# Ligar - ligar contigo / salir a ligar a las discotecas



## Pablete

How can you say "ligar" in English?
For example:
Este chico quiere ligar contigo.
Los chavales salen a ligar a las discotecas.

In WR you can find "to make advaances", but I´ve never heard that and maybe is not the most common way to say it.


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## Masood

En inglés (británico) yo diría _'to get off with (somebody)'_


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## Pablete

Thank you Masood

So I can say:
Este chico quiere ligar contigo  == This boy wants to get off with you. 

What about the second case, when there is not a specific person but is general?

"Los chavales salen a ligar a las discotecas"

Does it exist "to chat up"? I read that somewhere but I´m not sure.


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## belén

Hola Pablete,

He quitado tu thread del foro de gramática ya que estaba repetido y como es una pregunta de vocabulario, debe estar aquí.

Te ruego mandes sólo un thread al foro que consideres más apropiado para tu pregunta pero por favor no lo pongas en ambos.

Muchas gracias y un saludo,

Belén


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## Chaucer

Pablete said:
			
		

> How can you say "ligar" in English?
> For example:
> Este chico quiere ligar contigo.
> Los chavales salen a ligar a las discotecas.
> 
> In WR you can find "to make advaances", but I´ve never heard that and maybe is not the most common way to say it.



_Intr._ *To hook-up with* or _tr._ *to pick up* girls, which implies first they have _tr._ *to hit-on* the girls/chicks first.

*Join-up with* also is an option = means to hook-up with, hit-on, pick up

Get other opinions.


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## basurero

Se podría decir:

The guys are going out to pick up chicks/score/hit on chicks/get it on/flirt at the nightclub.
This boy wants to hit on you/hook up with you/seduce you/get it on with you.


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## Nomismum

Tambien

The lads are going out *on the pull*


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## Nomismum

Olvidaba decir que "This boy wants to get off with you" suena algo que un adolecente (?) diria en la escuela, igual a "My friend fancies you"


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## tirador

entrarle a una chica = to hit on 
comerle la oreja, jeje = to chat up


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## cristóbal

Nomismum said:
			
		

> Olvidaba decir que "This boy wants to get off with you" suena algo que un adolecente (?) diria en la escuela, igual a "My friend fancies you"



¡Qué interesante!  Es que si decimos "to get off with" en EEUU inmediatamente tiene conotaciones de sexo.  Si yo dijera en EEUU a una chica que mi amigo "wants to get off with her" podría esperar una respuesta más bien física como una bofetada.


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## EVAVIGIL

"Si yo dijera a una chica...", Cristóbal.
Saludos.
EVA.


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## cristóbal

EVAVIGIL said:
			
		

> "Si yo dijera a una chica...", Cristóbal.
> Saludos.
> EVA.



¡uy, gracias!  brain fart


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## Pablete

Thank you guys, I didn´t know there existed so many ways to say "ligar".


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## Pablete

By the way, is "pick up" also used for girls?

"Young boys and girls go out to pick up to the disco"


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## Alpha0ne

Hi all,
It amuses me greatly to see that in everyone of these words the leading role is assumed to be played by the male...FALSE!...she has decided before you even make the move whether or not you are going to have half a chance with her. You may..."chat up", "pull", "get off with", pick up", "hit on", or any other variation, but lads, how innocent we men are...we would never have made as far as the dance floor if she had not taken you for a ride whilst you were figuring out how to get talking to her.
I have my wife and a girlfriend to thank for this knowledge. “The weaker sex"???,my left foot!!
So, my question is: Ladies, what do you call it when we move in for the "kill"?? as your role is more active than we males think.
Cheers all!
A1


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## vic_us

basurero said:
			
		

> Se podría decir:
> 
> The guys are going out to pick up chicks/score/hit on chicks/get it on/flirt at the nightclub.
> This boy wants to hit on you/hook up with you/seduce you/get it on with you.


 
  I thought that *to score* in the context of our discussion always implies sexual intercourse.


