Quieres papas?

Question

I learned that "papas' is slang for french fries (short for Papas fritas) but I understand that when you have a baby that doesn't know very much you can say "Quieres papas?" to mean "Do you want something to eat?" like in that context it doesn't literally mean french fries it means "something to eat" - is that correct?

I guess that would be an easy word for a baby to pronounce. Just so long has he doesn't get his stress mixed up and thinks you're asking him if he loves his father. - rabbitwho, Jun 1, 2011

Answer 1

Because potatoes can be easily mashed when boiled and fed as a first food, many people tell a child, ¿quiere papita?, or ¿quiere papa?. But, outside of this context it is not widely used. There is a growing trend among young people to shorten everything to a nauseating length, and this is another example. A computer is now a compu , abirthday is a cumple, and to be depressed is to be depre.

So, to most people "¿Quieres papas?" still means do you want some potatoes, unless you are at a fast food restaurant, where the obvious choice is the french fry. Usually we say Papas fritas for french fries.

My parents used this with me as a child, too. Just to be clear it is always singular in babyspeak: "¿Quieres papa?" not "papas." - gintar77, Jun 1, 2011

Answer 2

Oh, well, I think rabbit's explanation is great, we do not use the word papa for food, but....

This may be something not used in Spain or other countries, but since childhood I have heard this expression in many families. - Rey55, Jun 1, 2011

Answer 3

papilla

lol, genial dondes los haya, claro que si - 00494d19, Jun 1, 2011