Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'get' is a small but powerful verb, with a rich history and significance that goes far beyond its simple, two-letter form. In English, 'get' is used to indicate obtaining or acquiring something, as well as to convey movement or progress towards a particular location. But did you know that 'get' has been adopted into the vocabularies of many other languages, often with similar meanings?
Understanding the translation of 'get' in different languages can open up new cultural perspectives and help us better communicate with people around the world. For example, in Spanish, 'get' translates to 'obtener' or 'conseguir,' while in French, it's 'avoir' or 'obtenir.' In Mandarin Chinese, 'get' can be translated as '得' (dé) or '获取' (huòqu).
But 'get' isn't just a practical word for conveying concepts of possession or movement. It's also a word that has been used in countless idioms, songs, and phrases throughout history, making it a fascinating word to explore from a linguistic and cultural perspective.
So, whether you're a language learner looking to expand your vocabulary, a traveler looking to connect with people from different cultures, or simply a word enthusiast, read on to discover the many translations and uses of the word 'get' in different languages!
Afrikaans | kry | ||
"kry" is cognate with the Dutch "krijgen" which is itself derived from the Proto-Germanic word "krijaną" meaning "to choose" or "to pick out." | |||
Amharic | አግኝ | ||
The word "አግኝ" also has the alternate meaning "find," and is related to the word "አግኝት," meaning "property," or "wealth." | |||
Hausa | samu | ||
The word "samu" in Hausa also means "to obtain" or "to acquire." | |||
Igbo | nweta | ||
The Igbo word 'nweta' is also used to refer to finding or obtaining something. | |||
Malagasy | get | ||
"Hahazo", as "get" is translated to Malagasy, also translates to "to find"," to receive", and has a passive, "to become", which changes with the context in a sentence. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pezani | ||
Pezani can also mean "to obtain" or "to acquire" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | tora | ||
The word "tora" also means "to bring" and "to fetch" in Shona. | |||
Somali | hel | ||
It can also be used for concepts like obtaining or receiving (e.g., "hel cash"). | |||
Sesotho | fumana | ||
In Sesotho, the word "fumana" can also mean "find" or "receive." | |||
Swahili | pata | ||
The word 'pata' can also mean 'to receive' or 'to find'. | |||
Xhosa | fumana | ||
Fumana means 'to find, receive, or obtain' in Xhosa and is etymologically related to the word 'fumana' in Zulu and 'fama' in Sotho. | |||
Yoruba | gba | ||
Gba, meaning 'to get', also denotes 'to catch' and 'to grasp' in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | thola | ||
The word "thola" also means "to find" or "to encounter" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | sɔrɔ | ||
Ewe | xɔ | ||
Kinyarwanda | kubona | ||
Lingala | kozwa | ||
Luganda | okufuna | ||
Sepedi | hwetša | ||
Twi (Akan) | nya | ||
Arabic | احصل على | ||
"احصل على" "get"} is cognate with "agăț" Romanian, "agγaza " Turkish, "αγγίζω" Greek, "haczyć" Polish and ахват'ить Ukrainian, meaning to grasp, to seize. | |||
Hebrew | לקבל | ||
In Talmudic Hebrew, the root "קבל" means both "to receive" and "to cause to happen," suggesting an active role in the reception of events. | |||
Pashto | ترلاسه کول | ||
The word ترلاسه کول has a very deep meaning, and is also derived from various phrases throughout time. | |||
Arabic | احصل على | ||
"احصل على" "get"} is cognate with "agăț" Romanian, "agγaza " Turkish, "αγγίζω" Greek, "haczyć" Polish and ахват'ить Ukrainian, meaning to grasp, to seize. |
Albanian | marr | ||
The word "marr" can also mean "to take" or "to bring". | |||
Basque | lortu | ||
"Lortu" also means "gather" when used with the suffix "-tu" and "gatherer" when used with the suffix "-tzaile" | |||
Catalan | aconseguir | ||
The verb "aconseguir" in Catalan comes from the Latin phrase "ad consequi" which means "to reach, overtake, or pursue". | |||
Croatian | dobiti | ||
"Dobiti" can also mean "to win" or "to receive". | |||
Danish | få | ||
The word "få" can also mean "to receive" or "to obtain, especially through effort or skill." | |||
Dutch | krijgen | ||
The term "krijgen" has Germanic roots: "krigen","krigon" "krigjan" and means "battle, fight ", while the Indo-European root *krey- "to create" is thought to have contributed too. | |||
English | get | ||
Get can also mean achieve, acquire, or receive something, or to understand or realize something. | |||
French | avoir | ||
"Avoir" in French originally meant "to have," but has been used to mean "to get" due to the influence of Old English and Italian. | |||
Frisian | krije | ||
The Frisian word "krije" can also mean "to receive" or "to obtain". | |||
Galician | conseguir | ||
In Galician, "conseguir" also means "to manage" or "to achieve", akin to French "obtenir". | |||
German | erhalten | ||
