If you’re looking for just one word for “got” in Spanish, you’ll have to adjust your expectations. The word “got,” very common in English, has a lot of variations in Spanish, because it doesn’t have just one translation. It’s necessary to choose the word that most closely relates to the idea you’re trying to express.
When you say “I got” in Spanish do you mean obtuve (I obtained), recibí (I received), conseguí (I achieved), or compré (I bought)? Is your translation actually a whole phrase, like sacar una buena nota (to get a good grade), or lograr que alguien haga algo (to get someone to do something)? With the immersive learning and authentic Spanish conversations in Rosetta Stone, you’ll be learning to express ideas, not simply translate words.
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How do you say ‘got’ in Spanish?
If you think about the word “get,” or its past tense form “got,” it can be a casual replacement for a multitude of more formal-sounding verbs in English. There’s no single answer to “what is ‘got’ in Spanish?” as it can be related to dozens of different ideas.
A good way to translate “got” in Spanish is to think about the more formal or specific way to say the idea in English, and translate that to the best Spanish verb in the preterite tense. So, to say “I got it” in Spanish, you could ask yourself if you mean “I purchased it” or “I understood it.” Here are a few more examples.
| Spanish | English (More Formal/Specific) | English (Informal “Got”) |
| Compré más leche. | I bought more milk. | I got more milk. |
| Gané el primer premio. | I earned first prize. | I got first prize. |
| Lo entendí. | I understood it. | I got it. |
| Llegué tarde a casa. | I arrived at home late. | I got home late. |
| Mejoré las calificaciones. | I improved my grades. | I got better grades. |
| Obtuve un certificado. | I obtained a certification. | I got a certification. |
| Pillé la gripe. | I caught the flu. | I got the flu. |
| Recibí tu carta. | I received your letter. | I got your letter. |
| Me recuperé rápido. | I recovered quickly. | I got over it quickly. |
| Tomé el primer autobús. | I took the first bus. | I got the first bus. |
Describe how you felt using ponerse + emotion adjective
Want to let someone know you got angry in Spanish? Use the construction ponerse followed by an adjective to express that you or someone else began to feel a specific emotion. Another translation of this construction in English would be “became” + emotion.
- Me puse enojada. = I got angry.
- Me puse muy nervioso. = I got very nervous.
- Me puse celosa. = I got jealous.
The yo (I) forms of the verbs are presented in these examples. To learn how to say that other people “got angry,” for example, see the conjugation of irregular Spanish verbs like poner.
English phrasal verbs with ‘got’
Verbs that change meaning when combined with different prepositions or other words are very common in English. It’s not easy to translate “to get” in Spanish as a solitary verb. Instead, you’ll need to learn the idea as a phrase or chunk. In many cases, just one verb will be sufficient in Spanish.
Notice that the verbs in this table are all reflexive verbs, so the Spanish sentences will include the required reflexive pronoun, such as me or se.
| Spanish Verb | English Meaning | Spanish Example | English Meaning |
| acostumbrarse | to get used to | Me acostumbré rápido. | I got used to it quickly. |
| casarse | to get married | Se casó en mayo. | She got married in May. |
| desplazarse | to get around | Se desplazó en transporte público. | He got around on public transportation. |
| escaparse | to get away | El pez se escapó. | The fish got away. |
| llevarse bien | to get along with | Los niños se llevaron bien. | The kids got along well. |
| levantarse | to get up | Me levanté a las seis. | I got up at six. |
| mojarse | to get wet | El perro se mojó. | The dog got wet. |
| subirse | to get in | Me subí al coche. | I got in the car. |
| vestirse | to get dressed | Me vestí antes de cenar. | I got dressed before eating dinner. |
The English slang word ‘gotta’
Almost every English speaker has used “gotta” as in “I gotta go.” This can be perplexing to English learners. What is this verb and what does it mean?
The dictionary site, Merriam-Webster, defines “gotta” as a “pronunciation spelling” of the phrase “got to,” which is a shortened form of “have got to.” The important part is that “gotta” implies obligation. The best way to translate this into Spanish would be tener que (to have to/to be obligated to), a phrase related to “have” in Spanish.
- Tengo que irme. = I have to go./I gotta go.
- Tengo que trabajar por la mañana. = I have to work tomorrow./I gotta work tomorrow.
- Tengo que decirte algo. = I have to tell you something./I gotta tell you something.
You can master a language quickly when you have the opportunity to speak to native speakers and learn their language the way that they really speak it. Rosetta Stone’s live lessons and expert tutors can give you this opportunity, in addition to the examples in the lessons and Phrasebook.
‘You got this!’ or ‘you can do it!’
One way to say “you can do it” in Spanish, as in the English slang expression “you got this!” would be Sí, tú puedes! (Yes, you can!) Whether you’re encouraging a teammate, talking about what you need to do in the morning, discussing a rapid change of emotions, or simply saying “I don’t understand,” the word “got” in Spanish has dozens of translations.
Use best practices like Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method to learn Spanish verbs and other vocabulary in authentic Spanish contexts. Once you’re thinking fully in Spanish, you’ll rarely be tempted to translate “got” as one single word.
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