Why Sacar Shows Up in So Many Everyday Situations
Sacar means to take out — and that one idea stretches across a surprising range of daily life. Taking photos, getting grades, buying tickets, withdrawing money, even driving someone up the wall. English uses a different verb for almost every one of these; Spanish keeps reaching for sacar.
Pattern 1: Sacar una foto — "To take a photo"
The natural way to say you're taking a photograph. In much of Latin America tomar una foto is also common, but sacar una foto is the standard choice in Spain and widely understood everywhere.
- ¿Me sacas una foto? — Can you take a photo of me?
- Saqué muchas fotos en el viaje. — I took a lot of photos on the trip.
- Vamos a sacarnos una foto todos juntos. — Let's take a photo all together.
Chunk to learn:
Sacar una foto (a + [person/thing]) — to take a photo
Pattern 2: Sacar la basura / Sacar al perro — Taking things out
The literal sense of sacar is the most common household use: taking the trash out, taking the dog for a walk. Both are everyday chores that come up constantly.
- Me toca sacar la basura. — It's my turn to take out the trash.
- Tengo que sacar al perro. — I have to take the dog out.
- ¿Has sacado ya la ropa de la lavadora? — Have you taken the clothes out of the washing machine yet?
Chunk to learn:
Sacar la basura / sacar al perro — to take out the trash / walk the dog
Pattern 3: Sacar buenas notas — "To get good grades"
Sacar is the usual verb for obtaining a grade or result in school. It also works with passing and failing marks, and with exam results in general.
- Saqué un diez en el examen. — I got a ten on the exam.
- Siempre saca buenas notas. — She always gets good grades.
- No sacó el carné a la primera. — He didn't pass his driving test the first time.
Chunk to learn:
Sacar + [buenas notas / un diez / el carné] — to get a grade / obtain a license
Pattern 4: Sacar entradas / Sacar dinero — Tickets and cash
Two very practical uses. Sacar entradas is buying tickets for an event or a show, and sacar dinero is withdrawing cash from an account or an ATM.
- Voy a sacar las entradas para el concierto. — I'm going to buy the tickets for the concert.
- Necesito sacar dinero del cajero. — I need to withdraw money from the ATM.
- ¿Ya has sacado el billete de tren? — Have you bought your train ticket yet?
Chunk to learn:
Sacar entradas / sacar dinero del cajero — to buy tickets / withdraw cash
Pattern 5: Sacar de quicio — "To drive someone up the wall"
A fixed idiom for exasperating someone to the point of losing their composure. Literally it means to take off its hinge — a door knocked off its hinge is a good picture of someone at the limit of their patience.
- Me saca de quicio su actitud. — His attitude drives me up the wall.
- Ese ruido me está sacando de quicio. — That noise is driving me crazy.
- No me saques de quicio, por favor. — Please don't push me over the edge.
Chunk to learn:
Sacar de quicio (a alguien) — to exasperate / drive someone up the wall
Pattern 6: Sacar partido / Sacar provecho — "To make the most of"
Two close synonyms for getting real benefit out of something — a situation, a skill, an opportunity. Both are common in work and study contexts, and both are worth knowing as whole phrases.
- Sabe sacar partido de cualquier situación. — She knows how to make the most of any situation.
- Quiero sacar provecho del curso. — I want to get the most out of the course.
- Le sacó mucho partido a su experiencia. — He made great use of his experience.
Chunk to learn:
Sacar partido / sacar provecho (de + [noun]) — to make the most of
One Verb, Many Everyday Jobs
Sacar is a good example of the chunk approach paying off. Learn the six combinations above as units and you'll recognize them instantly in conversation, instead of decoding each one word by word.
Start with ¿me sacas una foto? and sacar buenas notas — both come up in everyday situations almost immediately.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.