Spanish expressions with “coger”.

In today’s post, we talk about Spanish expressions with “coger”. If you want to master the language as if you were a native speaker, we encourage you to learn many phrases and idioms.

On the blog of our Spanish language school, El Rincón del Tándem, you will find several articles dedicated to these expressions.
After our post about expressions with “ser”, we propose you to get to know the most frequently used idioms with the verb “coger”.
Let’s start!

Coger por/de sorpresa.

When you didn’t expect something, you have been taken by suprise (has sido cogido por sorpresa). “Coger por/de sorpresa” is used in Spanish to indicate that something happens unexpectedly and, therefore, catches us unawares.

This expression can have a positive or a negative meaning, depending on the circumstances.

– Tus felicitaciones me cogieron por sorpresa. ¡Gracias por acordarte de mi cumpleaños! (Your congratulations took me by surprise, thank you for remembering my birthday!).

– La llegada de Fabián me cogió por sorpresa. No le esperaba hasta pasado el verano. (Fabian’s arrival took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting him until after the summer).

– La nevada nos cogió de sorpresa. Por suerte había un pequeño albergue donde quedarnos aquella noche. (The snowfall took us by surprise. Luckily there was a small hostel where we could stay that night).

Has anything caught you by surprise lately? If so, we hope it was something very nice…

Coger un cabreo.

It is the same as “cabrearse”, i.e. “going mad”, “getting furious”. We are sure you’ve all got furious at some point. For example, if you have experienced any of the situations shown in the examples below:

– Anoche los vecinos pusieron la música muy alta y me desperté de sobresalto. Cogí un cabreo… (Last night the neighbours played the music too loud and I woke up with a start. I went mad…)

– Luisa cogió un cabreo porque no le sonó el despertador y perdió el tren. (Luisa got furious because her alarm didn’t go off and she missed the train).

– Al sacar la tarta del horno se me cayó entera al suelo. ¡Cogí un cabreo! (When I took the cake out of the oven it fell all over the floor. I went mad!).

The expression “coger un cabreo”, “cabrearse” or “estar cabreado”, rather than to do with goats, has to do with a tax that, in the Middle Ages, peasants were obliged to pay for the use of royal or noble lands.

The census of these lands was therefore called “cabreo” or “cabrevación”. Here you can read in detail the origin of this idiomatic expression.

Coger con pinzas.

This idiom is mainly used when we question the truthfulness of something. For example, we will have to “coger con pinzas” (in English “take with a pinch of salt”) the news from an unreliable source of information or information that comes from someone who tends to talk for the sake of it, make speculations without basis or gossip about others.

– Pablo siempre cuenta las cosas a su manera, así que te sugiero coger con pinza todo lo que dice. (Pablo always tells things his own way, so I suggest you take everything he says with a pinch of salt).

– He oído por ahí que Lucía y Pedro se casan, pero, ¡cógelo con pinzas! Todavía no he recibido ninguna invitación oficial. (I’ve heard that Lucia and Pedro are getting married, but take it with a pinch of salt! I haven’t received any official invitation yet).

Also, in the same expression we can use the verb “tomar” instead of “coger”. The meaning is exactly the same.

Coger el toro por los cuernos.

If there is something that worries us a lot, and doubts or fears impede us from acting, we have no choice but to “coger el toro por los cuernos” (lit. take the bull by the horns)!

We use this expression to describe the action of facing a difficult situation or a complex problem with courage and no hesitation.

There are situations that require temperance and others in which it is necessary to “take the bull by the horns”. Don’t you think so? Let’s take a look at some examples to understand it better:

– A Juan le daba mucho miedo nadar, pero un día cogió el toro por los cuernos y se tiró a la piscina. (Juan was very afraid of swimming, but one day he “took the bull by the horns” and jumped into the pool).

– María se sintió muy ofendida por el gesto de Pilar, pero no se atrevía a decírselo. Así que ayer cogió el toro por los cuernos y la llamó por teléfono. (María felt very offended by Pilar’s gesture, but she didn’t dare tell her. So yesterday she “took the bull by the horns” and called her on the phone).

Think about the last time you “took the bull by the horns”. Didn’t that feel good?

Cogerle el truco (a alguien o algo).

When you have learned how something works and can therefore handle it successfully, you have “got the hang of it” (le has cogido el truco).

Do you remember, when we were kids, how difficult it seems to learn to ride a bicycle? In the beginning, it was all a game of impossible balances until one day we got the hang of it and suddenly it was as if we had always known how to ride.

