I.get <forma in -ing getting, 1. pret. got, del. Pf. got, gotten am. angl.>[brit. angl. ɡɛt, am. angl. ɡɛt]GLAG.preh. glag.This much-used verb has no multipurpose equivalent in Italian and therefore it is very often translated by choosing a synonym: to get lunch = to prepare lunch = preparare il pranzo. - Get is used in many different contexts and has many different meanings, the most important of which are the following: obtain or receive (I got it free = l'ho avuto gratis), move or travel (I got there in time = ci sono arrivato in tempo), have or own (she has got black hair and green eyes = ha i capelli neri e gli occhi verdi), become (I'm getting old = sto invecchiando), and understand (got the meaning? = capito?). - Get is also used in many idiomatic expressions (to get something off one's chest etc), whose translations will be found in the appropriate entry (chest etc). This is also true of offensive comments (get stuffed etc) where the appropriate entry would be stuff. - When get + object + infinitive is used in English to mean to persuade somebody to do something, fare is used in Italian followed by an infinitive: she got me to clear the table = mi ha fatto sparecchiare la tavola. When get + object + past participle is used to express the idea that a job is done not by you but by somebody else, fare followed by an infinitive is also used in Italian: to get a room painted = fare verniciare una stanza. - When get has the meaning of become and is followed by an adjective (to get rich/drunk etc), diventare is sometimes useful but check the appropriate entry (rich, drunk etc) as a single verb often suffices (arricchirsi, ubriacarsi etc). - For examples and further uses of get see this entry.
The consequence of a failure to get this phase right can be spoliation of evidence, which can attract sanctions or, at a minimum, adverse evidentiary inferences.
