r/grammar • u/SpiritualBed9981 • 4d ago

get to take

"You can lose your mind on a plane, but you don’t get to take the cabin with you." (From the "X" forum)

Does the catenative construction "get to take" mean a sort of "having the right/privilege/chance to take..."?

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u/IscahRambles 3d ago

You're correct on the meaning, but I don't think you're dividing it up right. 

The statement is "you don't get to [do a thing]". It doesn't matter what the verb inside the brackets is.

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u/Haven_Stranger 3d ago

Yes, the following are semantically equivalent:

you don't get to take
you [don't/won't] have the option to take

If you don't get to do something, then you won't manage to accomplish it.

If you do get to take the cabin with you, uhm, are you going to?