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Let's say I have an agreement to meet a friend after work (her work) at ten in the evening. When we meet, can I ask her:

Do you always get off this late?

  • Would this be natural and clear that it's about work?

  • And if I know she's a therapist who basically decides for herself when to work, even though she accommodates her clients schedules, would "get off" still be natural?

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  • I don't find get off [at some time] particularly natural in any context where [some time] is unusually late. The sense get off = leave work normally only occurs in contexts where the specified time is either "unexceptional" or unusually early. Hence On Fridays I get off at 3 o'clock, but to make up the hours I have to stay until 6 o'clock on Mondays and Wednesdays. Where you couldn't possibly transpose those two highlighted phrasal verbs.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 15, 2022 at 17:54
  • I'd consider 'get off' & finish, quit, leave or 'be away by/at' interchangeable in colloquial speech & would swap them for variety if they were to be re-used in a single sentence or paragraph. eg "I work shifts. Lates I don't get off until 10, earlies I'm away by 6. Nights I leave at 4 but Saturdays 5 & alternate Tuesdays, we quit at about 7." Just a jumble of different ways to say the same thing without repeating yourself.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Jan 18, 2022 at 9:42

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Yes, it would be natural in this context, provided you were talking on a casual basis. "to get off" does have other, sexual, connotations in English, but assuming you were not getting intimate it's fine. Including the word "work" in the question removes any ambiguity.
You could also ask

Do you always work this late?

Which could not be misinterpreted and means the same thing.

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