My Brazilian students learning English give me such a hard time when they come across the verb \u2018get\u2019 because it has so many different meanings. Spanish is no slouch either, because it has the verb \u2018echar\u2019. Check out some of its meanings (there are tons!).<\/p>\n
1. to throw, to toss, to cast.
\nEcha la pelota al perro. (Throw the ball to the dog.)
\nSe echaron al agua. (They jumped into the water.)
\nEch\u00f3 la moneda al aire. (He tossed the coin.)
\nEcharon el ancla. (They cast the anchor.)<\/p>\n
2. to move (your body or something) towards (something else).
\nEch\u00f3 los brazos atr\u00e1s. (He threw back his arms.)
\nSe ech\u00f3 hacia adelante. (He went forward.)
\n\u00c9chate para all\u00e1. (Move over.)<\/p>\n
3. to drink
\nSe ech\u00f3 un trago de agua. (He drank a sip of water.)<\/p>\n
4. to pour
\nEch\u00f3 un poco de agua a las plantas. (He poured some water on the plants.)
\nEchar\u00e9 un poco de sal al guiso. (I\u2019ll sprinkle some salt in the stew.)
\nSe ech\u00f3 laca en el pelo. (She put some hairspray on.)<\/p>\n
5. to put on (clothes)
\nSe ech\u00f3 un abrigo sobre los hombros. (He put a coat over his shoulders.)
\nSi tienes fr\u00edo, \u00e9chate una manta en la cama. (If you feel cold, put a blanket on the bed.)<\/p>\n
6. to put in
\nEcha la carta al buz\u00f3n.(Put the letter in the mailbox.)<\/p>\n
7. to give off
\nEl motor echaba humo. (The engine gave off smoke.)<\/p>\n
8. to start to develop
\nEl ni\u00f1o ya ha echado algunos dientes. (The boy has started teething.)
\nCon esta vida sedentaria, estoy echando barriga. (With this sedentary life, I\u2019m growing a potbelly.)<\/p>\n
9. to throw out
\nEcharon a Luis de la clase porque no se portaba bien. (Luis was thrown out of the classroom because he was misbehaving.)<\/p>\n
10. to say, to utter
\nEch\u00f3 un discurso y se fue. (He gave a speech and left.)
\n\u00a1Vaya bronca que le ha echado el profesor! (The teacher really told him off.)<\/p>\n
11. to present, to show
\nHoy echan la nueva pel\u00edcula de Tom Cruise. (They\u2019re showing Tom Cruise’s new movie.)<\/p>\n
12. to feed
\nYa le ech\u00e9 comida al perro. (I have already fed the dog.)
\nSu compa\u00f1ero le ech\u00f3 de beber. (His friend gave him something to drink.)<\/p>\n
13. to do math
\nEch\u00f3 sus cuentas muy r\u00e1pidamente. (He did his math very quickly.)<\/p>\n
14. to lock
\n\u00c9chale llave. (Lock it.)
\n\u00bfEchaste el cerrojo? (Did you bolt the door?)<\/p>\n
15. to sprout
\nYa est\u00e1 echando flores. (It\u2019s flowering already.)<\/p>\n
16. to put
\n\u00c9chale le\u00f1a a la hoguera. (Put wood in the fire.)
\n\u00bfMe echas un poco de az\u00facar al caf\u00e9? (Will you put some sugar in my coffee?)
\nNo me eches la culpa, no tuve nada que ver con eso. (Don\u2019t put the blame on me, I had nothing to do with it.)<\/p>\n
17. echarse a \u2013 to start doing something abruptly
\nSe ech\u00f3 a llorar cuando supo que se hab\u00eda muerto su amiga. (She burst into crying when she found out her friend was dead.)
\nSe ech\u00f3 a correr cuando vio la polic\u00eda. (He ran off when he saw the police.)<\/p>\n
Nos vemos prontito.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My Brazilian students learning English give me such a hard time when they come across the verb \u2018get\u2019 because it has so many different meanings. Spanish is no slouch either, because it has the verb \u2018echar\u2019. Check out some of its meanings (there are tons!). 1. to throw, to toss, to cast. Echa la pelota…<\/p>\n