Thread: получать - получаться - what is the difference?

Originally Posted by impulse

Hello. Could someone please tell me about the difference between the words получать and получаться. Maybe you can write some simple example sentences? I have problem understanding the reflexive verbs.

And there are also these words : Существовать - осуществить. What is the difference. Which of them is used at the below sentence?

России существует, таким образом, система налогообложения.

Thank you very much in advance.

Получать and получаться are completely unrelated by their meanings. Yes, they are related ethymologically, but they are totally different in their contemporary usage.

"Получать" (imperfective) / "получить" (perfective) is a transitive verb, it mostly applies to people, and it means "to receive smth.". It can often be translated "to get smth.". But "to get" has too many other meanings in English, that's why it is easier to explain that "получать" ~ "to receive". Examples:

Я получил письмо от моего друга из Америки. = I received (got) a letter from my friend from America.
Я люблю получать подарки на день рождения. = I like to receive (to get) gifts for my birthday.
Он получает хорошую зарплату. = He receives (gets) a good salary. "Получать зарплату" is a frequently used set expression.
Мой сын получает хорошие оценки в школе. = My son gets (receives) high (lit. good) marks at school. "Получить оценку" is another set expression.
Учёные получили неожиданный результат. = Scientists got (received, obtained) an unexpected result.

"Получаться" (imperfective) / "получиться" (perfective) is an intransitive verb, it applies to inanimate nouns, and it is more difficult to translate literally. Sometimes it means roughly "to turn out". When someone creates something, then that something "получается":

Наши инженеры создали новый самолёт. Самолёт получился надёжным и быстрым. = Our engineers created a new airplane. The plane turned out reliable and fast.
Ученик нарисовал рисунок. Рисунок получился смешным. = The pupil drew a picture. The picture turned out funny.

Another meaning of "получаться" can be illustrated by examples below. Its basic structure is "У (somebody in Genitive) получается to do something" = Somebody can do something, is able to do something, manages to do something.

У тебя очень хорошо получается говорить по-английски. = You speak English very well (lit. You manage to speak English very well).
У него получилось перепрыгнуть через забор. = He managed to jump over the fence.
У меня не получается играть на гитаре. = I cannot manage to play guitar.
У нас не получилось помочь ему. = We failed to help him (could not manage to help him).

It can also be used with nouns (not only actions). It means that someone managed to create something.
У меня получилась новая песня. = I managed to create a new song.
У меня не получились пироги. = I failed to make pies (imagine, you tried to bake pies, but they turned out worse than you expected. Then you can use this phrase).

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

Получать and получаться are completely unrelated by their meanings. Yes, they are related ethymologically, but they are totally different in their contemporary usage.

"Получать" (imperfective) / "получить" (perfective) is a transitive verb, it mostly applies to people, and it means "to receive smth.". It can often be translated "to get smth.". But "to get" has too many other meanings in English, that's why it is easier to explain that "получать" ~ "to receive". Examples:

Я получил письмо от моего друга из Америки. = I received (got) a letter from my friend from America.
Я люблю получать подарки на день рождения. = I like to receive (to get) gifts for my birthday.
Он получает хорошую зарплату. = He receives (gets) a good salary. "Получать зарплату" is a frequently used set expression.
Мой сын получает хорошие оценки в школе. = My son gets (receives) high (lit. good) marks at school. "Получить оценку" is another set expression.
Учёные получили неожиданный результат. = Scientists got (received, obtained) an unexpected result.

"Получаться" (imperfective) / "получиться" (perfective) is an intransitive verb, it applies to inanimate nouns, and it is more difficult to translate literally. Sometimes it means roughly "to turn out". When someone creates something, then that something "получается":

Наши инженеры создали новый самолёт. Самолёт получился надёжным и быстрым. = Our engineers created a new airplane. The plane turned out reliable and fast.
Ученик нарисовал рисунок. Рисунок получился смешным. = The pupil drew a picture. The picture turned out funny.

Another meaning of "получаться" can be illustrated by examples below. Its basic structure is "У (somebody in Genitive) получается to do something" = Somebody can do something, is able to do something, manages to do something.

У тебя очень хорошо получается говорить по-английски. = You speak English very well (lit. You manage to speak English very well).
У него получилось перепрыгнуть через забор. = He managed to jump over the fence.
У меня не получается играть на гитаре. = I cannot manage to play guitar.
У нас не получилось помочь ему. = We failed to help him (could not manage to help him).

It can also be used with nouns (not only actions). It means that someone managed to create something.
У меня получилась новая песня. = I managed to create a new song.
У меня не получились пироги. = I failed to make pies (imagine, you tried to bake pies, but they turned out worse than you expected. Then you can use this phrase).

This is a very big explanation. I must look this in detail. Thank you.