Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| dar una patada | /daɾ una patada/ (from spelling rules) |
| dar un puntapié | /daɾ un puntapje/ (from spelling rules) |
| patear | /pateˈaɾ/ |
| cocear | /koθeˈaɾ/ /koseˈaɾ/ |
The Spanish language offers several ways to express the action of striking with the foot or leg. You can use the phrases dar una patada or dar un puntapié to mean 'to give a kick'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase dar una patada literally translates to 'to give a kick'.
Which one should you use?
The verb cocear is specific to animals, such as a horse, performing a kick. For the phrase 'to give a kick', dar un puntapié is more formal or literary than the common phrase dar una patada. Related nouns that describe the strike itself include patada, puntapié and puntillón.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you want to be formal, you can use the phrase propinar una patada to mean 'to give or to deliver a kick'. Conversely, meter una patada is a colloquial way to express the same action. Dar un puntapié is also considered a more formal or literary option than dar una patada.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/daɾ una patada/
Did you know?
- While patada means 'kick', the word pata is normally reserved for the legs of animals and calling a person's leg a pata can be a playful or insulting way to describe their gait.
- Depending on the region, dar una patada can be used idiomatically to mean 'to fire someone from a job' or 'to kick someone out' of a place.
- The suffix -ear in the verb patear can be traced back to an ancient Greek borrowing that entered Latin before becoming a common way to form verbs in Spanish.
Examples in context
- ¡Te patearé el trasero!I'll kick your butt!This sentence uses patear to express a threat.Tatoeba #1226308 by marcelostockle, translation #1224675 by CK
- Vine aquí a patear traseros y masticar goma de mascar… Y ando sin nada de goma de mascar.I came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum… And I'm all out of bubblegum.This sentence uses patear in a humorous, tough-guy idiom.Tatoeba #1327525 by marcelostockle, translation #847919 by Vulgaris
- El jugador dio una patada al balón.The player kicked the ball.
- Juan propinó una patada fuerte al oponente.Juan delivered a strong kick to his opponent.
- ¿Viste cómo le dio una patada al balón?Did you see how he kicked the ball?
- El niño pateó la pelota con todas sus fuerzas.The child kicked the ball with all his strength.
- Ten cuidado de no dar una patada a la mesa.Be careful not to kick the table.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are practicing soccer in the park.
- ElenaAlejandro, intenta dar una patada más fuerte.Alejandro, try to kick it harder.
- AlejandroEstá bien, lo intentaré ahora mismo.Okay, I will try right now.
- Elena¡Eso fue mucho mejor!That was much better!
- AlejandroGracias por ayudarme, Elena.Thanks for helping me, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kick” translations and entries patear, cocear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cocear, dar, patada, patear, puntapié, un, una, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
