dale una bofetada
/dale una bofetada/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'slap it' is translated into Spanish as dale una bofetada.
The phrase is used to instruct someone to hit a person or an object with the palm of their hand.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, dale una bofetada translates to 'give it a slap', composed of the verb dar (to give), the pronoun le (it/to him/to her), una (a) and bofetada (slap).
Which one should you use?
While dale una bofetada specifically refers to a slap with the palm, you can also use Dale un golpe to mean 'give it a slap' or to give something a strike.
How do you pronounce it?
/dale una bofetada/
Did you know?
- The English word 'buffoon' and the Spanish 'bofetada' share a surprising linguistic ancestor related to the idea of blowing or striking.
- The term bofetada is feminine, meaning the article una never changes to un even if you are talking about hitting a masculine object like 'el coche' or 'el perro'.
- In Spanish, the act of slapping is phrased as dar una bofetada, which treats the strike as if it were a physical object being handed over to someone.
Examples in context
- ¿Podrías darle un golpe a la puerta?Could you give the door a slap?
- Si hace algo malo, dale una bofetada.If he does something bad, slap him.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are arguing about a conflict.
- LucíaDaniel, estás siendo muy grosero.Daniel, you are being very rude.
- DanielNo me importa lo que pienses.I don't care what you think.
- LucíaTengo ganas de dale una bofetada a alguien.I feel like slapping someone.
- DanielPor favor, cálmate un poco.Please, calm down a bit.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bofetada, dale, una, CC BY-SA 4.0.
