Meaning trap
go through
experience something difficult or unpleasant
to experience a difficult, unpleasant, or challenging situation or period in your life.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to experience a difficult, unpleasant, or challenging situation or period in your life.
Another meaning of 'go through' is 'examine or check something carefully'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She went through a lot after losing her job.
During my teenage years, I went through many changes that helped me become more independent.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: He went through with a divorce last year.
Say: He went through a divorce last year.
'Go through + experience'. 'Go through WITH' means force yourself to complete something — different meaning.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Go through' is the natural verb for living through something hard. 'Enduring a difficult period' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
go through + ordeal
- a tough time
- a lot
- a breakup
- chemo
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- go through (examine or check something carefully) — Another meaning of 'go through' is 'examine or check something carefully'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.