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## vic_us

Alpha0ne said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> It amuses me greatly to see that in everyone of these words the leading role is assumed to be played by the male...FALSE!...she has decided before you even make the move whether or not you are going to have half a chance with her. You may..."chat up", "pull", "get off with", pick up", "hit on", or any other variation, but lads, how innocent we men are...we would never have made as far as the dance floor if she had not taken you for a ride whilst you were figuring out how to get talking to her.
> I have my wife and a girlfriend to thank for this knowledge. “The weaker sex"???,my left foot!!
> So, my question is: Ladies, what do you call it when we move in for the "kill"?? as your role is more active than we males think.
> Cheers all!
> A1


 
 The cultural stereotypes of activity/passivity related to gender are still well and alive. A woman who "takes the initiative" is considered a tramp by many. Men conquer and women seduce. Some people argue that a close look to male and female genitalia would give you a hint (e.g. who penetrates and is penetrated). I agree with you but the myths are still alive. And myths don't need to be true to be powerful. Actually they are powerful because they aren't true. Eventually language will change to reflect new myths like the following: *Hombres: ¡cuidado con las mujeres! ¡Ellas piensan en una sola cosa! *


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## VenusEnvy

In my "pick up" days, us girls would say that we were "Going out to meet boys", "Find us some hunks", or "Pick up a hottie". NEVER: to get off on. Like Crist said, this phrase is too sexually charged to be used in this sense.

I often hear "to come on to".


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## cristóbal

vic_us said:
			
		

> I thought that *to score* in the context of our discussion always implies sexual intercourse.



You thought correctly.
"To score with" someone means to have sex with them. This is why I object to the use of "to hook up" even though it's the best translation, I think... there are too many different things that "to hook up" can mean that one has no idea what actually happened.  They could have just met and talked, or they could have gotten married and have three children by now! (There's a huge spectrum of possibilities!)

"to score a chick" however, might imply that you picked up a girl... in a very chauvinistic way, of course. 
just as "to score a goal", "to score a girl" would mean to win one over, to get a date, perhaps.  It's not a "frase hecha", however.  
"to score with" or 
simply "to score" is in the sense of "did you score last night?"


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## vic_us

Gracias Cristóbal.


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## paprika

Hola a todos, necesito traducir al inglés el verbo ligar con el sentido de coquetear, o echar los perros.
Alguien me dijo que puede ser "hook up" pero no estoy muy segura de lo que significa. No quiero ofender a nadie con mi traducción. ¿Alguien me puede ayudar?

Gracias a todos,


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## aurilla

En Puerto Rico "ligar" es mirar con deseo (carnal). ¿Qué signifca en M♪éxico?


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## Txiri

hook up, get with (regional), pick up

There are more, but I can´t think of them right now.  Flirt with is less slangy sounding


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## paprika

En México es cuando le dices a alguien cosas bonitas o inicias una conversación con una persona porque te gusta. Puede que las cosas vayan más allá o simplemente se quede todo como una amistad, no necesariamente es un deseo carnal es una simple atracción.


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## NauS

No estoy muy segura, pero "hook up" no es algo más que ligar? Si no me equivoco con eso creo que algo más suave sería "chat someone up", como tirar los trastos o dar conversación para intentar algo.
Perdón si me equivoco con lo de hook up!


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## paprika

Gracias, Naus, Txiri.
Creo que voy a usar Flirt.


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## Tresley

Cuando veo el verbo 'ligar' lo traduzco como 'to chat up' (expresión britanico) o 'to flirt with'.


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## aurilla

paprika said:
			
		

> En México es cuando le dices a alguien cosas bonitas o inicias una conversación con una persona porque te gusta. Puede que las cosas vayan más allá o simplemente se quede todo como una amistad, no necesariamente es un deseo carnal es una simple atracción.


 
Entonces es "a come on" / "pick up" / "make an approach" / "get it on"


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## cirrus

My understanding of ligar (at least how it is used in Spain) is that it means copping off, getting off with someone.  It is the whole process - eyes meet, conversations start, moves are made...accepted, encouraged and reciprocated and then whatever the actors themselves decide.


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## aurilla

You know, getting off in the U.S. means something else.


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## riglos

I think the expression you're looking for is "to hit on someone". Don't you Americans agree with me?


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## Txiri

I was going to say no, that "hitting on" someone is "making moves on someone" who isn´t pleased with the attention.  
"John is always hitting on  his friend´s girlfriend."

Then I recalled that I´ve seen scenarios where someone compliments a member of the opposite sex, that person smiles, asks, are you hitting on me?

I think ... hitting on is part of ligar ... but I´m not convinced they are equal.

