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No dar pie con bola

/noh dar pee-EH kon BOH-lah/

To not get anything right; to be clumsy or screw up repeatedly.

Level:B2Register:InformalCommon:★★★★☆

💡 Understanding the Idiom

Literal Translation:
"To not give foot with ball"
What It Really Means:
To not get anything right; to be clumsy or screw up repeatedly.
English Equivalents:
To not be able to do anything rightTo be all thumbsTo have two left feetTo be on a losing streak

🎨 Literal vs. Figurative

💭 Literal
A literal, humorous depiction of 'no dar pie con bola', showing a person failing to make contact between their foot and a ball.

Literally, this means 'to not give foot with ball'—a total miss!

✨ Figurative
The actual meaning of 'no dar pie con bola', showing a person messing everything up in a kitchen.

In practice, it means you're having a day where everything you do goes wrong.

Key Words in This Idiom:

no
no
no
→
darpiebola

📝 In Action

Hoy no doy pie con bola en el trabajo, todo me sale mal.

B2

I can't do anything right at work today, everything is going wrong for me.

Intenté arreglar el grifo, pero no di pie con bola y ahora gotea más.

B2

I tried to fix the faucet, but I just messed it up and now it drips even more.

El equipo no dio pie con bola durante todo el partido y perdió 5-0.

B2

The team was completely useless the entire game and lost 5-0.

📜 Origin Story

This expression comes straight from the world of sports. Imagine a game like soccer, billiards, or an old game similar to bowling. 'Dar pie con bola' would be the ideal moment of making perfect contact: the foot hitting the soccer ball correctly, or the cue stick hitting the billiard ball just right. So, 'no dar pie con bola' paints a perfect picture of a clumsy attempt where you fail to connect, and everything goes wrong as a result.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use It For a String of Failures

This idiom is perfect for when you're having a bad day and can't seem to do anything correctly. It's not just for one mistake, but for a series of clumsy errors or screw-ups.

Almost Always Negative

This phrase is almost exclusively used in its negative form ('no dar pie con bola'). The positive version ('dar pie con bola') is very rare. If you want to say someone did something right, you'd use a different expression like 'dar en el clavo' (to hit the nail on the head).

❌ Common Pitfalls

It's Not Just for Sports

Mistake: "Thinking this idiom can only be used when talking about sports because of its origin."

Correction: While it comes from sports, it's now used for any situation where someone is being clumsy or failing repeatedly, like cooking, working on a computer, or trying to assemble furniture.

🌎 Where It's Used

🇪🇸

Spain

Extremely common and widely used in everyday, informal conversation.

🌎

Latin America

It's understood in many countries, particularly in Argentina and Uruguay, but it's generally less common than in Spain. Many countries have their own local equivalents.

🔗 Related Idioms

↔️Similar Meanings

ser un patoso

To be a klutz, very clumsy.

tener dos pies izquierdos

To have two left feet (especially for dancing or sports).

⇆Opposite Meanings

dar en el clavo→

To be exactly right, to hit the nail on the head.

ir sobre ruedas

To go smoothly (literally 'to go on wheels').

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: No dar pie con bola

Question 1 of 1

If your friend says, 'Hoy no doy pie con bola en la cocina,' what is happening?

🏷️ Tags

FailureSportsCommonly UsedBody Parts

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'no dar pie con bola' a strong or offensive thing to say?

No, it's not offensive. It's a very common, informal way to describe incompetence or a bad day. You can say it about yourself ('¡Hoy no doy pie con bola!') or about a friend in a lighthearted way. It's more about frustration than a serious insult.