patear
/pah-teh-AR/
to kick
Patear: To kick, using the foot to hit something.
📝 In Action
El niño pateó la pelota al jardín.
A2The boy kicked the ball into the yard.
No debes patear la puerta si está cerrada.
B1You shouldn't kick the door if it's locked.
💡 Grammar Points
Simple Action Verb
Patear is a straightforward action verb that takes a direct object (the thing being kicked). Like most regular -AR verbs, its conjugations follow a predictable pattern.
⭐ Usage Tips
Focus on the Foot
Remember that 'patear' specifically means hitting something with the foot or leg. If you are hitting with your hand, you would use 'golpear' or 'pegar'.
Patear: To roam or walk long distances.
patear(Verb)
to roam
?walking long distances
to pound the pavement
?walking for work/exploration
,to walk around
?informal synonym for caminar
📝 In Action
Tuvimos que patear todo el centro histórico para encontrar el restaurante.
B2We had to roam (walk all over) the entire historic center to find the restaurant.
El vendedor pasa el día pateando barrios.
C1The salesman spends the day pounding the pavement in neighborhoods.
⭐ Usage Tips
Implied Effort
When used in this sense, 'patear' usually implies that the walking was long, difficult, or exhaustive, unlike the neutral verb 'caminar'.
Patear: (Spain, slang) To fail an exam.
📝 In Action
Me patearon en el examen de conducir, tendré que repetirlo.
C1They failed me on the driving test; I'll have to repeat it.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
imperfect
present
preterite
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: patear
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses the informal meaning of 'patear' related to walking?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'patear' used for human feet or only animal paws/legs ('pata')?
While 'pata' is usually for animal legs, 'patear' is the standard verb for the action of kicking, whether performed by a person or an animal. For the human foot itself, you would use 'pie'.
Can I use 'patear' instead of 'caminar' (to walk)?
Only in informal contexts when you want to emphasize that the walking was a long distance, tiring, or involved exploring many places. It adds a sense of effort or difficulty that 'caminar' doesn't have.