How to Translate "To Get" into Spanish

[@QrooSpanish]

Join the Qroo Crew for More Content www.skool.com/qroo Want to thank me? Buy me a coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/qroo

[@TysonJensen]

That's why learning a 3rd language is easier than learning a 2nd. The 2nd language is where you have to learn a bunch of vocabulary, a heap of grammar but also build an entire new brain structure whose purpose is to make your thinking more flexible so that you can think of multiple ways to express the same idea. My point is for learners to be gentle with themselves when learning Spanish as a second language. The brain can get there, but it's got a lot of work to do in addition to just learning some vocab.

[@MassMexi]

I appreciate your comments. Just when I reach the point of thinking I'm doing so well in Spanish, I almost immediately stumble and feel like a beginner again.

[@talesfromthemoribund702]

​@@MassMexi Yo, same. I've been speaking/learning Spanish for 5 years and some days I feel practically fluent and other days I feel like a novice. It's highly frustrating but I know that I've made a lot of progress. I usually surprise myself after speaking Spanish for the first 20 minutes and I realize that my brain has picked up more than I thought it had. The most important thing is to speak it consistently. I have a job where sometimes I'm able to have convos multiple times a week and sometimes I'm only saying a few words once or twice a week. I know that if I spent a few months in Mexico I would come back like a rockstar.

[@robertallair7278]

Your point about learning a third language is really good. You learn to be flexible, eventually, with your second language. If/when you get to a third language, you already understand the flexibility thing, so learning is easier. If this was an original observation of yours, well good on you!

[@TysonJensen]

@@robertallair7278 I wish I was the one who thought of it. Scientists have been putting monolingual and bilingual people in fMRI machines to see if the difference is visible and it totally is! You literally have to grow extra brain material the first time you learn a new language.

[@AddyGoesPlaces]

When learning a second language you're not just learning a second language, you're also learning how to learn a language.

[@jessetodd4004]

I think I get what you’re getting at with this video: There simply is no "get"! This video really got the message across about how pervasive this word has gotten in modern American parlance. I’ve still got to get better at getting these “get” words in my bag, and I think that getting even half of the forms of “get” translated will get my vocabulary to the next level. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a go-getter, but I’m not going to get cocky and say I’m getting close yet. I’ll get back to you when I do!

[@paulfaulkner6299]

"To Get" - my solution to this for both Spanish (and French decades ago) is to think of another word or phrase in English when "get" would be most natural to me. Examples: I got _bought_ a new car; I got in _returned home_ at 4 am; I got lost _went amiss_ in Manchester

[@cherylkolb9984]

Exactly! We’re translating the message, not the words. Great point!

[@judithmartinez-ur8os]

I love your advice about interpreting rather than translating,. I was going at a snail’s pace until I popped into the more practical interpret modality, still a challenge but a much more practical tool. You have a great non-textbook way of approaching the challenge of learning a new language. So many internet teachers basically just repeat what I could easily read in a manual, but you provide the “chunks” and insights that click on the “aha” moment. Well done, profesor!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that the videos are helping you on journey to learn the language. I had a lot of those "aha" moments over the years when it comes to the Spanish language so I know exactly what you're talking about. :)

[@Thelegendhaha]

When I first arrived in Spain I asked a Spanish friend to explain “how do I translate “to get” “ and now I understand the long pause and non commital answer…. It doesn’t exist that simply! Another obvious ‘game changer’ from you QrooPaul. Thanks for explaining things so well.

[@QrooSpanish]

Translating to get and to become are equally challenging.

[@shirleywilliamswoodger1773]

I feel like my ability to expand my vocabulary has catapulted to a new level! I’m learning so much on your channel… can’t wait to impress my prof in the fall!😀

[@QrooSpanish]

Awesome! I'm so glad you are finding the videos to be helpful :-)

[@janetleeharrison]

I'm so glad I found your channel! Now I see why I'm struggling with learning verbs! This just took away all of my frustration. I would learn the verb one way in one lesson and when asked in another I would use it, get it wrong, and be given a new word without understanding why it changed. You just opened the door for me. At this point, I feel like verbs are another language inside of a language. THANKS!🔥

[@QrooSpanish]

I'm glad you found the lesson useful. Learning the different ways verbs are used can be frustrating. For example, in Spanish you don't make decisions, you take decisions (tomar decisiones), You also don't "take steps" you "give steps": Di cinco pasos hacia la puerta) I took 5 steps toward the door. Don't get discouraged by those types of things. We've all been there. Just keep at it and you'll achieve your goals.

