Learn English – “How to get on?” or “How are you getting on?”

meaning

I've got a problem with these constructs. The original sentence looks like the following:

I hear you've got a new job. How do you get on?

Actually, the sentence I wrote above contains an error. The correct sentence is:

I hear you've got a new job. How are you getting on?

So, I don't understand why we have to use the present continuous instead present simple.

As far as I know we use present continuous tense for the temporary situations or the situations that happen at the time of speaking. Could anyone explain this situation in great detail?

Best Answer

I think it's worth mentioning some of the complexities involved, though many of these were mentioned at the thread Andrew links to.

Choice of tense probably isn't as clear-cut as we'd like to think. For instance, with disease-related examples as mentioned in the link:

I have diabetes /a cold / occasional headaches / frequent headaches.

*I am having diabetes / a cold.

I am having occasional headaches / frequent headaches.

The use of have as a near-synonym of get / take (punctual) as well as possess / suffer from (durative) is doubtless a complicating factor here.

Turning to the multi-word verb get on, we see that again there is idiosyncratic behaviour dependent upon the particular 'object referent' (whether stated overtly or not):

I hear you've got a new job. How are you getting on? [ie with your new job]

I was sorry to hear that you and Bill had a big argument (last month). How are you getting on with him now?

I was sorry to hear that you and Bill had a big argument. How are you getting on now?

and for the do + bare infinitive:

*I hear you've got a new job. How do you get on?

Travelling by bus must be hard for you now. How do you get on? [different sense of get on, of course]

*I was sorry to hear that you and Bill had a big argument last week. How do you get on (with him) now?

I was sorry to hear that you and Bill had a big argument last year. How do you get on (with him) now?

There seem to be subtleties involving not only the continuous / repetitive distinction, but also whether the present state can be regarded as steady (involving how long it has continued).

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