get through — emotionally reach
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To succeed in making someone understand or be emotionally affected by what you are saying or doing, especially when it is difficult for them to accept or respond.
Say it like a native
Textbook I find it impossible to make any emotional impact on him.
Native I just can't get through to him.
'Get through to someone' is the natural phrase for reaching them emotionally; the formal version is a counselling note.
Pattern: get through to someone
In use
- No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get through to her teenage son.communication
- In some cases, teachers struggle to get through to students who are disengaged, despite using a variety of teaching methods.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I can't get through him.
✓ I can't get through to him.
For reaching someone emotionally, you need 'get through TO' them.
Common collocations
get through to + person— to him, to her, somehow, at all
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense 'make phone contact', this sense is figurative and refers to emotional or psychological impact, not physical or technological connection.
Related
- get through (finish a difficult task) — 'get through' also has the more basic meaning 'finish a difficult task'; this is the advanced sense.