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Nakamura Yo Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

difference btween 'get' and 'buy'

If there is difference in the contexts of these sentences below how do you describe it? Or no difference, even in the processes?

'My dad just got me a new car.'
'My dad just bought me a new car.'

thanks,
  

Top answer

You have given us no contexts, so we cannot judge them. 'Get' means 'acquire, obtain'. 'Buy' means 'acquire with money'.

— Mister Micawber

  • You have given us no contexts, so we cannot judge them.
  • 'Get' means 'acquire, obtain'.
  • 'Buy' means 'acquire with money'.
  • So buying is just one method of getting something.
  • However, we presume that the father bought the car.
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5 Answers
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You have given us no contexts, so we cannot judge them.

'Get' means 'acquire, obtain'. 'Buy' means 'acquire with money'. So buying is just one method of getting something. However, we presume that the father bought the car.
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"My dad just bought me a new car" is specific and states that your dad paid for the car so that you now have it.

"My dad just got me a new car" has the same tangible conclusion (a new car) but it leaves open the possibility that your dad might have bought it, traded for it without buying, won it in a contest, or inherited it. Or maybe he owns the factory and just decided to
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Thank you so much both you guys. Does it sound too ambiguous, if you use 'get' even when you know that your dad bought it?
Do native speakers strictly distinguish and use one or the other for appropreate situations?
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No, it's not too ambiguous, go ahead. I think listeners would usually conflate "got" with "bought" in the case of an automobile.
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Thank a lot, DoNotPassGo. It helped me a lot.
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