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This is an offshoot from the “What is the best way to learn Spanish?” thread. On page 6 it was mentioned that if your Spanish course was from Spain, the most important thing you need to know is that “cojer” (in Spain a useful, allpurpose word for “get”, “grab”, “pick up”) should be avoided in Mexico, because it means “screw” (in the vulgar sense).
It gets stronger in meaning the farther south you go in the Americas. In Argentina, it frankly means “f*ck”.
In Mexico, it must have undergone a change of meaning over the years. I observe that people currently in their 70’s and older will use it in the innocent meaning, so I infer that it changed around the 1950s–1960s.
In Mexico, you instead say “agarrar”, “conseguir”, or to pick somone up, “ir por”, “pasar por” or “recoger”. Note that the taint doesn’t apply to related verbs such as “recoger” or “acoger” – you can use those with impunity.
It gets stronger in meaning the farther south you go in the Americas. In Argentina, it frankly means “f*ck”.
In Mexico, it must have undergone a change of meaning over the years. I observe that people currently in their 70’s and older will use it in the innocent meaning, so I infer that it changed around the 1950s–1960s.
In Mexico, you instead say “agarrar”, “conseguir”, or to pick somone up, “ir por”, “pasar por” or “recoger”. Note that the taint doesn’t apply to related verbs such as “recoger” or “acoger” – you can use those with impunity.