to go about it

KZY   Thursday, March 10, 2005, 08:26 GMT
Hello, I have a question about this phrase, "I don`t know how to go about it". I remember that I have heard someone says it in a movie or maybe in a book.(I can`t remember, even if it was a movie or a book.) So I forgot the context, but I know it means "to start" and would like to know how it`s used. Could you give me an example, please?
This is my guess, "I`ve been thinking of studying Russian but I don`t know how to go about it." (because this person doesn`t know what to start with, grammer?vocab?) Thank you in advance.
Amber   Saturday, March 12, 2005, 18:21 GMT
You've got the right idea.

"I would love to get my novel published, but I don't know how to go about it" basically means "I have no idea where to even begin getting this done!"
fleur   Saturday, March 12, 2005, 21:59 GMT
"I've been thinking of studying Russian but I don't know...

...how to go about it.
...how to approach it
...how to get started
...where to start
...where to begin
...what to start with
Travis   Saturday, March 12, 2005, 22:00 GMT
"How to go about something" means "how to do <something>", not really just "how to start <something>."
Deborah   Sunday, March 13, 2005, 01:41 GMT
I agree with Travis. Not knowing where to begin is a big part of not knowing how to go about something, but it includes the whole process.