Meaning trap
get at
suggest or imply
to try to say or suggest something without saying it directly.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to try to say or suggest something without saying it directly.
Another meaning of 'get at' is 'reach'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at—can you explain more clearly?
In the discussion, the speaker was getting at the idea that technology can sometimes make life more complicated.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: What do you get at?
Say: What are you getting at?
This sense is usually in the continuous: 'what are you getting at?'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'What are you getting at?' is the natural spoken way to ask someone's hidden point; the formal version is stilted.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
what + getting at
- what you're getting at
- exactly
- I see
- trying to say
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- get at (reach) — Another meaning of 'get at' is 'reach'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.