Some colloquial humor for a Tuesday.
I love discovering words and phrases that make learning Spanish enjoyable.
Here is a short colloquial dialogue I heard in the house of a friend here in the north of Mexico between a mother and a young boy.
It took me a while to understand what was being said here. When I finally “got it” I thought it was quite funny.
Native speakers will understand right away, but for us learners it may take a little longer.
So; what is being said here? And what do you think is the origin of the last part of the second phrase of the mother?
Niño: Mami, quiero salir a jugar con mis amigos.
Mami: Si quieres permiso, primero ve a tu cuarto y recoge las chivas que tienes regadas.
Niño: Pero mami, no tengo chivas regadas en mi cuarto, solo jugué con mis dinosaurios
Mami: ¡Por eso, mi amor!
Not being a native speaker corrections graciously accepted.
8 Answers
Niño: Mami, quiero salir a jugar con mis amigos.
Mami: Si quieres permiso, primero ve a tu cuarto y recoge las chivas que tienes regadas.
Niño: Pero mami, no tengo chivas regadas en mi cuarto, solo jugué con mis dinosaurios
Mami: ¡Por eso, mi amor!
mom, I want to go play with my friends
if you want permission, first go your room and pick up the mess that's all over the place.
but mom, I don't have toys all over the place, I only played with my dinosaurs. (chivas is also goats/ or the soccer team that is in Jalisco, mexico)
well thts why, my love.
chivas are found in rural areas, so the origin is in the rural parts of mexico.
As the answers posted above refer correctly "chivas" has two meanings here. the first being the animals -goats. the second, in this case things or stuff.
Here the charming situation is that the mother is speaking of "stuff" when the boy is thinking about the animals ( goats) .For that reason he replied he was not playing with goats,but with his toys ( dinosaurs).That is why the mother responds "por eso"
So as the shepherd rounds up his "chivas", the mom is telling the boy to round up his "stuff"
The expression you are referring to, has its origin in rural areas and has been adopted in daily speech.
"¡Recoge tus chivas!", is a common expresion in México to mean: "pick up your stuffs or junk", as katydew said. Or "clean up your mess!"
The literal meaning of the phrase is "gather your goats!". I suposse the phrase refers to the daily job of the shepherds in rural areas where they raise goats.
Please correct my English! 
Pero que tal "regadas" ("Irrigated")? Que quiere decir?
What about "regadas" ("Irrigated")? What does that mean?
cool. I understood
Las Chivas can be 'junk' or 'stuff'..... or it can be the soccer team?
So either the soccer action figures were spread all over the place or the 'junk' was spread all over?
So, the suspense is killing me. What is the hidden piece?
