1

I'm interested in the difference between "to get to know" and "to get/become acquainted with".
I only know that "to get/become acquainted with" is more formal than "to get to know". But I also want to know the semantic difference between them. For this reason I found some examples.

A-variants are from ell.stackexchange.com.
B- and C-variants are mine.

(1a) I think she's interesting. I'd like to get to know her - her likes, dislikes, beliefs, fears, hopes, etc.
(1b) I think she's interesting. I'd like to get acquainted with her - her likes, dislikes, beliefs, fears, hopes, etc.

(2a) Don't you think you should get to know one another before you get married?
(2b) Don't you think you should get acquainted with one another before you get married?

(3a) Get to know your body and check yourself frequently for any discolorations, bumps, spots, etc. that weren't there before.
(3b) Get acquainted with your body and check yourself frequently for any discolorations, bumps, spots, etc. that weren't there before.

(4a) How did you come to know your husband? (= what led up to your meeting him for the first time?)
(4b) How did you get to know your husband? (= what led up to your meeting him for the first time?)
(4c) How did you get acquainted with your husband? (= what led up to your meeting him for the first time?)

I also wanted to create the same variants with "to become acquainted with" but then thought "to become acquainted with" is equal to "to get acquainted with".

So the question is:
Are (1a)=(1b), (2a)=(2b), (3a)=(3b), (4b)=(4c)?

1
  • If you are acquainted with someone, you know them only slightly (maybe you know one another's names and exchange conventional greetings when you meet). To get to know someone implies a closer level of familiarity. You would hardly speak of 'getting acquainted with' your own body, as though you hadn't met it before! Jul 26, 2022 at 12:19

1 Answer 1

0

Let's say that you create some sort of relationship when you do either of these two things (actual or figurative). The relationship you create when you get acquainted is not as in-depth, thorough or comprehensive as the relationship you create when you get to know someone or something.

You might get acquainted with someone before you go on a date, but you would get to know someone before you married them.

In the figurative sense, getting acquainted with your body would mean becoming familiar with it and how it works, while getting to know your body implies a much deeper understanding of when your body might be signaling to you that something is wrong.

Similarly, if a teacher tells you to get acquainted with some material, you might peruse the material to get a general understanding of what it says. If you're told to get to know the material, that usually means you need to read it and understand it well enough to take a quiz.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .