# pata = human feet?



## hfh

Some tex mex spanglish people think patas are human feet? is this wrong?


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## chileno

hfh said:


> Some tex mex spanglish people think patas are human feet? is this wrong?



No, but haven't you  heard any woman say "keep your paws off of me"?


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## Oldy Nuts

It's formally wrong, but colloquially right and much used.


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## gatogab

hfh said:


> Some tex mex spanglish people think patas are human feet? is this wrong?


 
Las patas son de los animales, aunque muchas veces, coloquialmente, más de alguien las usa para referirse a los pies humanos.


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## fenixpollo

In some contexts, a human foot can be called un pie. This word is good for medical contexts and everyday speech.

In other contexts, a human foot can be called una pata. This is good for certain situations involving sarcasm, exaggeration in colloquial speech, or insults.

Why would you think that this word is "wrong"? What context did you hear it in?  Please give us background information about who said this, besides just "speakers of tex-mex".  That way, we can help you understand whether the usage is "right" or not.


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## hfh

A friend of mine said mis patas hurt so I need to go to la clinica to mis patas checked, now is this wrong?


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## fenixpollo

Thanks for the background information, hfh. That really helps.

Sounds right to me. It doesn't matter whether the person is code-switching or not.
If you are saying "my dogs hurt", referring to your feet, then "me duelen las patas" is a good translation in Spanish.


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## micafe

I'd never use "patas" to refer to human feet or legs. It sounds terrible to my ears. It sounds very low class.. sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone. 

"Patas" is used ONLY for animal legs and furniture: "Las patas de la mesa".


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## chileno

hfh said:


> A friend of mine said mis patas hurt so I need to go to la clinica to mis patas checked, now is this wrong?



No, but it can be considered uneducated. (emajucated, if you will)


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## MHCKA

Igual que el otro asunto del pescuezo:

Sí, sí se usa, 
No, no solamente aplica para animales.
Sí, sí aparece en el DRAE: *5. *f. coloq. Pierna de una persona.

No porque no uses un vocablo, significará que esté mal cuando alguien lo haga, ahora que... somos muchos los mexicanos que los usamos.

Desde luego, igual que les explicaba en el caso de pescuezo / cuello, hay que saber en que contexto usarlo.

A tu novia no le dices "que bonitas patas tienes" (para hacerle saber la belleza inigualable que tienen sus extremidades inferiores) pero quizás si le digas "te rugen las patas" para hacerle notar que tiene mal olor de pies; incluso tu novia podría decirte "me duelen las patitas, dame un masajito porfa" para hacerte notar que tiene dolor de piernas.

Ahora bien, pata es la extremidad completa, la pierna, no solamente el pie, aunque haya usos que se refieran solamente al pie como les acabo de mencionar.

En palabras vulgares y muy corrientes, a una mujer con bonitas piernas en la calle, entre hombres, podrían pensar que "tiene unas patotas".

En fin, tantas aplicaciones que hay, solo los dejo con otra:

"Meter las cuatro (patas)" equivalente a equivocarse.


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## Oldy Nuts

micafe said:


> I'd never use "patas" to refer to human feet or legs. It sounds terrible to my ears. It sounds very low class.. sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone.
> 
> "Patas" is used ONLY for animal legs and furniture: "Las patas de la mesa".


 
There is nothing "wrong" with using "patas" to refer to human feet or legs:

http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=pata

May I add some fairly common expressions around here?

Mala pata = bad luck.
Andar a pata = to walk (when you cannot/do not want to use a vehicle).
A pata pelada = on your bare feet.
Estirar la pata = to die, to kick the bucket.
Bailar en una pata = to be very happy.
Meter la pata = to do something wrong or to make an inopportune remark.
Parar las patas = to stumble and fall down.


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## godelcah

pata es una forma vulgar de decir pie y es bastante usada en M'exico.


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## la_machy

It's funny. I like those 'pata' expressions that Oldy has given to us. I myself use them once in a while in an informal speech. But I'd never say 'me duelen las patas' or 'Juan dice que tengo bonitas patas'. No way!


Saludos


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## Oldy Nuts

la_machy said:


> It's funny. I like those 'pata' expressions that Oldy has given to us. I myself use them once in a while in an informal speech. But I'd never say 'me duelen las patas' or 'Juan dice que tengo bonitas patas'. No way!
> 
> 
> Saludos



Machy, I wouldn't even dream of telling you that you have "bonitas patas", when I'm sure that you have "unas piernas maravillosas"... A lady cannot have "patas", while a man can be reprimanded by his "patas hediondas". Or "peludas", or whatever.


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## Janis Joplin

hfh said:


> Some tex mex spanglish people think patas are human feet? is this wrong?




I don´t believe they THINK that, they simply use thay word in a colloquial way as well as they use another million.


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## Vikinga-Guadalupana

godelcah said:


> pata es una forma vulgar de decir pie y es bastante usada en M'exico.


 
It's not vulgar, just low register


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## micafe

Oldy Nuts said:


> There is nothing "wrong" with using "patas" to refer to human feet or legs:
> 
> http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=pata


 
I never said it was "wrong". I said I'd never use it because it sounds bad to my ears. 



Oldy Nuts said:


> May I add some fairly common expressions around here?
> 
> Mala pata = bad luck.
> Andar a pata = to walk (when you cannot/do not want to use a vehicle).
> A pata pelada = on your bare feet.
> Estirar la pata = to die, to kick the bucket.
> Bailar en una pata = to be very happy.
> Meter la pata = to do something wrong or to make an inopportune remark.
> Parar las patas = to stumble and fall down.


 
Those are very common colloquial expressions and I believe we have all used them. And they're fun too... 

But calling feet "patas" is very different. It doesn't sound very educated.


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## Gato666

En Perú se le dice "pata" a un amigo en jerga o "patas" en plural.


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## Oldy Nuts

micafe said:


> Those are very common colloquial expressions and I believe we have all used them. And they're fun too...
> 
> But calling feet "patas" is very different. It doesn't sound very educated.



And what I have said from the beginning is



> It's formally wrong, but colloquially right and much used.



Have you never been so tired as to say you were "arrastrando las patas"? Have you never said "a la pata de la letra" instead of "al pie de la letra"? If you have, do you really think this makes you less educated? Or if you haven't, do you think I am less educated by using such expressions in informal speech/writing?

And if you didn't notice, in almost all the expressions I have given, "pata" is used to mean a _human_ foot or leg...


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## micafe

Gato666 said:


> En Perú se le dice "pata" a un amigo en jerga o "patas" en plural.


 
"El patas" en Colombia es el diablo.. 

"Me llevó el patas" es una expresión común.



Oldy Nuts said:


> Have you never been so tired as to say you were "arrastrando las patas"? Have you never said "a la pata de la letra" instead of "al pie de la letra"? If you have, do you really think this makes you less educated? Or if you haven't, do you think I am less educated by using such expressions in informal speech/writing?


 
No, I haven't, actually.

Why are you trying to argue with me? I'm giving my opinion as you're giving yours. 

I don't understand why you're taking it personal. It has nothing to do with you, my dear Oldy Nuts. Nothing whatsoever.. 

Saluditos


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## Oldy Nuts

No, micafe, I am not arguing with you, and I am not taking this personally. However, if you say that "..calling feet 'patas' is very different. It doesn't sound very educated", you are implying that those of us who do are not, or act as if we were not, very educated. With which I disagree.

And of course, I would never call human feet or legs "patas" in formal speech or writing. Or when taking of the well formed limbs of a woman, for that matter...

Please let us not confuse formal speech with informal speech, or take life so seriously as to never use informal language...


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## jasminasul

I am a lady? and I have been told "quita las patas / patotas de ahí / de encima de la mesa, etc."


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## rododendro

micafe said:


> I'd never use "patas" to refer to human feet or legs. It sounds terrible to my ears. It sounds very low class.. sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone.
> 
> "Patas" is used ONLY for animal legs and furniture: "Las patas de la mesa".



Pienso lo mismo, micafe. Simplemente no suena bien. Es solo una opinión muy personal, claro. 

Naturalemente a otros no les sonará mal.


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## Oldy Nuts

jasminasul said:


> I am a lady? and I have been told "quita las patas / patotas de ahí / de encima de la mesa, etc."



Well, your profile says you are female, and that makes you a lady for me until you prove me wrong, which you haven't. I would therefore hesitate very much before telling you "quita tus patas de la mesa". Although, on second thoughts, putting your feet on the table is not very ladylike, so maybe I would not doubt to use the expression in this particular case. As I would also tell you that you "metiste la pata". But I would never say that you have "lindas patas", even if I thought that you are not a lady...


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## Mate

Want to learn something odd, Oldy and everyone else?

In my country, not too long ago it was a widespread compliment to say ¡qué lindas patas! instead of ¡qué lindas piernas! but only among male buddies, never to a girl. 

Well, maybe someone did say that, and maybe some still do.

It doesn't sound good.


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## rododendro

Mateamargo said:


> It doesn't sound good.



No, no suena bien.. A mí particularmente me suena muy mal.


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## jasminasul

Gotcha Oldy Nuts, I knew you´d fall for that.
Seriously, I don´t think a word or expression means the same to everybody everywhere. We say, when we want to praise somebody like a football (soccer) player "qué bueno es ese hijo de puta". Nobody would be offended with this, although I would never use those words myself.
Nevertheless, I think it´s a bit snobbish to say that only uneducated people would use "patas" to refer to a person´s feet. People change register all the time, for instance if they want to "fit in". I think it´s more a matter of respect, that´s probably why almost nobody would refer to a woman´s legs as "patas" in front of her.
It´s not vulgar it´s just a colloquial term.