[@janetleeharrison]

I didn't know that...wow, thanks for the heads up! I need a book or something with all of this & examples. I feel like I need to study this before continuing on Thanks for replying!😃👍

[@petebowen9031]

The trae used to ask something from your waiter was perfect timing: went to a Mexican restaurant last night and it occurred to me that I didn’t know the basic phrase as to how to properly ask for something. Thank you so much!

[@susanhall6659]

Americans tend to use 'to get' rather more than Europeans. Did you get annoyed. VS. Did that annoy you. Get the phone, vs Answer the phone. I've got three oranges in my bag. VS. I have three oranges in my bag /. there are three oranges in my bag. You did convey this in your excellent video, Thank you for the most interesting lessons.

[@HicksGribble]

I am so glad to find a native English speaker explain “to get.” After years of studying Spanish, it finally clicked for me that there is no “get” in Spanish. Overcoming that hurdle helped me improve quite a bit. I still stumble a bit on “conseguir” and other direct translations of “get” but I just need more practice.

[@pedroteran5885]

In 'conseguir', 'con' means 'together' and 'seguir' is 'to follow'. Thus 'conseguir' means to attain what you are pursuing. This is the aspect of 'get' that it captures. 'No tuve problemas para obtener el pasaporte' but 'Me costó mucho conseguir un trabajo'. 'Seguir' has the same root as 'sequence' in English as this is in fact a Latin word.

[@HicksGribble]

Never thought of it this way. Thank you 😮

[@RM-jb2bv]

I knew this was the word! Get is such a weird verb that native English speakers take for granted. Especially when it functions as an auxiliary verb.

[@bakay138]

In addition to my traditional lessons, your videos are a cornerstone to my Spanish studies. Thank you for always making things so clear. For me, it is actually a strength in your teaching that Spanish is not your first language because you always manage to identify the exact issues I have problems with ! Thank you for doing these videos, QROO Paul is my go to when I need to deep dive on a particular issue that is confusing me. In another totally unrelated question, is that blue chair behind you (in many videos, lol) as comfortable as it looks? I love it!

[@JLZwissRN1950]

A nice surprise to receive your video this Easter morning. Way better than getting candy Easter eggs. 😄 Once again thank you!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching and have a very Happy Easter! Be sure to get a few candy eggs. Those things are delicious...lol.

[@strong60s]

Really enjoy your lessons Paul! I find you always have a few good tips! Please keep them coming!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching and especially for the positive feedback. I appreciate it. Take care. :)

[@calmontes651]

I think this is another great video!!! It took me a very long time to understand what you said at the end of the video: there isn’t a one-to-one relationship between grammatical structures. Although languages do the same thing, when a language doesn’t have the specific structure the speaker is used to, one feels there’s a gap in meaning. English doesn’t have the imperfect tense but it has a construction that we have in Spanish that kinda of works, it doesn’t uses a conjugated subjunctive but it has a construction that kinda of works, it doesn’t have diminutive but you kinda of use endearing words to communicate the feeling, it doesn’t have this conjugated SE to create derivative verbs such as “alegrarse, entristecerse” but it kinda of do that with “to get”. Once I understood there are gaps between languages, that are made of semantics beyond the grammar, I stopped that unconscious feeling that something was missing in my sentences. Understanding how our native language works is super helpful to improve in our target language. That’s why I watch your videos, even if Spanish is my native language.

[@jamesfreese4700]

Great video and subject matter-I too have found (to get) to be difficult to translate because of all the various ways it can be used-your lesson was super helpful-keep them coming!!!

[@Run.Ran.Run1]

Thanks for this. I've been sending this to my Spanish students learning English. It makes things so clear for them. They also need to get away from the "make or do" translation of "hacer" or all of the functions of "to have". This is a great lesson for my Spanish too.

