Spanish Words for Get

Get is one of those English verbs that is notoriously difficult to translate. It has a wide variety of meanings and is also used in quite a few idioms. Each of them needs to be looked at individually to determine how best to say it in Spanish. Here are some of the most common meanings of get and ways that you can say them in Spanish. Fast Facts The English verb get has a long list of meanings, so it there are many verbs that can be used to translate it into Spanish.Many phrases using get cannot be translated word for word into Spanish.One of the most common meanings of get is obtain, which can often be translated using obtener or conseguir. When Get Means Obtain Common Spanish verbs meaning get in the sense of obtaining include obtener (conjugated in the same way as tener) and conseguir (conjugated in the same way as seguir): Voy a obtener la licenciatura que siempre quise. (Im going to get the degree Ive always wanted.)Diseà ±an un barco que obtiene su energà ­a de las olas. (They are designing a boat that gets its energy from the waves.)El gobierno canadiense consiguià ³ voto de confianza. (The Canadian government got a vote of confidence.)Te conseguimos el mejor precio para tu coche nuevo. (We got you the best price for your new car.) If get carries with it the ideas of obtaining and bringing, the verb traer can often be used: Trà ¡eme dos galletas, por favor. (Get me two cookies, please. Recibir is frequently used with certain nouns as in recibir un prà ©stamo (to get a loan), recibir una respuesta (to get a response), recibir un e-mail (to get an email), and recibir un trasplante (to get a transplant). When Get Refers to a Change in Emotions It is common in English to say that a person gets angry, gets sad, gets happy, and so on. Many of those phrases have particular verbs to express the thought in Spanish. Among them: enfadarse (to get angry). entristecerse (to get sad), alegrarse (to get happy), preocuparse (to get worried), and confundirse (to get confused). It is also possible to use the verb ponerse to indicate a change in emotions. Me puse feliz al leer su mensaje. (I got happy when I read your message.)Se puso triste porque fue a la nevera a buscar mi botella de agua y estaba vacà ­a. (He got sad because he went to the refrigerator to look for his bottle of water and it was empty.)Mi decisià ³n se debià ³ sencillamente a que me fastidià © de depender de la nicotina. (My decision came about simply because I got annoyed at depending on nicotine.)En ocasiones me exaspero. (Sometimes I get impatient.) When Get Refers to Success Among the verb choices when get is used to refer to the meeting of a goal are llegar a and conseguir. Either of them are typically followed by an infinitive. No llegaron a ver la luz del dà ­a. (They didnt get to see daylight.)Lleguà © a estudiar a Santiago en 1982. (I got to study in Santiago in 1982.)Consiguieron mirar una pelà ­cula de la accià ³n de Hong Kong. (They got to watch an action film from Hong Kong.) Get Meaning To Understand Either entender or comprender can usually be used for to understand. The verbs are usually interchangeable, although entender is more common in most areas. No lo entiendo/comprendo.  (I dont get it.)No entiende/comprende por quà © no le preguntà ³ por su nà ºmero de telà ©fono. (He doesnt get why she never asked him for his telephone number.) Get Meaning To Earn Ganar can usually be used in the sense of get when it means earn whether referring to money or something less tangible such as a victory. Gana cien pesos por hora. (She gets 100 pesos per hour.)El ejà ©rcito mexicano finalmente ganà ³ la victoria mà ¡s increà ­ble de la historia militar. (The Mexican army finally got the most incredible victory in military history.) Get for Arriving Llegar can be used to speak of getting to a location. Llegà ³ a casa a las cinco. (He got home at 5.)No llegarà © a la oficina.  (I will not get to the office.) Phrases Using Get The English verb get is part of many phrases — many of them phrasal verbs — that cant be translated word for word into Spanish. Here are some of the most common with possible translations: Get across: Hacerle entender algo for getting someone to understand something; cruzar de un lado a otro for going from one side to another. Get along: Marcharse or irse when meaning to go away; progresar when meaning to progress; funcionar when meaning to function or to work in that sense. To get along with someone is llevarse bien con alguien. Get around: Salir a menudo when meaning to get from place to place. Get ahead: Tener à ©xito or abrirse camino for getting ahead in life; tomar la delantera for getting ahead of someone. Get around: Circular or difundirse for news or gossip; evitar, solventar or sortear for getting around an obstacle or problem; convencer or persuadir for getting around a person. Get away: Escaparse for escaping; irse or salir for leaving; salir impune or irse de rositas for avoiding responsibility. Get dirty: Ensuciarse or mancharse when referring to physical filth; hacer trampa for cheating at a game. Get back: Volver for returning; retirarse or apartarse for retreating. Get better: Mejorar. Get bigger: Crecer. Get by: Arreglà ¡rselas or apaà ±Ãƒ ¡rselas for managing to do something; pasar for passing a person or thing. Get high: Ponerse colocado or ponerse flipado when referring to a drug-induced high; ascender a un lugar alto for moving to a high place. Get down: Usually bajar or bajarse. To get down on ones knees is ponerse de rodillas. Get dressed: Vestirse. Get in: Entrar when meaning to enter. Get into: Entrar when meaning to enter; subir a when referring to a vehicle; adquirir el hà ¡bito for getting into a habit; empezar a disfrutar for getting into an activity; hacer cola for getting into a line; meterse en for getting into a career. Get in trouble: Meterse en problemas or meterse en un là ­o. Get married: Usually casarse. El 20 de septiembre nos casamos Alicia y yo. On Sept. 20 Alicia and I are getting married. Get off: Bajarse for getting off a vehicle such as a bus; irse for leaving; escaparse for avoiding punishment. Get on: Subir a or montarse for getting on a vehicle or horse; seguir or continuar for continuing an activity; hacerse viejo for getting on in years; progresar for progressing. Get out: Irse or salir for leaving; bajarse for getting out of a vehicle; levantarse for getting out of bed; sacar for removing an object or sacarse for removing oneself. Get over: Recobrarse or recuperarse for getting over an illness. The idea of youll get over it can be expressed by ya te se pasarà ¡ or no te importarà ¡. Get started: Comenzar or empezar. Get to business: Ir al grano. Get to (do something): To have the opportunity to is tener la oportunidad de (hacer algo). Get up: To arise is levantarse. Verbs with similar meanings include despertarse for getting out of bed and ponerse de pie for standing up. Get worse: Empeorar.