100 Mistakes #15 - Get

The verb 'get' can be confusing, because it seems to have lots of different meanings. If you translate it into your language, you may need several different words.

In English, it has a meaning similar to bring, find, receive, obtain, reach, take, become or understand, depending on the situation.

Here are some examples:

Oh, you've been shopping! What did you get?
Get is similar to bring, find or obtain

What are you getting for Christmas?
Get is similar to receive 

Could you tell me how I can get to the station?
Get to is similar to reach or go to
(Note: we do not use arrive in this context)

How did you get here?
Get is similar to reach or come to

I got the bus.
Get is similar to take

He got on the train at St Pancras, and got off at Luton Airport Parkway.
Get on is similar to board = enter (transport)
Get off is similar to leave = exit (transport) 

I'm getting old.
Get is similar to become = start to be

I don't get why you didn't say anything before!
Get is similar to understand

She's got three younger brothers.
Have got is similar to have

So how can one verb mean so many different things?

Well, we have to ask ourselves how different these meanings really are.

Is bring similar to take?
The difference between bring and take depends on whether you are coming or going.
Compare these sentences:

I'll bring my laptop (with me when I come)
I'll take my laptop (with me when I go)

Is receive similar to take?
When my neighbour goes away on holiday, she brings me her cat. I take her cat. I receive her cat.

Is reach similar to obtain or have?
When you reach the summit of a mountain, do you feel like you now have something that you didn't have before? Not convinced? What about reaching an agreement?

Is understand similar to receive?
When you understand something, have you received something? Do you now have something that you didn't have before?

Words usually mean more than one thing, and get is particularly flexible. It allows us to unite things that feel similar, without changing the verb.

Try to work out which verb 'get' is similar to in this conversation:

Boy: How did you get here?

Girl: I got the train.

Boy: Yes but I don't get how you got from the station to the city centre so quickly?
Girl: Oh, I got lucky. There was a bus there as soon as I got out of the station. I only managed to get on because there was a long queue.
Boy: So, did you get me anything from Paris?

Girl: Of course. I thought of you as soon as I got there.

Here! I got it in a little shop in the Latin quarter. I hope you haven't already got one.
Boy: Oh, thank you! No, I haven't got one like this; it's beautiful!

Girl: I tried to get one last time I was there but they hadn't got any.

So what do you think she got him?

Notes for Spanish speakers

If you're Spanish, think about the verbs "coger" and "tomar", and whether they also have different meanings in different contexts. Do they sometimes translate as "get"?

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Be careful with translating "llegar a" into English. Try to avoid the verb "arrive" and use "get to" instead. "Llegar a ser" translates as "become".

I arrived to Porto at about half past three.
I got to Porto at about half past three.

He arrived to be a monk at the age of 33.
He became a monk at the age of 33.

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In Spanish you use "tomar algo/una copa" in the context of going out for a drink. But in English we do not use "take something"! Here are some better ideas:

Go for a drink - I went for a couple of drinks after work.
Go out for a drink - Do you fancy going out for a drink this weekend?
Get a drink - Shall we get another drink?

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