obtener vs conseguir = both mean - to get?

Question

is there a difference in meaning between the two?

Answer 1

Maria-Russel, the English translation is "to get". The words can conseguir and obtener can be used interchangably.

Echoline, thanks. I like to think of it as "obtain" because "obtener" sounds so similar. :-) - pesta, Nov 8, 2010

Echoline, Thanks for telling me the words obtener and conseguir and interchangeable, that's all I wanted to know. - Maria-Russell, Nov 8, 2010

Answer 2

What is so surprising? Don't you have the verb "obtain" in English? Can you not attain, achieve, procure, acquire and many other ones? Can you explain the precise difference between those English words?

You need to learn words in context, with sentences, not definitions or translations.

we don't all learn the same way. - Maria-Russell, Nov 8, 2010

We all learn the same way, but we all try to learn in different ways. - lazarus1907, Nov 8, 2010

Answer 3

From the RAE:

conseguir.

(Del lat. cons?qui).

1 tr. Alcanzar, obtener, lograr lo que se pretende o desea.

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obtener.

(Del lat. obtin?re).

1 tr. Alcanzar, conseguir y lograr algo que se merece, solicita o pretende.

2 tr. Tener, conservar y mantener.

3 tr. Fabricar o extraer un material o un producto con ciertas cosas o de cierta manera.

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Obviously obtener and conseguir are synonyms. Each has latin roots (spelled almost the same way). Obtener appears to have multiple uses, while consguir has a clear, single meaning.

and the english translation is? - Maria-Russell, Nov 8, 2010