[@marchyman5061]

Paul, I love your “tangents”, as you call them. Nuggets of gold!!

[@dennisboyce813]

Right on topic and you broke it down excellently. I remember going over "get" and how often we use it awhile back and realized that it needed some extra thinking to turn it into Spanish. Your video should help the serious student on this.

[@hankasu67]

I never get tired of these videos, they always help me get closer to my goals and very helpful when you just don't get it. This makes me want to get back down to México an get back to learning Spanish. I would also second the request for a video on verbos de cambio.

[@dynamicdiana333]

Learning more verbs in Spanish is helping me with my English.

[@garythieme1977]

This was a very good video. I recognized early on that we use “get” for so many verbs in Spanish. I also appreciated your idea of thinking about what it is that I’m wanting to convey rather than translating. I am at an intermediate level and trying to move past my plateau. Your videos have helped a lot!

[@amudlifecrisis]

💡💡💡Wow! Mind blown! Now I understand so much better, fantastic explanation! 💡💡💡

[@darrylboom5973]

Thank you, great advice about translating! I shared video this with my friend who's learning English and helping me with my Spanish. We talked about get a few weeks ago. Sure is easy for us!

[@mwiebe2663]

So well done. Your advice to get past (there is that “get” again 😅) word by word, literal translation is key to advancing in learning another language.

[@ajarnray4115]

Wow never realized all the different meanings of this verb to get in English. I picked them all up over the years as a non native English speaker. Thanks for the video.

[@denise-stevens]

Thank you so much for this! This lesson is exactly why a native English speaker makes for an excellent Spanish teacher.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for the feedback. :)

[@sleepychicken4878]

What an eye opener. Thank you so much Qroo!

[@QrooSpanish]

My pleasure!

[@timstephens7474]

As soon as I saw caption, I guessed 'to get', I have struggled with that for awhile, glad you addressed it, helpful

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad it helped!

[@MassMexi]

I am well along in my Spanish and doing well but still learning un monton from your channel. Thank you. Especially the use of llegar in this context.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching. I'm glad that you're getting something out of the videos. :)

[@theresapuckett7786]

This was AMAZING. Me encanta lo que dije sobre lis tiempos verbales, y interpretacion v. traduccion. 💜

[@saglamkal3632]

Paul you went so fast that I couldnt write down every word. Just kidding.🙂 I love your way of teaching and %100 agree with interpretation. It is a different level of knowing a language ı think. Cant translate a language word by word, hay que entender completamente.

[@ericbaugher]

I just watched this one and gave it a like. Seems like a good one to watch multiple times. Happy Easter Paul, you totally rock.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks Eric. Happy Easter!

[@jimmychafins]

This is a great video…when I was very early in my Spanish learning journey “get” would really mess me up because I use it a lot in English…I started thinking of alternative words in English to the word “Get” like receive and obtain…etc. that helps a lot!!! Thanks again!!!

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@ronseymour4976]

Very comprehensive and articulate presentation Paul. Thank you so much.

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you.

[@dancingbear142]

Thanks for this video! I still have the problem of trying to create sentences on the fly using the translation method and it’s not going well. I’ll definitely try to think about creating sentences in a more interpretative manner. The intermediate plateau is definitely real!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you so much for the super thanks!

[@dancingbear142]

As an American learner, I really appreciate your perspective for learning Spanish. Thanks for making these videos. It’s helping me a lot. Native Spanish teacher’s don’t understand why these concepts are hard to grasp.

[@enriqueiii9209]

First create the sentence in English also go to translate google. Good luck

[@TheRealJoseramirez]

Paul, you're very good at this. Thank you. 👍

[@QrooSpanish]

I appreciate that. Have a great night.

[@nicedog1]

I was thinking the other how much we use ‘to get’ in so many different contexts. I have nothing but sympathy for English learners.

[@JohnC-py8vt]

This is a very helpful lesson. Thank you.

[@dsbarclayeng1]

Good points. Good lesson. Much of the confusion is due to the fact that common English usage has devolved greatly. If you think of classical British English, using the appropriate verb instead of 'get', its easier to translate for one example.

[@dsbarclayeng1]

Translate the 'idea' not the words - absolutely. Great lesson.

