report that you recovered last month. Choose the standard past form.
I got over the illness last month.Get has the irregular past form got. Last month locates this reported recovery in finished past time.
Build it yourself
Give an update without repeating the illness.
You are recovering now. The other person knows which illness you mean. Use it and begin with I’m.
Arrange all four pieces. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your update
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
I’m getting over it.
I’m getting over it describes recovery in progress. It replaces the illness and stays after over.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can I say “recover from a cold” instead?
Yes. Recover from a cold expresses the same basic idea. Notice the different pattern: get over a cold, but recover from a cold.
I’m recovering from a cold.
Does “still getting over” mean the recovery is complete?
No. It presents recovery as continuing. It does not tell you exactly how long it will take or how the person feels in every detail.
I’m still getting over a cold, but I feel better today.
Take it into your day
Use getting over for recovery in progress and got over for a past recovery. Say get over it, with it at the end.
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A small change from getting over to got over changes your update. The Phrasal Verbs course connects everyday meanings with useful sentence patterns, conversations and guided practice, including language for health and recovery.
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