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- Topic: Italian >
- "Prendiamo un giornale."
72 Comments
I think "obtain" is a good way to think of this verb, as suggested by KSOO, even though the most common translation is "take." I looked it up in my Oxford_Beginner's_Italian_Dictionary, and it gave these examples of how "prendere" is used:
chi ha presso la mia borsa? = who took my bag?
vai a prendere le posate = go get the cutlery
prendere la palla = to catch the ball
prendi un caffè? = would you like a coffee? [I think of the Beatles' line "would you be free to take some tea with me?"]
I note, also, that speakers of other languages often use "take" in situations where we would use "get". A woman approached me in an airport once asking where one could "take the boarding pass." After some questions, I figured out that what she meant was where does one get a boarding pass.
It is part of the richness of languages that they do not always divide up meanings the same way. To the speaker's delight and the learner's vexation.
yep its because you speak lazy language with lower language skills, sorry. I have studied languages for years and will not accept GET when there is a perfectly better word to use. When taking my exams we were advised to use the higher language skill whenever possible. Start as high and you do not then have to relearn to obtain better skills.
I am italian, sorry for my english. What you said about GET it's like the verb "Fare" in Italian.
We "facciamo" (make) everything ...
fare benzina = to get gas
fare colazione = to have breakfast
fare un sonnellino = take a nap
fare una passeggiata (o anche fare due passi) = to take a walk ... and many others .
I am also confused. Earlier we learned that "prende" meant "take" as in "She takes my sugar". I infer, based off of this sentence, that "prendiamo" (we take) refers to OBTAINING the newspaper and does not necessarily carry an implication of theft like in "She takes my sugar". I guess "prende", etc means more like "Take one, pass it around" (a stack of papers)? Which is why "take" and "get" both work?
252
Unfortunately get and got are often and frequently misused in American English and DL is incorrectly reinforcing their use. As you go through the comments you will find complaints about DL's use of "get" and the bad example sentences. These words have become more slang in everyday use and there are more precise words to convey meanings. We have words which can give a better explaination of how we "get" something. In this case I would use the meaning of prendere (take) rather than "get".
741
I english take a newspaper means you have a subscription to ,or get ,a particular newspaper every day
While I don't speak Italian, there is a similar usage of prendre (take) in French. Prendre means to take, as in "Je prends un livre" -- "I take a book." But "prendre un café," literally "to take a coffee," is used in the way we would say "to get" or "to have" a coffee. Or, perhaps you've heard the expression "to take a meeting," which started gaining currency in the US in the '80s.
...Sorry, I hit "enter" mid-sentence. Up until then, one attended or had or went to a meeting.
What I'm saying us that in French, as seems to be the case in Italian, there is both a direct translation of "take" as we use it in American English, AND an idiomatic usage that would translate as "get" or "have."
"Grab" implies that you are in a hurry and take (the newspaper) quickly (from a vendor or machine). I don't know the Italian nuance, but Google Translate shows 'Prendiamo il gionale" as a possible translation of "We grab the newspaper." But if you are just subscribing, "grab" would not be a good translation.
The way it is pronounced, with quite some stress on Prendiamo, the meaning "Let's get a newspaper" feels much better. Note that Italians use this imperative form all the time. Other examples: Dai, Cinzia, facciamo due passi (Come on, Cinzia, let's take a walk). Ho sete, prendiamo un bicchiere d'acqua (I'm thirsty, let's get/take a glass of water). Guardiamo le notizie prima (Let's watch the news first).
Quite an ugly sentence. We take or buy a newspaper. I suppose it is really just a learning phrase because it leaves a lot of questions. Where from, did they steal or buy it, was it offered for free? I understand the usual translation to almost anything to do with taking, fetching, requesting ( can I get a coffee? yuk disgusting americanglais) is the bucket word GET but lets use higher language to learn rather than gutter argot which can be picked up later.
Get? How??? Was it stolen or sent or picked up in the street. The verb has a very recognised meaning i.e To TAKE so for goodness sake use it .Just say "We TAKE a newspaper" as in picking one up and handing it to the seller, or picking it up off the table in the Hotel, where one would sensibly (and accurately) say "May I take (no, no, no not GET) a newspaper?" In your example you could have used FETCH not S*G GET!!
1309
take or get is right - but I said "the newspaper" and that was the mistake - not the word to take...
296
I do wish folk would stop using the verb "to get". It really is bad English and get/ got can always be substituted by another word eg here we could say : buy/take/have a newspaper.
266
Prendere has 34 contextually different meanings...? (source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prendere#Italian)
1480
Here in the mid-south of the US, "we take the paper" would be the translation for this. "We get the paper" would mean a physical action to retrieve the paper. "We subscribe to the paper" would get you the hairy eye.
1309
My Italian friend said: "Literally is the same meaning. I think some small differences could depend on the context"