How’d you learn Spanish Monica? This is a question I get asked a lot by students and people I meet in my travels throughout Latin America. So, you wanna hear my language-learning story AND learn 10 new phrasal verbs with “get”?
Click here to listen to me tell my story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU8dB2uVLYQ
Alright! I’m gonna share how I fell in love with language learning when I first moved to Guadalajara, Mexico.
It all started with taking Spanish classes in high school and college. I got away with only knowing how to read and write in Spanish but I couldn’t speak or understand spoken Spanish.
1. Get away (with): to not be caught or punished for having done something wrong or to
do something without experiencing any complications or difficulties (even though it’s not
the best thing to do)
So, what did I do? I decided to learn Spanish a different way by moving to Guadalajara, Mexico to study the language for a year. I wanted to get away from my hometown in Boise, Idaho and experience the Mexican culture and Spanish language.
2. Get away (from): to leave or escape to somewhere different from where you live (i.e.,
vacation, study abroad, travel, etc.)
In order to get ahead in my Spanish learning, I needed to immerse myself in the language and culture rather than just take grammar classes.
3. Get ahead: to progress or become successful (often in work or society)
When I moved to Mexico, I had to make myself get out and meet new Spanish speaking
friends in order to immerse myself.
4. Get out: to go to different places and spend time enjoying yourself
I started to make a lot of Mexican friends and I couldn’t get over how much my Spanish was improving.
5. Get over: to accept or to come to terms with something (commonly used to overcome
the pain of a difficult or painful situation like breaking up with a partner, losing a job or
the death of a loved one)
I had a best friend from Mexico named Alicia and we got along really well. I spent a lot of time with her and her family the year I was living in Guadalajara.
6. Get along: to have a friendly relationship or connection with someone
I was so excited when I started to get my point across in Spanish!
7. Get across: to become clear of convincing
I really got into Mexican soap operas (telenovelas) and salsa dancing while I was living in Guadalajara.
8. Get into: to become interested in something
Once I got back to the U.S., I couldn’t wait for my next adventure abroad.
9. Get back : to return somewhere (especially to your home)
I also really missed my family and friends living in the United States while I was in Mexico so it was great to get together with all of them when I got back to the U.S.
10. Get together: to meet with a person or group of people in order to do something or
spend time together
Now it’s your turn! Try using these new phrasal verbs with “get” to create your own story. Stay tuned! I’ll be sharing a video of my experience learning Spanish in Mexico using these 10 phrasal verbs with “get” next week.