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Let's say you are cleaning your motorbike parked in your house. Suddenly, your sister come to you asking for your help to print her project using a computer in her room, temporarily swapping it with your cleaning.

You agreed, then printed all what is/are needed to print in her room, following that, you return to your sister cleaning your motorbike. And you say:

"I'm done printing. Now let's get back to what we were previously doing.

GET BACK here means: continue/resume right?

Is this a correct wording to express it?

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    But you alone were cleaning your motorbike, so to say let us and we there would be to refer to yourself in the plural. That happens in English, but usually it is said facetiously, either to rope the other person in to your plan, or to speak of yourself jokingly as an Eminence. But you are correct about get back.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Nov 2, 2018 at 21:53
  • Hello, I forgot to include that 'your sister' had also been doing something before she asked you. Like your sister was sorting computer files while you were cleaning your motorbike. So, can I say: "now let's get back to what we were doing before"?
    – John Arvin
    Nov 3, 2018 at 11:34
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    OK, but let's is still something of an invitation to join you. It would be clearer to say Now we can get back to what we were doing.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Nov 3, 2018 at 13:44

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Yes, there are two people in the description. The brother says to the sister:

"I'm done printing. Now let's get back to what we were previously doing."

That's perfect. I would say: what we were doing before, in conversation. Previously is quite formal.

To get back to doing something: start doing again what you were doing before.

aka go back to doing something.

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Not entirely. "get back to" does means to resume a previously stopped activity.

The problem with your phrasing is the fact that you used "let's" (which means let us). Since your sister was not helping your clean your motorbike, using let's is inappropriate.

Your sentence would make more sense if you said:

I'm done printing. Now I'm going get back to what I was previously doing.

If your sister was helping you clean your motorbike and you finish printing the documents, your wording would be correct.

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  • I'm not sure it's entirely "inappropriate." Perhaps you were hoping for a quid pro quo, that is, now that you're done helping your sister, you are now inviting her to come help you. I think "let's" could be used that way, as a subtle nudge.
    – J.R. ♦
    Nov 2, 2018 at 21:57
  • Your block quote sentence is not grammatical. And let's is right. He is with this sister when he says that.
    – Lambie
    Nov 2, 2018 at 22:42

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