Although it is less common, we can use this expression to refer to people. In this case, it means that we have learned to deal and interact appropriately with that person.

– Antes era un desastre en la cocina, pero ahora le he cogido el truco y las comidas me salen ricas. (I used to be very bad at cooking, but now I’ve got the hang of it and my food is delicious).

– El grifo del baño gotea un poco, pero ya le cogí el truco y ahora puedo cerrarlo del todo. (The tap in the bathroom drips a bit, but I got the hang of it and now I can turn it off completely).

– Al principio Daniel parecía muy tímido, pero le cogí el truco y ahora habla por los codos. (At first Daniel seemed very shy, but I got the hang of it and now he talks nineteen to the dozen).

Sometimes, when you get the hang of something, you may end up liking it too…

Coger el gusto.

It is said that tastes tend to change as we age. Has it happened to you that you now like things you didn’t like in the past?

In this case, it is because you have taken a liking to something (cogerle el gusto a algo) you didn’t like before.
It may also happen because we have gained a biggest understanding of something, and are therefore able to appreciate it more.

Let’s look at some situations in which it is appropriate to use this expression:

– De pequeña odiaba las lentejas, pero con el tiempo le he cogido el gusto y son mi plato favorito. (When I was a child, I hated lentils, but over time I’ve taken the liking to them and now they are my favourite dish).

– A Paula nunca le ha gustado hacer deporte, pero, desde hace unos meses, le ha cogido el gusto al pádel. (Paula has never liked doing sport, but in the last few months she has taken the liking to paddle tennis).

– Siempre he pensado que no me gustaba el arte, pero acabo de iniciarme en la pintura y le he cogido el gusto. (I always thought I didn’t like art, but I’ve just started painting and I’ve taken a liking to it).

And you, what have you taken a liking to?

Coger una borrachera.

It’s the same as “emborracharse” (getting drunk).

– Anoche cogí una borrachera y ahora me estalla la cabeza. (Last night I got drunk and now my head is exploding).

– El agua de Valencia es tan dulce que puedes coger una buena borrachera sin darte cuenta. (The agua de Valencia is so sweet that you can get drunk without realising it).

In youth language, there are many other expressions with the same meaning. Among them: coger un pedal, coger una cogorza, llevar una merluza, estar moña, estar pedo, etc.

The list could be endless, so we suggest you ask your Spanish-speaking friends for more.

Coger (a alguien) con las manos en la masa.

It is said when someone is caught in the act of committing a criminal or reprehensible action.
That is, when a person is caught red-handed, in the act of doing the action.

It is also used in a less serious sense, when someone, for example, a child, is playing a prank.

Finally, it is common to find the same expression with the verb “agarrar” instead of “coger” (agarrar a alguien con las manos en la masa).

– Anoche entraron en una tienda a robar y los cogieron con las manos en la masa. (Last night some people broke into a shop to steal and were caught red-handed).

– Lucía estaba a punto de esconder el jarrón roto, cuando su madre la cogió con las manos en la masa. (Lucia was about to hide the broken vase, when her mother caught her red-handed).

Coger cariño.

We end our small list of idiomatic expressions with the sweetest of them all. And without a doubt, the most universal.

“Cogerle cariño a alguien o algo” is to begin to feel affection towards someone or something. We can get attached to a person we have only known for a short time, but with whom we have a certain connection, or to a pet that we end up adopting, although that wasn’t our intention.

We can even become attached to an object, which we no longer want to part with…

– Quería llevar el gato a la protectora de animales, pero le cogí mucho cariño y acabé quedándomelo yo. (I wanted to take the cat to the animal shelter, but I grew very fond of it and ended up keeping it).

– Este sillón es bastante viejo y no pega con el resto de los muebles, pero mi hermana le ha cogido cariño y no quiere tirarlo. (This armchair is quite old and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the furniture, but my sister has grown fond of it and doesn’t want to throw it away).

– La familia anfitriona que me alojó en Berlín era muy amable; les cogí mucho cariño a todos. (The host family who hosted me in Berlin was very nice and I got attached to them all).

Our short list of the most common Spanish expressions with “coger” concludes here. We hope it will help you become more fluent and show off your Spanish to your friends here.

Finally, if you are keen on learning Spanish, but have never studied a language before, “coge el toro por los cuernos” and sign up for one of our courses!

We are sure that after the first class, you will get the liking to it 🙂