[@alexnewson6013]

So loved this!! Good coaching

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pauls.9954]

Muchísimas gracias

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you very much!

[@WahooWahoo-ig2lp]

This is really commentary on the topic of translating "to get." I've been speaking Spanish while traveling and studying abroad over the last forty years. The best thing is "to get" an ear for it which comes from listening to native speakers. Paul's tips are helpful to put you on alert that the direct translation from English may not be best. When you hear native speakers convey the "to get" idea, you understand the context Paul describes. Good luck. This is a tough one.

[@PaulaBlackwelder]

Outstanding! Thank you so much!

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad it was helpful!

[@spanishwithrobyn]

Hola todos. Hola Paul. He estado viendo tus videos durante algunos años. Me encanta como explicas y enseñas español. Gracias 🎉😊😊

[@believeinpeace]

Thanks!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thank you so much!

[@fildefaite2449]

Thanks Paul!

[@jimmlygoodness]

This is so good, dude. Thanks! 🙏

[@emmetmurray5102]

Excellent lesson 👏

[@dancersbythesea5656]

Sí! Es mejor pensar más en la interpretación que en las traducciones literales. ¡Gracias! Realmente me ayudaste mucho con este video. Ojalá lo hubiera visto hace un año.

[@jeannine1739]

Thanks for this, and Happy Easter! :)

[@lanceh.5671]

I am really enjoying your videos. I tried to learn some Spanish last year. I became so frustrated so fast till I said forget it. I decided to try again a couple months ago and I feel a lot better about my progress now. Number one reason is my attitude about it. I am doing it for fun now and really enjoying it instead of putting too much pressure on myself to learn too much too fast. Your videos are the best I have found so far. I do not have a lot of Spanish speaking friends so I enjoy using a translating app to speak into. Did you do that as well when you were learning?

[@loripisciotta]

Super helpful video!!! Thank you so much. I struggled with this. Now I won't. :) You are an excellent teacher.

[@QrooSpanish]

Glad it was helpful!

[@janbennett225]

Thanks Paul. Another great lesson- keep them coming!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks, will do!

[@davidpatton7298]

Gracias, QP. Loads of good info!

[@sabrinashea198]

Gracias,Paul. Este vídeo es muy útil y hace sentido. 😊

[@goldvideo]

Not to be a “sabe lo todo” but “tiene sentido” would be a lot better to use.

[@adgepeterb]

Hi your by far the best spanish channel for me.. do you do 1 on 1 lessons?

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks. No, I don't do any tutoring anymore.

[@talesfromthemoribund702]

I love your videos man. It takes learning the language as an adult to properly teach it imo. Most of these Spanish teachers teach the same way without any concept of the fact that their methods are unclear and not very useful. I wish I had found you or people like you a few years ago instead of the generic teacher that never explained things clearly or effectively.

[@johnvolker2838]

I taught English in Mexico for 10 years. Try teaching get to a Spanish speaker. I get into jazz music, get it on, I don't get it, get out!, get the phone. The list goes on and on. One big ball of confusion.

[@leenobody3249]

Excellent lesson thanks again Paul 🤝

[@krysiaru8571]

Another perfect lesson Paul ,thanks

[@Greglofton2000]

I love these lessons this better then any app or classroom

[@danhworth100]

I remember trying to just slot in conseguir to every situation when I would use get in English. Didn’t go so well.

[@geraldsalgado3776]

Gracia's for teaching us Spanish and just like English, there spoken by beautiful proud people of ALL nationalities, and that regardless of languages, Dispite the very bias News/ Hollywood/TV industries, YOU my proud white American cousin, that WE ALL MATTER and that it's always cool to share and care,,, so again, Gracia's,,, A FAN of humanity, Latinos, Americans and watching your videos,,,Rock on !!! GERALD 🇵🇷 Baltimore md

[@peterzavon3012]

Many of these examples follow a simple pattern in Spanish ad knowing that may make the process easier. Many of the translations were of the form vereb+self, as is vestirse for "got dressed," which more literally "to dress self". (polish it if you want, but a lot of those different Spanish possibilities for different meanings of "get" follow this.

