"get in" or "get on"
I would like to know if these sentences are correct:
"To get in a car" = meterse en un coche.
"To get into a car" = meterse en un coche.
"To get out of a car" = salirse de un coche.
"To get on a bus" = subirse a un autobús.
"To get off a bus" = bajarse de un autobús.
9 Answers
i think you re right 
Nila
My English/Spanish dictionary has Five A4 size pages just explaining the word "get". There are about 200 instances where "get" can be used so you can see that it is a very complicated little word.
Nila, you're correct, but be very careful with this word, "Get." Most natives become so caught up in using this word that they forget the verb it is replacing. Try to avoid it as much as possible - idioms not withstanding - and use the proper verb. There is nothing more obtuse than someone who uses, "Get" constantly.
Get is synonymous with several verbs like understand, become, obtain, have, receive, and many others, but I have never felt like the verb was overused. Nor is it, so far as I know, improper when used instead of those verbs. I certainly never considered others as being obtuse for using it. Do you have any specific examples of what you mean?
Where "Get" works well is in idioms ("Get out of town" = "No way!" "Impossible")
Good point. Also, the shorter "get out!" is frequently used for this (a term of shock or surprise instead of an actual command to get out of something).
Even more necessary to avoid is "Have got." This is same as saying. "Yo tengo tengo." "I have...." is quite sufficient
Surprisingly, got and gotten are both the past participle of get. Therefore, "have got" is recognized as an alternate and valid version of the present perfect of get (have gotten / have got). It doesn't mean "tengo tengo", rather it means ha tenido or ha obtenido or ha + participle of whatever other verbs are synonymous with get.
One would be more likely to hear / say "I've got," but one would be more likely to read / write "I have gotten."
Okay, in light of ezrider's comments, I see that "have got" can also be used as a more emphatic form of "have" (like "I've got a pen"..Sí tengo una pluma). This is different that "have got" which means "have gotten." As an emphatic form of have, it can also be used in place of have in the phrase "have to" (tener que) and makes it more emphatic -- like, "You have got to start being more careful." For this construction, the emphasis is placed on the word got. This can range from slightly emphatic to extremely angry or frustrated.
- I have got to leave or I'll be late.
- You wrecked my car!?! Augh!! You have GOT to be more careful!!!
By the way, this would translate into Spanish more like "sí tengo" (emphatic have) and "sí tengo que hacer algo" or possibly "tengo mucho que hacer algo" (emphatic must).
Your sentences are all correct, Nila.
I would like to add a few points.
Get in / get out (of) can be generally used to mean to enter / exit almost any object that is fully or almost fully enclosed -- including cars and trucks.
Examples:
- I will get in the box / I will get out of the box
- They got in the building / They got out of the building (read note below)
- She got in / got out of the car.
Get on / get off can be generally used to mean to move oneself onto or off of an object, which is not enclosed (or, if it is enclosed, then you are referring to the top or outside of the object.) Also, get on / get off are used to mean to enter / exit vehicles that typically carry passengers and also small boats (whether these vehicles are enclosed or not). It can also be used to mean mount / dismount (as in a horse).
Examples:
- I will get on / get off the boat / airplane / train / bus / ship.
- They got on / got off of the car (they are on top of the car, not inside it)
- He got on / got off of the rock.
- He will get on / get off of the horse.
Note that for get out / get off, if you include a reference to the object, then it is get off of it or get out of it. But, when not specifically referring to the object, then it is just get off or get out (This is usually the case with short commands, "Get out!" or "Get off!" when the object you want them to get off of or out of is obvious.
Note: for buildings, houses, and homes, we would normally say, for entering, go in / go inside /enter or, for exiting, go out / go outside / exit / leave. To use get in / get out normally implies either that it is somehow challenging to enter / exit the building or that there is a situation that requires that we hastily enter / exit the building.
Examples (all in reference to houses and buildings):
- The burglars got inside even though the doors were locked (it was a challenge to enter)
- The exit was blocked, but the man got out through a window (it was a challenge to exit).
- They got out of the building before it collapsed (a situation requiring them to hastily exit).
- He got in the house before the rain started (a situation requiring him to hastily enter).
- Get out! (A command to exit a building or house hastily)
- Get inside! / Get in! (A command to enter a building or house hastily)
Nila, you're correct, but be very careful with this word, "Get." Most natives become so caught up in using this word that they forget the verb it is replacing. Try to avoid it as much as possible - idioms not withstanding - and use the proper verb. There is nothing more obtuse than someone who uses, "Get" constantly.
Where "Get" works well is in idioms ("Get out of town" = "No way!" "Impossible") and situations of sudden or surprise happening ("As I walked along the road, I got splashed by a car").
Even more necessary to avoid is "Have got." This is same as saying. "Yo tengo tengo." "I have...." is quite sufficient
Yes all are correct.
Subir and Bajar are used for getting into and out of a car also.
ok, everything is correct.
But I have realised that when you use "get on", you use "get off". There is only a problem. When you get on a plane, but you get out of the plane. Shouldn't it be "get off"?
I've never heard of meterse for getting into a car because I always use subir and bajar. This thread gets my vote.
