coger

One of the most important verbs to learn the regional register of before using freely: in Spain, coger is a completely neutral, everyday verb for "to take/grab/catch" (coger el autobús, coger un lápiz). In much of Latin America, including Mexico and Argentina, it's vulgar slang for having sex, so agarrar or tomar covers the neutral meaning instead.

• Voy a coger el tren de las ocho. — I'm going to catch the eight o'clock train.
• Coge ese libro de la mesa, por favor. — Grab that book from the table, please.
• En México dirías "agarra el libro" en vez de "coge el libro" para evitar malentendidos. — In Mexico you'd say "agarra el libro" instead of "coge el libro" to avoid misunderstandings.

This is the single most common register trap for Spanish learners: using coger innocently in Latin America can sound vulgar or get an unintended laugh — check your audience's country before defaulting to it, and use agarrar or tomar when in doubt.

Often confused with agarrar.