I had the same idea of "ligar" as Cirrus, as the use in Spain.  Moreover, someone who always goes around hitting on members of the opposite sex was a *ligón*;  and finally you might ironically call one who´s obviously interested in one of your friends, and the feelings are not reciprocated, as your friend´s *ligue*.  (To tease your friend.)   Otherwise, a ligue was a person who had *ligado* or *been ligado*, and it had a fairly superficial sound to it, along the lines of a one night stand.


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## Txiri

The urban dictionary only has "hot and heavy" kissing as meanings for *hook up*.

hook -up *9* up, *4 *down    
another word for full-blown kissing. eg french kissing...maybe a little bit of groping
_did you end up hooking up with that hot guy the other night?_
_yea i did, he was an awesome kisser!_



But, I think that it does mean, and has meant, strike up a conversation with a member of the opposite sex; all the way to, meet someone at a club, etc, and have sex with them the same night.

It has also passed over into more general conversation as meaning simply, put two people in contact. "she hooked me up with a good electrician" "I hooked up with my pal after work."


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## cashonly

que complicado es decir ligar en ingles, hay algun verbo ke sea exactamente ligar?, yo creo que por lo que he leido en el foro usare "to pick up"


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## acnel

¿Qué expressión o palabra es la más adecuada para traducir al inglés el término "ligar con alguien"?


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## rocioteag

flirt


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## ERASMO_GALENO

Hola,

Make up sería mi intento.

Atentamente,

*Erasmo.*


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## Choffs

si te refieres a ligar como coquetear el término en inglés es *flirt*
coquetearle a..... o coquetear con ...... es *to flirt with*

pero si te refieres a ligarte con alguien.......... el término en inglés es: *to hook up with*


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## acnel

Gracias a todos. Siento no haber visto que ya existía una entrada sobre "ligar". Soy nuevo en esto.


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## Soy Yo

¿Puede ser "hook up" o "pick up"?


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## Monikabra

Pick up means recoger (algo del suelo, etc), doesn't make sense to use this verb for ligar. i think one of the best options is flirt


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## donovanfriend

What is the meaning of the term/verb "ligar" (i know it's slang) ?


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## clotimer

Ligar means flirting w someone, or at least trying to get on him/her.

U can say "ligué con una chica muy guapa" meaning u got on a pretty girl.


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## kazijistan

I think that in Spain may mean that you are mutually attracted for someboy else. Wait for other contributions.


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## toxicosmos

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=11220
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=143679
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=255549

En mi opinión, ligar = to pull.


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## clotimer

si Pull es una buena traducción


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## donovanfriend

muchas gracias por tus comentarios


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## curious_bettyboop

Txiri said:


> I was going to say no, that "hitting on" someone is "making moves on someone" who isn´t pleased with the attention.
> "John is always hitting on his friend´s girlfriend."
> 
> Then I recalled that I´ve seen scenarios where someone compliments a member of the opposite sex, that person smiles, asks, are you hitting on me?
> 
> I think ... hitting on is part of ligar ... but I´m not convinced they are equal.
> 
> I had the same idea of "ligar" as Cirrus, as the use in Spain. Moreover, someone who always goes around hitting on members of the opposite sex was a *ligón*; and finally you might ironically call one who´s obviously interested in one of your friends, and the feelings are not reciprocated, as your friend´s *ligue*. (To tease your friend.) Otherwise, a ligue was a person who had *ligado* or *been ligado*, and it had a fairly superficial sound to it, along the lines of a one night stand.


 
Apuntar que según mi percepción, en lugar de un ligón lo llamaría "buitre"


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## carlosgrima

Ligar con alguien = pick up somebody

Example: Yesterday, I picked up the girl of my dreams at your party


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## Sumx

i asked an american girl i know and she told me people normally only use to hit on somebody...


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## cirrus

So to summarise. In AE you might hit on someone or possibly flirt with, in BE cop off with someone or pick up. 

In BE hitting on someone has a downside - there is an implication that the attention that isn't necessarily welcome or appropriate.  While your Mum might be flattered and laugh if your new boyfriend flirted with her, if he tried to make a pass at her it wouldn't go down at all well.


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## Susie Q

Hola! tengo una duda sobre esta palabra "ligar". Estaría bien traducida la frase en castellano: "Y te la ligaste con todo ese rollo?"
en inglés británico: "And did you hit her with all that stuff?" El sentido de ligar implica algo más que el de hablar con ella claro está.


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