The verb "erhalten" can also mean "to keep" or "to preserve" in German. | |||
Icelandic | fá | ||
The word "fá" is also the imperative form of the infinitive "fá" which means "to fetch, to go after something and bring it back." | |||
Irish | fháil | ||
Irish "fháil" "get" from Old Irish "feth", cognate with Welsh "cael". "get" is a Germanic loanword. | |||
Italian | ottenere | ||
The word ottennere (get) is derived from the Latin word 'obtinere', which means 'to hold, to possess, or to attain'. | |||
Luxembourgish | kréien | ||
The word "kréien" is a cognate of the German word "kriegen" and the English word "acquire" | |||
Maltese | ġib | ||
The Maltese word "ġib" also means "to receive, to obtain, to acquire" | |||
Norwegian | få | ||
The word "få" can also mean "few" or "a little", and is cognate with English "few" and German "wenig". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pegue | ||
In 16th century Portuguese, "pegue" originally meant "to adhere" and "to hold." | |||
Scots Gaelic | faigh | ||
The term "faigh" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European language and is also used in Irish to mean "find". | |||
Spanish | obtener | ||
"Obtener" en español proviene de la palabra latina "obtinere", que significa "aferrar".} | |||
Swedish | skaffa sig | ||
The Swedish verb "skaffa sig" comes from the noun "skap" which means "creation" or "production", so the verb means literally "to create something for oneself" | |||
Welsh | cael | ||
In Welsh, 'cael' has an etymology linked to 'gaining possession' and can also refer to 'understanding' or 'perceiving'. |
Belarusian | атрымаць | ||
The word "атрымаць" in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ob-trimati, which also meant "to receive". | |||
Bosnian | uzmi | ||
The word "uzmi" can also mean "take" or "fetch" and derives from the Proto-Slavic verb '*ęti', from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁enǵʰ-' meaning "to fetch", "to go after", "to get". | |||
Bulgarian | вземете | ||
The verb "вземете" comes from the Old Bulgarian verb "вzeti", which means "to take" or "to seize". | |||
Czech | dostat | ||
In Czech, "dostat" also means to receive, acquire, or achieve something. | |||
Estonian | saada | ||
Estonian "saada" (get) shares the same etymology with "sadama" (harbour) which in turn comes from "sadada" (to dock) suggesting that the original meaning was "to reach one's desired place" | |||
Finnish | saada | ||
In the past, 'saada' was also used to mean 'to know' and 'to understand', but these meanings are now mostly obsolete outside of certain dialects. | |||
Hungarian | kap | ||
The word "kap" in Hungarian can also mean "catch" or "receive". | |||
Latvian | gūt | ||
Latvian "gūt" is related to the Lithuanian "gauti" and Prussian "gaut", all meaning "to get" or "to receive". | |||
Lithuanian | gauti | ||
The Lithuanian word "gauti" is thought to be related to the Sanskrit word "gam" meaning "to go" or "to obtain". | |||
Macedonian | добие | ||
The word "добие" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *dobiti, meaning "to gain" or "to acquire." | |||
Polish | dostać | ||
The Polish word "dostać" can also mean "to receive" or "to obtain". | |||
Romanian | obține | ||
The Romanian word "obține" is derived from the Latin word "obtinere", meaning "to acquire, obtain, or achieve" | |||
Russian | получить | ||
The verb "получить" also means to receive, to get something from someone and to obtain, to get something for yourself. | |||
Serbian | добити | ||
The verb "добити" can also mean "to win" or "to receive" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | dostať | ||
The verb | |||
Slovenian | dobili | ||
The Slovene word "dobiti" can also refer to giving something to someone or to obtaining something. | |||
Ukrainian | отримати | ||
The verb «отримати» is the Ukrainian language equivalent of the English word «receive». |
Bengali | পাওয়া | ||
The word "পাওয়া" is the Bengali cognate of the Sanskrit word "प्राप्त" (prāpta) and the English word "get". It has a wide range of meanings including "to obtain" "to receive" "to find" "to reach" "to experience" "to understand". | |||
Gujarati | મેળવો | ||
"મેળવો" is also used to mean "to meet" or "to assemble". | |||
Hindi | प्राप्त | ||
The word 'प्राप्त' can also mean 'attained', 'obtained', or 'received' | |||
Kannada | ಪಡೆಯಿರಿ | ||
The verb 'ಪಡೆಯಿರಿ' in Kannada has several meanings such as to seize, take possession of, or acquire. | |||
Malayalam | നേടുക | ||
"നേടുക" comes from the Sanskrit word "niyata", which means "to gain, achieve". | |||
Marathi | मिळवा | ||
The word 'मिळवा' ('get') in Marathi also means 'to collect', or 'to meet' or 'to receive'. | |||
Nepali | पाउनुहोस् | ||
The word "पाउनुहोस्" in Nepali derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *peu- meaning "to grasp" or "to procure". | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰੋ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලබා ගන්න | ||
