papalote
Mexico
In Mexico a kite is a papalote. The word comes from Nahuatl, from papalotl, meaning "butterfly". It is also called cometa.
Meaning: flying toy on a string (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| papalote | Mexico |
| cometa | other regions |
Volar un papalote means to fly a kite, and hilo is the string. Kids fly them in parks and open fields, especially on windy days.
Which one should you use?
Cometa is the standard word in Spain and many other countries, and in Argentina and Uruguay people say barrilete. Mexicans understand cometa, but papalote is the normal word in Mexico.
How does it change in a sentence?
Papalote is masculine: un papalote.
Did you know?
- The Nahuatl word papalotl means "butterfly", which fits the colorful way a kite moves in the air.
Examples in context
- Vamos a volar el papalote.Let us fly the kite.
- Mi papalote se atoró en un árbol.My kite got stuck in a tree.
- Hay mucho viento para los papalotes.There is a lot of wind for kites.
Example conversation
Mateo and his father Arturo fly a kite in a park in Puebla.
- MateoPapá, ayúdame con el papalote.Dad, help me with the kite.
- ArturoSuelta más hilo.Let out more string.
- MateoYa está volando.It is flying now.
