'papa' & 'papá'

Question

What is the difference (in meaning) between 'papa' & 'papá'? In my understanding the one with the accent means potato and the one without means father.

Answer 1

yes, el papá is father la papa is potato. Also, el Papa is the pope!

• So what do you call a priest? Padre? - yogamamaof2 Dec 3, 2009
• The same reason you called a nun hermana. - 00f2b5a1 Dec 3, 2009

Answer 2

Also, el Papa is the pope!

jejeje. This reminded me of a slip of the tongue that I made this week. I was giving a lesson that involved the Gregorian calendar, explaining how the years Before Christ actually go up as you go back in time. This can be bit confusing so I needed to explain that people who actually lived before Christ didn't count the years that way, rather the calender we now use simply wasn't devised yet. However I said:

"El calendario Gregoriano se instituyó por la papa Gregorio en el año 1582. "

The confused looks on their faces clearly showed they didn't understand, or so I thought. (I mean it is an odd concept that the numbers go up rather than down, right?) So I kept at it, trying to make it clear, all the while not realizing I was using 'la papa' this and 'la papa' that. It wasn't until someone spoke up and asked me "¿Qué tiene que ver con eso 'la papa'?" and I heard someone else say it that I realized I had been saying 'potato' all that time.

That made me chuckle, but they still didn't get it until I corrected myself: "...por el papa Gregorio..." Once they realized my mistake and understood what I had been trying to say all that time everyone burst out laughing. I can only imagine that pictures of 'Mr. Potatohead' had been floating through their heads all that time.

• Great story! - --Mariana-- Dec 3, 2009
• this is probably one of the best stories I've heard in awhile, gets my vote. jaja - DJ_Huero Dec 3, 2009
• That's probably why the potato in Spain is patata. - BellaMargari Dec 3, 2009

Answer 3

Serious question: If the Pope was a lady would she be la Papa?

No, she would be "la Papisa"

• Thank you - I knew there was someone who could give a serious answer to a serious question. - 00f2b5a1 Dec 3, 2009
• I hope you know, mortimer, it was just a jibe on my part. ;-) But what would 'Papisa' be in English? Popess? or Popetrix? - chaparrito Dec 3, 2009
• I was joking too! Another serious question: Would you call a male queen "her ladyship"? - 00f2b5a1 Dec 4, 2009

Answer 4

yogamamaof, yes a priest is un Padre.

Answer 5

Serious question: If the Pope was a lady would she be la Papa?

• Can we really take you seriously??? ;-) - chaparrito Dec 3, 2009
• There was a lady Pope years ago - fact! - 00f2b5a1 Dec 3, 2009
• Pope Joan in the 9th Century. - 00f2b5a1 Dec 3, 2009
• Maybe not a fact. Read this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan - qfreed Dec 3, 2009
• Yes, I saw that and the Spanish version in Wikipedia - really interesting "Papisa Juana". - 00f2b5a1 Dec 3, 2009

Answer 6

By the way in Spain many children call their father papa, this is considered "uneducated"

• In Andalucia they also use "papi" - caza Dec 3, 2009

Answer 7

papa= es un alimento(vegetal) papa'= es padre

Answer 8

caza wrote:

In Andalucia they also use "papi"

I've heard that among the Mexicans in my area. But what confuses me is that not only do kids call their dad 'papi' but they call there mom 'papi' and the parents call their children 'papi' too!

Is it like saying 'honey', 'dear' or 'sweetie' when the parents use it?

• In Colombia everybody seems to call everybody "Papi". - 00f2b5a1 Dec 4, 2009