The word “ලබා ගන්න” (“get”) in Sinhala can also mean to receive, obtain, or acquire something. | |||
Tamil | பெறு | ||
The Tamil word 'பெறு' can also mean 'to bear children (of a woman). | |||
Telugu | పొందండి | ||
In Telugu, the word "పొందండి" (get) can also mean "to obtain" or "to gain possession of" something. | |||
Urdu | حاصل | ||
The word "حاصل" (get) is derived from the Arabic word "hasil" (result), reflecting its meaning as the outcome or product of an action or process. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 得到 | ||
得到 can also mean "obtain," "achieve," or "receive." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 得到 | ||
In some contexts, 得到 can also mean "to understand" or "to comprehend." | |||
Japanese | 取得する | ||
"取得する" means "to acquire" and is derived from "取", meaning "to take", and "得", meaning "to obtain". | |||
Korean | 가져 오기 | ||
'가져 오기' can also mean to 'fetch', 'collect' or 'pick up'. | |||
Mongolian | авах | ||
"Авах" (get) is derived from "аварга" (way of life). It can also mean "take," "obtain," or "achieve. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရပါတယ် | ||
ရပါတယ် also expresses "to obtain something from a higher being," "to be blessed with," or "to have luck or fortune."} |
Indonesian | dapatkan | ||
The Indonesian word "Dapatkan" can also mean "obtain" or "acquire". | |||
Javanese | entuk | ||
Entuk also has a different meaning, "to meet", which is commonly found in the sentence "entuke karo simbah" (met my grandfather). | |||
Khmer | ទទួលបាន | ||
The word "ទទួលបាន" can also mean "to receive" or "to accept" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ໄດ້ຮັບ | ||
The Lao word ໄດ້ຮັບ (get) is derived from the Sanskrit word ग्रह (graha), which means "to seize" or "to take hold of". | |||
Malay | dapatkan | ||
The word "dapatkan" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "dapatya" meaning "obtainable" and can also mean "may" in conditional sentences. | |||
Thai | ได้รับ | ||
The Thai word "ได้รับ" can also mean "to receive", "to accept", or "to be given". | |||
Vietnamese | được | ||
The word "được" in Vietnamese can also refer to "allow" or "may". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
Azerbaijani | almaq | ||
The word "almaq" also means "to take" or "to receive" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | алу | ||
The word "алу" in Kazakh can also mean "to be" or "to become" and shares a common root with the verb "алуу" ("to take") in Kyrgyz and Mongolian. | |||
Kyrgyz | алуу | ||
The word "алуу" has other meanings in Kyrgyz, like "to take" or "to receive". | |||
Tajik | даст | ||
The word "даст" in Tajik also means "to give" or "to allow". | |||
Turkmen | al | ||
Uzbek | olish | ||
Olish is a synonym of "olishverish" that is a colloquial synonym of "olish" with a meaning of "get" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | get | ||
Hawaiian | loaʻa | ||
The word "loaʻa" can also mean "to find" or "to obtain". | |||
Maori | whiwhi | ||
The word "whiwhi" derives from the Proto-Polynesian word "*fehi" meaning "to take" or "to get". | |||
Samoan | maua | ||
"Maua" also is used to mean that a person has arrived successfully at an intended location or completed their intended goal. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kumuha ka | ||
The phrase "kumuha ka" can also be interpreted figuratively to mean "take charge" or "assume responsibility". |
Aymara | jikxataña | ||
Guarani | reko | ||
Esperanto | akiri | ||
The Esperanto word "akiri" is derived from the Latin word "acquirere," meaning "to acquire." | |||
Latin | possidebit | ||
"Possidebit" is translated as "get" in most contexts, but its original meaning was "be master of" or "own." |
Greek | παίρνω | ||
The Greek verb "παίρνω" can also mean to accept, to receive, to take, to seize, to capture or to lead. | |||
Hmong | tau | ||
In Hmong, "tau" can also mean "to acquire" or "to obtain" something. | |||
Kurdish | stendin | ||
The word "stendin" in Kurdish also means "to be situated" or "to stand". | |||
Turkish | almak | ||
"Almak" in Turkish also means "to buy", similar to the French "prendre" or Spanish "tomar." | |||
Xhosa | fumana | ||
Fumana means 'to find, receive, or obtain' in Xhosa and is etymologically related to the word 'fumana' in Zulu and 'fama' in Sotho. | |||
Yiddish | באַקומען | ||
באַקומען can also mean "to receive" or "to acquire" in Yiddish. | |||
Zulu | thola | ||
The word "thola" also means "to find" or "to encounter" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | পাওক | ||
Aymara | jikxataña | ||
Bhojpuri | प्राप्त | ||
Dhivehi | ލިބުން | ||
Dogri | आहनो | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
Guarani | reko | ||
Ilocano | alan | ||
Krio | gɛt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | وەرگرتن | ||
Maithili | भेटत | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯪꯕ | ||
Mizo | nei | ||
Oromo | argadhu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପାଅ | ||
Quechua | tariy | ||
Sanskrit | प्राप्नोतु | ||
Tatar | алу | ||
Tigrinya | ምርካብ | ||
Tsonga | kuma | ||