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Relationships & Dating

How To Use "Get Married"

Learn to ask when someone got married, distinguish the wedding day from the marriage itself, and describe wedding plans that changed.

Read the full lesson summary

Vanessa explains the natural ways to ask about marriage and describe when a wedding happens. She begins with a common learner error, “When did you married?” and contrasts it with “When did you get married?” In English, get married is the usual expression for becoming married. The form changes with time: “When did you get married?”, “He’s getting married in three months,” “I got married five years ago,” and “They haven’t gotten married yet.” Vanessa notes that the phrase is common and gives the present-perfect negative for someone who is not married: “I haven’t gotten married yet.”

She then distinguishes marriage from the wedding day. Wedding names the event or the specific day, as in “On my wedding day, I got married” or “My wedding was five years ago.” Vanessa shares that she and her husband planned to have their ceremony outside, but it rained on their wedding day. The plan can be expressed with planned on + verb-ing: “We planned on getting married outside” and “We planned on having the ceremony outside.” She adds the reassuring response “It’s not the end of the world,” and gives a future example: “Their wedding is next week” or “They’re getting married next week.”

The lesson is a concise model for talking about relationship milestones without confusing the action of becoming married with the event itself. Learners can practise the question “When did you get married?” and answer with a time expression, or use a third-person example if they prefer not to share personal information. They can also talk about a plan that changed: “We planned on having the ceremony outside, but it rained.” Notice the verb forms after get married, the use of wedding day for the event, and planned on followed by an -ing form. Vanessa closes by inviting viewers to make their own sample sentence and says she will try to give feedback.

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Transcript

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Select an expression for its meaning · 0:00

Introducing the topic and a common question error

Hi, I'm Vanessa from Speak English with Vanessa. Today you'll learn how to talk about getting married. At the end of August, my husband and I celebrated our fifth ; we'd been married for five years. Many of you sent kind congratulatory emails and asked questions about our marriage. I noticed a few recurring mistakes, so I made this video to help you avoid them. Some people asked, “When did you married?” or “When did you marry?”

Try it: Name a mistake or question you have heard repeatedly when discussing marriage.

Phrase cheat sheet

All phrases at a glance

Review each expression, hear it, save it, or jump to where it appears in the video.

12 phrases

Showing 12 of 12 phrases

wedding anniversary

Introducing the topic and a common question error · collocation

A yearly date marking when a couple got married.

Tone and use: Neutral and celebratory. Use it to name the yearly occasion, often with an ordinal number such as fifth.

Example“They celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in June.”

again and again

Introducing the topic and a common question error · expression

Repeatedly or many times.

Tone and use: Conversational and emphatic. Use it to emphasize that something happens repeatedly.

Example“I heard that same question again and again.”

When did you get married?

Giving the natural question and future form · expression

A question asking when the marriage took place.

Tone and use: Neutral and direct; use it when the topic is appropriate. Use did + subject + get married to ask about a past marriage.

May not fit: Because relationship status can be personal, avoid asking unless the conversation makes the topic welcome.

Example“They've been married for years. When did they get married?”

getting married in three months

Giving the natural question and future form · expression

A wedding is expected to happen three months from now.

Tone and use: Neutral and informative. Use be getting married + future time phrase for a planned wedding.

Example“My cousin is getting married in three months.”

got married five years ago

Practising past and present-perfect forms · expression

Became married five years in the past.

Tone and use: Neutral and factual. Use got married + a past-time expression to say when a marriage happened.

Example“My parents got married five years ago.”

haven't gotten married yet

Practising past and present-perfect forms · expression

Have not become married up to the present time.

Tone and use: Neutral; yet leaves open the possibility of a later event. Use have/has not + gotten married yet for something that has not happened so far.

Example“They haven't gotten married yet, but they are engaged.”

wedding day

Distinguishing the wedding day from getting married · collocation

The day when a couple's wedding ceremony takes place.

Tone and use: Neutral and specific. Use it to refer to the date or occasion of the wedding.

Example“It rained on their wedding day.”

the actual day

Distinguishing the wedding day from getting married · expression

The specific day on which an event really takes place.

Tone and use: Explanatory and clarifying. Use actual to distinguish the real event date from a plan or general period.

Example“We booked the venue, but we haven't chosen the actual day.”

planned on getting married outside

Describing a wedding plan that changed because of rain · expression

Intended or expected to have the wedding outdoors.

Tone and use: Neutral and conversational. Use planned on + verb-ing to describe an intention that may or may not happen.

Example“They planned on getting married outside, but the forecast changed.”

not the end of the world

Describing a wedding plan that changed because of rain · idiom

Not a disaster; a problem that can be accepted or managed.

Tone and use: Reassuring and informal. Use it to comfort someone about a setback that is disappointing but manageable.

May not fit: It may sound dismissive when the other person's problem is serious or painful.

Example“We missed the first train, but it's not the end of the world.”

it's your turn

Giving a future wedding example and inviting learner practice · expression

It is now your opportunity or responsibility to do something.

Tone and use: Friendly and encouraging. Use it when inviting another person to participate after someone else has gone.

Example“I've shared my answer; now it's your turn.”

write about someone else

Giving a future wedding example and inviting learner practice · expression

Choose another person as the subject of your writing.

Tone and use: Neutral and reassuring. Use it to offer an alternative when someone may not want to share personal details.

Example“If you don't want to write about yourself, write about someone else.”

Knowledge check

Practice the phrases you heard

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Use it in a sentence · “When did you get married?”

Which question naturally asks about the time someone became married?