To catch a cold

Question

So I think coger is the "catch" word but I don't use it much with it's double meaning here, so I wonder is pillar is OK.

I see this: to catch a cold -> resfriarse, coger or (español de España) pescar un resfriado

from our dictionary.

But if I said "vas a coger un enorme infección" it would be better not to use coger here. I see in Spain you can use pescar, which is interesting (to fish)

But I wonder if you can say "vas a pillar un enorme infección" or if there is some better way to say it with catch? Gracias

Gracias.

Answer 1

The easiest verb to use here is: resfriarse

Estoy resfirado(a).

Tengo resfrío.

Me resfrié.

Cogí un resfirado. (quite formal)

Me agarró un resfriado / un resfrío. (informal)

..

Also, where I lived in Peru resfrío (cold) and gripe (flu) aren't as clearly distinguished as in the UK, so people would often say "Estoy con la gripe / Me agarró la gripe" (I've got flu / caught flu) when they had what I would call a cold.

..

As another wee aside about why it's best to avoid word-by-word translationg, people also often said "Estoy con la garganta / cabeza / etc" for "I have a sore throat / head / etc". That would be "I'm with the head"!

Answer 2

Common in Mexico are:

Me dió un catarro

Me pescó un catarro

Me resfrié

Me agarró un catarro

So they use pescar there eh? I like it. - jeezzle, Apr 18, 2011

Es curioso, la única que me parece familiar es "me resfrié" - cogumela, Apr 19, 2011

Answer 3

It's ok, coger o pillar un resfriado as well as with the word infection. The thing is that if you use "coger" in most of the Spanish speaking countries of South America it will mean something different and unpolite... But if you use the expression in Spain there's no problem about it. Don't use "me pillé", I mean, with the pronoun because it is incorrect.

Answer 4

I'm on exchange in Spain at the moment, and at least where I live, they use 'constiparse', and nothing else. However, je2010 has some other suggestions too!

I wouldn't go down the road of trying to translate word-by-word, it can lead to problems

i dont, i just learn all the ways - jeezzle, Apr 19, 2011

Answer 5

Hi, jeezz!

First, infección is femenine, then it should be "vas a coger una enorme infección"

These:

Me resfrié / Te vas a resfriar

Me acatarré / Te vas a acatarrar

Me constipé / Te vas a constipar

are the more common verbs in Spain.

However for catching a cold, in Spain it's you who catches the flu, not the flu who cathes you.

Pillé un resfriado/catarro/ una gripe / pulmonía

Cogí un resfriado...

Agarré un resfriado...

Pesqué un resfriado...

The pronominal forms: Me pillé, etc. sound certainly strange to me.

Answer 6

I believe they use the idiom tener resfriado for having a cold.

Catching I don't know about.

Answer 7

hi

dear "jeezzle"! I think it is not important in learning a language, to get ability to transalte something word by word. what is important (in learning a language, for example, spanish) is to understand "how they(the native spoken) say and communicate something.

so, "catch" as a single word, may have several equivalent in spanish. but to say "catch cold", they may have other expression in deal. they say it "soy resfriado" or as privious friends told , " me resfrié" and other expression. also, use "constiparse", "estar acatarrado" and so on.

"coger" as equivalent for "catch", like "contagiarse (de)", are used to show being infected by any disease. so, it is literally correct to say "cojo un resfriado".

Hi, je2010 ! "soy resfriado" should be "estoy resfriado" :) - cogumela, Apr 19, 2011

Answer 8

So you can't catch a cold, eh with resfraido, only "estar resfriado" or catch a "catarro" with pescar or agarrar (what about pillar?) and maybe coger if you are feeling frisky enough to use it, otherwise "resfriarse" voy a resfriarme, te resfrias, se resfria.

Gracias.