[@zeigbert1743]

I found when I was starting out I was trying to translate word for word but I soon realized that's hopeless and just focusing on the meaning of a phrase is better.

[@CleonaPattersoneFluentEnglish]

Gracias Qroo Paul.👍 No sabía que podría usar LLEGAR.🎯

[@QrooSpanish]

Con mucho gusto. :)

[@wafaaabdelaziz5118]

Muchas gracias

[@tameraalvarez6438]

I've thought this for a while now. It drives me crazy!

[@booker2834]

Excelente, gracias

[@anonmon6236]

what about the word 'do'? like 'do you want to go outside?' or 'do you like ice cream?', or 'how do you do?' no translation for that either. Is that why the have the upside question mark at the beginning of a question?

[@QrooSpanish]

That's a good observation. In English, we use the word "do" in our questions, but Spanish does not have anything similar to that. The upside down question mark is helpful when it comes to knowing to use the correct voice inflection to make it sound like a question.

[@ericlloyd663]

Super helpful as always!

[@QrooSpanish]

Thanks for watching!

[@tubedogsurf]

Thank you for making these. To get stumped me for a while. I started by switching out consiguir for every time I would use get. Of course that didn’t work. This perspective help huge. Are you familiar with the Pimsluer method? I find it effective

[@Andrew21882]

Muy bien explicado, sigue haciendo lo que haces, tus vídeos son muy útiles. Muchísimas gracias.

[@QrooSpanish]

Gracias. :)

[@UnschoolingtheSpitz]

Love this!❤

[@ron61584]

Can you do a video on when to use the past perfect subjunctive and when to use hubiera followed by past participle . Like would I use si supiera, or si hubiera sabido? Or si tuviera vs si hubiera tenido. Idk if they’re interchangeable or there’s specific times to use each one.

[@believeinpeace]

I know you look at the statistics and see how many people watch all the way through , well I accidentally touched something that brought me elsewhere, how do I do these things, and returned to your magnificent lesson. Muchas Gracias Paul por esta perfecta lección. I hope i got the por vs para right 🤦‍♀️

[@QrooSpanish]

No worries. Thanks for watching. All the views help me. :)

[@scotthullinger4684]

The thing to remember is that you shouldn't be translating words specifically, but your goal should be to convey the meaning you wish. This is why an appeal to the dictionary is often useless. And one way to easily make a more or less universal request is to just begin your sentence with ... "Favor de." Favor de traerme servilletas. - "Please bring me napkins." Just add the right verb.

[@miriamspandereta]

Phew! That’s a relief!

[@erics7992]

'Me llegó...' fue muy útil. Me parece que lo he oído varias veces en series de televisión pero no pude entender su significado. Gracias.

[@gracepatricio7116]

Awesome video 😃

[@20andgone2]

Great video.

[@kcorpora1]

Paul real good video...Nothing more to add!.."To get" in spanish can "Get you." Lol. My bad, I do have 1 to add "Meterse" to get into. no me meto en problemas. te metes en problemas cada vez te veo. Good stuff!!!!!

[@QrooSpanish]

I actually thought about adding meterse but dropped it in editing. :)

[@kcorpora1]

@@QrooSpanish Good stuff...But you hit them with a lot of verbs...I know their heads are spinning! Good stuff Q!!!!!

[@muhammadvalere1105]

This video is very helpful and I really enjoyed but there this one form of to get I never seem to translate correctly and that is to relieve like for example I am a K-9 officer and normally as officers because you used to be an officer as well too how do you translate the word to relieve ( i didn't get relieved last night and I had to work the next shift

[@gerlautamr.656]

Hi, I'm Mexican so I think I can answer your question, or at least try to. In this case, you should just say: Anoche no fui relevado y tuve que trabajar el siguiente turno. The verb "Relevar" in Spanish means to take the place of someone so he/she can rest, as in a job, in a race, etc. I hope I've made myself understood, because I'm still learning English, so bear with me plz.

[@muhammadvalere1105]

@@gerlautamr.656 this was super helpful thanks you very much 🙏

[@gerlautamr.656]

@@muhammadvalere1105 You're welcome.If You ever have another doubt about anything related to Spanish, you may ask me and I'll gladly try my best to clarify it, as long as it's within my knowledge, that is.

