cachar

Senses

1. 1.

   to catch

   to intercept or grab something in motion

2. 2.

   to catch (discover)

   to detect or find someone doing something wrong

3. 3.

   to understand; to get (it)

   to comprehend or grasp an idea, primarily in Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish

Examples

• "Cacé la pelota antes de que cayera al suelo."

  I caught the ball before it hit the ground.

• "Lo cacharon copiando en el examen."

  They caught him cheating on the exam.

• "¿Cachaste lo que dijo el profesor?"

  Did you get what the teacher said?

Usage

Cachar is widely used in Spanish America, particularly in Chile and the Rioplatense region (Argentina, Uruguay). The "understand" sense is especially common in informal, colloquial speech. In Spain, this verb is less common; coger is preferred for "catch" in most contexts.