Meaning
When something "gets on your nerves", it annoys you, usually in a small, repeated way: a dripping faucet, a song on the radio, someone who clicks a pen all through a meeting. The picture is of the thing sitting right on top of your nerves and pressing. You feel it more each time it happens.
The phrase changes with the person: "it gets on my nerves", "he gets on her nerves", "they get on our nerves". The -ing form is very common because the annoyance is still going: "That noise is getting on my nerves."
About a thing, it is a normal, mild complaint. About a person, it is fine behind their back with a friend, but saying "You're getting on my nerves" to someone's face is rude and a little childish; it sounds like a sibling argument. If you need the person to stop, ask about the behavior instead: "Would you mind not tapping the desk? I'm trying to focus."
In a conversation
- Kenji
- Charlotte
- Kenji
- Charlotte
- Kenji
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Check yourself
Practice · 3 min
Listen, then repeat. "Getting on my" runs together fast, and the stress lands on "nerves".
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.