Coger - word of the day...
You bet it's wise to use some other word than coger, especially in northern Mexico.
And should you ever say the name of a certain Yaqui town, Cajéme, be very, very careful on which syllable you place the accent.
16 Answers
Here we go again:
"Coger" comes from Latin "colligere" (to grab with both hands), and it was used normally. However, in the Middle Ages in Spain, people in the street slang began to use it with the sense of grabbing a woman with your hands... in order to perform a sexual intercourse, even though the verb was still used to mean "to take" as well. The sexual meaning travelled to the Americas and it became the norm in many countries, while in others like Spain or Cuba, the sexual usage was forgotten, and kept only for farm animals, like cows and bulls.
In countries like Mexico or Panamá, most speakers (especially educated ones) are aware of both meanings, but common people find it hard to resist making jokes about the sexual meaning. In countries like Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay the term is used practically only with the sexual meaning, and in countries like Colombia, Peru, Spain or Cuba is a neutral word.
Jean_Marie expressed confusion in her comment.
Some confusion may be the different spelling of the town's name; it's spelled with a "j," not a "g." But, believe me, the pronunciation is identical.
And Goyo is correct: one of coger's forms is regarded as obscene in most of Mexico.
It is used extensively in porn films.
Enough said, I hope.
I was surprised to see coger selected as word of the day, in fact...
"Coger" comes from Latin "colligere" (to grab with both hands), and it was used normally. However, in the Middle Ages in Spain, people in the street slang began to use it with the sense of grabbing a woman with your hands... in order to perform a sexual intercourse, even though the verb was still used to mean "to take" as well. The sexual meaning travelled to the Americas and it became the norm in many countries, while in others like Spain or Cuba, the sexual usage was forgotten, and kept only for farm animals, like cows and bulls.
That is a very insightful commentary! It is interesting that in English, given the right context, the verb "to take" can also have a similarly sexual connotation, yet nobody would ever connect such meaning to sentences like "He took the forklift."
Volpon, I usually don't give my opinion about this kind of thing...but this is a very silly thing to say.
Yeah, good idea, let's blow things out of proportion. DJ was just mentioning a fact,,it is in Mexico where this word has a sexually implicit meaning. It also has this very meaning in Argentina. And I guess in more countries, which he happened not to mention.
I would really like to know what cattle and leprosy have got to do with this.
You want to talk about politics? Not on this thread and not on this forum.
This was said before, coger is a very commonly used verb in Spain.
I must say, I am slightly surprised too, as this site is mainly used by American users.
I can only recommed: Do NOT use it in American countries, generally speaking,
I can see Roberto another native uses it in everyday life too, so this does not count out all countries.
I think is not a problem to use the word in Latin America. They just will think you are from Spain. Maybe someone could make jokes about it, but no one would think you are a rude talker.
Definitely do not use "coger" in Venezuela. In Spain it is used for almost everything "Voy a coger el metro". "¿Cogiste el correo?" But do not use it in Venezuela!
I am not quite sure what your question is but if you are looking for a definition of "coger", there is a conference on it on March in UK.
The word cojer means to get. For some illogical reason some uneducated people, mostly Mexicans use agarrar instead which means grab and is a stronger acttion. It's ridiculous that these people would be offended by someone using the proper word coje. If someone is offended by this , it's an indication that they are uneducated and immature and that you should not associate with them. They are the kind of people that refuse to better themselves in life. We should not stoop down to their level, but instead use correct Spanish so that they learn how to use dictionaries and improve themselves.
As I have seen it used in movies, the form "cojer," spelled with a "j," is the vulgar form that Mexicans and some others use. "Coger" is a form of the Latin word "cogito," meaning "to seize." We use coger quite extensively in Puerto Rico. I have been working in Mexico for a little while now, and I haven't had any problems with the word's confusion. It's all a matter of context, and, I would imagine, a good source of humor. Hey, go f*** that forklift and bring it over here. Although no one has burst out in laughter at such a request. They'll know what you mean.
Sorry, DL, but you are picking on the Mexicans.
Why not? They get blamed for just about everything bad here in the States.
Including bringing in an epidemic of leprosy when fact is, leprosy has been just about eradicated worldwide. (Courtesy of Lou Dobbs, by the way.)
Also, weary Mexican migrants are said to run after, catch, and slaughter US cattle to have a barbecue on this side of the border. (Courtesy of Pat Buchanan.)
"Has never happened here," reports the Sheriff of my border county, Santa Cruz, USA. (He should know: he's been sheriff for 24 years.) "Ridiculous!" says our local rancher. "Anyone saying that doesn't know how dangerous cattle are. It takes skilled horsemen to bring down even an old cow."
No, coger also has sexual connotations throughout Latin America. The issue is not placing "blame," but trying to answer the intriguing questions, "Why? "Where did that come from?"
Thanks, ismarodi-uy, for a possible lead.
From Castilla, you wrote?
Very interesting...
So then to sum up what everyone has said, and what I know...
Coger is perfectly ok to say anywhere in the world, except in most parts of Mexico because Mexicans have given it a sexually derogatory meaning. So you can go anywhere in the world and get the same point across with the word Coger, except Mexico. This is very common, just as I know the word Pipillo technically means straw, but Mexicans also have given it a sexually derogatory meaning. Also just so everyone knows i'm not picking on the Mexican people, in Venezuela the word Cuca is a really nasty word too, where as everywhere else, first thing to come to mind word be a roach, however not in Venezuela where it has a....yup, you guessed it.....sexually derogatory meaning. Anyways, I hope this is helpful to someone. 
This has almost turned into an amusing brawl, and I take some responsibility for that. I erroneously condemned the entire verb and all its conjugations. (I just edited in a correction in one of my earlier posts.)
The form to be wary of is the imperative, cágeme, which is an expression that some would regard as obscene, since it is very popular in Mexican porn. And contrary to what some class-conscious observers (we call them "language snobs") have posted here, there are well-educated women and men who will use it during moments of deep desire and sexual excitement - usually in a husky whisper. (My impression is that chingar is more likely to be used in a smoky bar; coger in a five-star resort.)
Basically coger is like the "vulgar" form of chingar, but its use, from what I've been able to ascertain, is far more powerful.
Otherwise, go ahead: use coger in all of its other forms. But from my experience it is not a verb that is, in general, used all that frequently in Mexico. Perhaps because it has such a strong sexual connotation.
But that's only my anecdotal evidence, which, I must add, is supported by the "warning" that arrived with the posting of coger as the word of the day. It was a sensible warning.
Finally, coger as used in Mexico (and other countries of Latin America) could become a terrific doctoral thesis. How did a verb, so ordinary in Spain, become so explicitly sexual in those countries?
Worth probing (so to speak).
La palabra "coger" no es obscena per se en México. Se puede utilizar sin temor al hablar con personas de buena educación o nivel social (preparación profesional y educativa).
Simplemente eviten su uso al comunicarse con la población en general, o tratén de que la frase en la que la utilicen no de pie a ambigüedades:
Sin ambigüedad: Pedro cogió el lápiz y lo guardó en su mochila.
Pedro pick up the pencil and put it into his backpack.
Ambiguo: Él lo cogió y lo guardó en su mochila.*
He pick up it and put it into his backpack.
