Get vs. Take 

"Get" vs. "Take" in English

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both of them are verbs and they both refer to obtaining something. However, we use 'get' to indicate obtaining something from another person or buying it from some whop, but we use 'take' to show that we put our hands around something and bring it ourselves.

Differences

As I mentioned above, 'take' is used when we want to point out that we put our hands around something and carry it somewhere ourselves. In other words, we do the action. Look at the examples below:

Example

When can I take my daughter back home?

The nurses held him and took him to the hospital.

'Get', on the other hand, refers to obtaining something from someone else, they give it to you. So, there is not much physical activity. Check out the examples below:

Example

She got an A in Literature and she is really happy.

Whom did you get the keys from?

Similarities

Both of these verbs are transitive. Additionally, they both refer to obtaining something. Look at the examples below:

Example

Where can I get a bottle of water?

Maurice took the refrigerator out of the room and cleaned it.

Are They Interchangeable?

They cannot be used interchangeably because the sentence will have a different meaning, or it may not make any sense. One refers to grabbing something yourself, whereas, the other one is about obtaining something from another person. Both of the following examples are correct but they have completely different meanings. Compare:

Example

✓ Did you get the child?

✓ Did you take the child?

Comments

(6)
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curiouso
Jul 2024
What about "Take a picture" "Take care"?
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Langeek
Jul 2024
Yes, you can use "take" in these phrases: Take a picture: "Can you take a picture?" Take care: "Take care! See you soon."
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Eric
Jan 2024
Actually, they can be used interchangeably in some instances. "You can get a piece of cake." "You can take a piece of cake" I'm here because my Russian friend asked me about "Taking a taxi" and "Take me to the airport" (although you can say "Get me to the airport")
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Langeek
Jan 2024
Thanks for the feedback! You are right! In many cases, "get" and "take" can be used interchangeably, such as in "You can get a piece of cake" and "You can take a piece of cake." Similarly, "Take me to the airport" and "Get me to the airport" are generally interchangeable when referring to transportation.
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Arslan mehmood
Nov 2023
Could you please clarify the difference between while vs during
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Langeek
Nov 2023
Thank you for your question! We do have a dedicated lesson on 'while vs. during' in our FAQ section. Please check it out, and if you have any further questions or need additional clarification, feel free to ask.
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