To get dark means to become dark as evening or night comes: it gets dark early in winter, it's getting dark. The subject is almost always it, less often the sky or the room.
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it gets dark (early/late); it's getting dark; before/after it gets dark
- In December it gets dark before five, so I go running at lunchtime.
- It's getting dark, so let's find a place to stay for the night.
What changed
First versionIn winter gets dark very early here.
RevisionIn winter it gets dark very early here.
An English sentence needs a subject, even when nobody is doing anything. For weather, time and light, use it: it gets dark, it's raining. Nothing else in the sentence needed to change.
Get dark is a process: it is becoming dark. When darkness has already come, use be dark: It was dark when we arrived. Get light and get late work the same way: It's getting late, we should go.
Your turn
Hurry up, ___ getting dark and we don't have a torch.
Show the answer
it's — An English sentence needs a subject, so it's getting dark is right. Is getting dark has no subject, and English doesn't allow that here.
You are inviting a friend for a walk or a bike ride out of town. Write what time you should leave and why, using before it gets dark.
Let's leave at two so we can ride round the lake and get back before it gets dark.
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