In most German courses and textbooks, you learn the verb bekommen as the German verb for receiving, getting.
But in daily life, people actually use a different verb much more often: kriegen.
- Ich kriege jeden Tag 1.000 E-Mails.
- Ich bekomme jeden Tag 1.000 E-Mails.
Both sentences mean the same and the one with bekommen sounds a tiny little bit stiff in daily life. And kriegen is completely regular and also shorter than bekommen, so you should definitely add it to your active vocabulary.
By the way… if you’re wondering if it has anything to do with der Krieg (the war), then the answer is yes. The original meaning was getting by means of war. But today, Germans don’t even realize or notice this connection anymore.
If you want to learn more about kriegen and see some examples, check out this article on YourDailyGerman: