meter la pata
- Dictionary
Common Idioms
Phrasebook
PREMIUM
meter la pata(
meh
-
tehr
lah
pah
-
tah
)An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
1. (idiom) (general)
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
a. to put one's foot in it (idiom)
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
No estaba seguro de lo que estaba hablando. Si me hubiera callado, no habría metido la pata.I wasn't sure what I was talking about. Had I shut up I wouldn't have put my foot in it.
b. to put one's foot in one's mouth (idiom) (United States)
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
Regionalism used in the United States
Metí la pata hablando del amor eterno cuando acababan de divorciarse. ¡Pero no sabía nada!I put my foot in my mouth talking about eternal love when they had just divorced. But I didn't know!
c. to mess up
Metimos la pata al comprar este armario. Es demasiado pequeño.We messed up when we bought this wardrobe. It's far too small.
d. to make a blunder
Lucía estaba avergonzada por haber metido la pata de esa manera con un comentario tan indiscreto.Lucia was embarrassed by the terrible blunder she'd made with her rather tactless remark.
e. to blunder
El gobierno metió la pata sometiendo una decisión tan importante a votación pública.The government blundered on putting such an important decision to a public vote.
f. to mess things up
No me atrevo a reparar el auto yo solo. No quiero meter la pata.I don't dare fix the car myself. I don't want to mess things up.
g. to make a mess of it
Esta vez sí que metiste la pata. Te dije que no se lo contaras a nadie, ¿no?You really made a mess of it this time. I told you not to tell anyone, didn't I?
h. to make a faux pas (socially)
Creo que Luis metió la pata ofreciéndole el asiento a la chica con el barrigón. Me temo que no está embarazada.I think Luis made a faux pas by offering his seat to the young woman with the potbelly. I'm afraid she's not pregnant.
Examples
Machine Translators
Translate meter la pata using machine translators
Random Word
Roll the dice and learn a new word now!
Want to Learn Spanish?
Spanish learning for everyone. For free.