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## Oldy Nuts

I think it more than a little snobish to say that only uneducated people would use "patas" to refer to a person's feet, or that those who do sound very low class. And I think I understood that the remark "¡qué lindas patas!" mentioned by Mateamargo was only used amongst males, but never in front of the woman to whom it was addressed. As jasminasul says, it' a matter of respect.


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## chileno

Context, people, context.

For all of you that state that just the mere thought of saying "pata" is repulsive....

How would you say "meter las patas"?

Meter los pies?

As in stick your feet in your mouth? 

Oh I get it! Nobody here "mete los pies"... :-D


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## MHCKA

Creo que el punto es ese precisamente, aclarar que aparte de los usos reglamentarios (como el caso de pata, que es reglamentario su uso como pierna humana) hay impresiones personales, solo que a veces no quedan del todo separadas, pero en el foro es muy buen ejercicio indicar cuando es reglamentario (en español al menos se puede) y cuando es una mera opinión particular de quien escribe.

Sin emoticons, pero dicho lo anterior en muy buen plan.

Por otro lado... en cuanto a que algo pueda ser vulgar o no... vulgar viene de vulgo, del pueblo, de la masa... por ahí se usa el sentido despectivo que depende que tan _snob_ seamos o nos sintamos como para pretender que somos tan "cultos y educados" que precisamente dicha cultura y cúmulo de educación nos impide usar ciertas palabras. Yo, en mi opinión particular, lo reduciría más bien a un asunto de estilo o de sentirnos cómodos al hablar de cierto modo.

Pero de que el español en su uso es vulgar, lo es, porque lo dice la gente, el pueblo, la masa... de la cual todos formamos parte.


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## victor71

chileno said:


> No, but haven't you  heard any woman say "keep your paws off of me"?



we must say that 'pata' in chile is used more often than 'pie'


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## godelcah

la_machy said:


> It's funny. I like those 'pata' expressions that Oldy has given to us. I myself use them once in a while in an informal speech. But I'd never say 'me duelen las patas' or 'Juan dice que tengo bonitas patas'. No way!
> 
> 
> Saludos


_ Familiar: me duelen las patrullas_


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## MHCKA

Jajajajajajajaja

Esa de las patrullas es buena... ya no me acordaba de ella, igualmente coloquial acá en tierra de mexicanos.

Por ahí también he oído para piernas:

_"Las de andar/caminar"_


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## Ibermanolo

gatogab said:


> Las patas son de los animales, aunque muchas veces, coloquialmente, más de alguien las usa para referirse a los pies humanos.


 
En España se usa para referirse a las piernas, no a los pies.


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## chileno

victor71 said:


> we must say that 'pata' in chile is used more often than 'pie'



But familiarly, right?


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## rododendro

victor71 said:


> we must say that 'pata' in chile is used more often than 'pie'



¿Es eso cierto? ¿Si usted va al médico le dice "doctor, me duele la pata izquierda? 

¿O la gente dice cosas como "Juan se fracturó una pata"?

¿Es la manera habitual de decirlo en Chile?


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## chileno

rododendro said:


> ¿Es eso cierto? ¿Si usted va al médico le dice "doctor, me duele la pata izquierda?
> 
> ¿O la gente dice cosas como "Juan se fracturó una pata"?
> 
> ¿Es la manera habitual de decirlo en Chile?



No. Pié es formal.


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## micafe

> victor 71 - we must say that 'pata' in chile is used more often than 'pie'





> chileno - But familiarly, right?





> rododendro - ¿Es la manera habitual de decirlo en Chile?





> chileno - No. Pié es formal.


Me gusta saber estas cosas.

Dime Chileno, dices que pie es formal. (a propósito, pie no lleva tilde ).. o Victor también, por favor. 

¿Si estás hablando con un amigo o alguien de tu familia siempre dices "pata", pero si hablas con alguien de más rango -por decirlo de alguna manera- dices "pie" porque es más formal? es decir, ¿más educado?.

Es interesante .. ¡Gracias!


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## victor71

cuando estas con amigos es elección de cada uno, pero 'pata' no es formal de ninguna manera.


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## chileno

micafe said:


> Me gusta saber estas cosas.
> 
> Dime Chileno, dices que pie es formal. (a propósito, pie no lleva tilde ).. o Victor también, por favor.
> 
> ¿Si estás hablando con un amigo o alguien de tu familia siempre dices "pata", pero si hablas con alguien de más rango -por decirlo de alguna manera- dices "pie" porque es más formal? es decir, ¿más educado?.
> 
> Es interesante .. ¡Gracias!



Correcto. Pie es más educado. Y depende de ti como quieras usarlo.

Pie llevaba acento, pero las cosas cambiaron no sé cuando...


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## gatogab

¡Qué tipo más* patudo! *
What a shameless!


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## Oldy Nuts

It's about the same difference than between "hand" and "paw".


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## piraña utria

Este hilo permanecerá cerrado debido a que el tema se presta mucho para la charla y ya sufrió dos grandes digresiones.

Gracias a todos por sus aportes.

Disculpen las molestias.

PU


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