[@muhammadvalere1105]

@@gerlautamr.656 ok cool

[@greadore]

Good video. Before finding out you were going to talk about the verb “to get” I thought the toughest English word was going to be “to become” which has many possibilities depending on context. Can you do a video about the verb “to become”? Thanks a lot!

[@QrooSpanish]

That's a good topic idea.

[@sandycanine6375]

How about. The word "become" as a synonym for ^get?" How would you say "become" in Spanish?

[@QrooSpanish]

There are lots of different ways to translate that one depending on usage and context.

[@itsvonnieb]

You are genius.

[@mikevincent2811]

What about agarrar

[@michaelabercrombie7698]

Obtener would be my first guess.

[@thecaliokieconnexion]

Thanks! I need this video! Saved the rest for later. I will be back, hopefully soon! 😄 ( I got to 7:38.)

[@QrooSpanish]

Great, I hope you enjoy the rest :-)

[@TalkingAmerican]

Buen trabajo, Paul

[@QrooSpanish]

Gracias.

[@runescapekolya]

Hey man! I really enjoy your vids and your way of teaching. I was actually wondering, did you remove your video about your journey to becoming fluent “how I learned to speak Spanish fluently”?

[@ballin20003000]

Puedes traerme más agua. Could I use this... I have so far not sure if they just figure it out or do they really understand me 🤔

[@QrooSpanish]

Yes, you can say that.

[@ballin20003000]

Ok thank you 👍🏿

[@muhammadvalere1105]

I would like to see you do a video on how to say stop in Spanish because 😂I'm having a hard time on how to translating it since they are many ways to say stop

[@QrooSpanish]

Like telling someone to stop? Give me some examples.

[@muhammadvalere1105]

@@QrooSpanish for example 1 you have to stop smoking because it is bad for your health 2 you always have to stop your car at a red light 3 I immediately stopped what I was doing because I heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen

[@QrooSpanish]

Ah, I see now. I did cover a construction for the first example in my latest video. It is under the dejar section: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYqzlnWFbM6pl6s

[@thecaliokieconnexion]

I also feel very confused by the word “ stop” for same reasons … so many versions… different words, tenses etc. the stop sign says a “ alto” but I have never heard a person say that. There is dejar de… but I feel like there are other versions of the word too…. Can’t remember. I have been trying to learn Spanish for decades. But I have not yet made it. I go awhile without studying or having much exposure, and I become rusty in my skills. I hear. “ Basta” I think, on tv, but that is not a literal translation and can’t be always used for “ stop” . I can say “ pausa” but… that also doesnt always seem fitting. … To me it seems almost like “ get” but, maybe less extreme. I believe you would be able to make a great video on that word , as well as the word for the verb “ to stand” I have been wanting to use The appropriate Spanish version of those words for decades and I don’t know how!! 😳 Please help .

[@thecaliokieconnexion]

Oh… I just saw you said you do have a video?

[@MomentViralVideo]

asustarse = acojonarse: menudo acojone me da eso... that freaks me out..

[@cynthiawagstaff2185]

what about sacar?

[@chrismaxfield5484]

It means to take out; ie Saqué la basura I took out the trash.

[@machprt8218]

thank you for your videos. would it be possible to use more spanish when explaining?

[@QrooSpanish]

I have some videos where I explain everything in Spanish, but I'm not a fan of that format. As a native English speaker, one advantage that I have is to explain things in a way that make sense to English speakers. If I speak Spanish, I lose a lot of those folks.

[@goldvideo]

Whatever you do, both in LATAM and in Spain, avoid this kind of construction: “Puedo tener una café” in a restaurant. It is understandable but it really sounds weird to them. In Spain you’ll more commonly hear “me pones un café” or “me traes un café”. In LATAM, I think “me trae” (the usted version) would be more common.

[@MomentViralVideo]

4:37 en españa decimos " ponerse de mala hostia " " me pone de muy mala hostia" " me pongo de los nervios" " me pongo del higado" " me pones cachondo" " me pones ( you turn me on) " mosquearse, chinarse, son sinonimos de enfadarse en registro coloquial