‘De la patada’ is a Mexican phrase that we use as a synonym of ‘very bad’ or ‘awful’. Depending on the context, it could also be used to express that you ‘don’t like someone very much’. As a result, this slang phrase could be used in a huge range of informal situations.
What does ‘De la Patada’ mean?
- Translation #1: ‘Very bad’ or ‘Awful’.
- Translation #2: ‘I don’t like someone very much’. Among young Mexicans ‘de la patada’ is also used as a synonym of ‘I don’t like you’.
How and When to use ‘De la patada’?
- As a way to say ‘awful’ or ‘very bad’. This Mexican slang phrase is used to describe that something is ‘very bad’ or ‘awful’. Usually, you use ‘de la patada’ to give a negative opinion about objects, situations, attitudes, flavors, activities, and quality. It doesn’t work with the verb ser.
- To express that you don’t like someone very much. This slang phrase can also be used to reinforce that you don’t like someone. However, in this context, this expression needs to work with a verb in order to make sense. In Mexico, when we want to say that we don’t like someone, we use the expression ‘me cae de la patada’. Beware that in Spanish we have two verbs to say ‘I like you’ and using one or the other depends on the speaker’s intention. To learn more about how to say ‘I like you’ in Spanish, read this article.
Examples
Here are some examples that will help you understand how to use this expression.
As a way to say ‘awful’ or ‘very bad’
As mentioned before, in this context, Mexican speakers use ‘de la patada’ to express a negative opinion about a situation, object, flavor, attitude, etc.
Carla tiene una actitud de la patada Carla has a very bad attitude
La comida sabe de la pata, ¿compramos algo más? The food tastes very bad, should we buy something else?
Tuve un día de la patada: llegué tarde a trabajar. Además, se me olvidó la cartera y no comí. I had such an awful day. I was late for work. On top of that, I forgot my money and I didn’t eat.
To express that you don’t like someone very much.
Notice in the following examples that, in this context, ‘de la patada’ works with the same verb.
Mayra me cae de la patada porque es muy grosera I don’t like Mayra very much because she’s very rude
Priscila y Carolina se caen de la patada Priscila and Carolina don’t like each other very much
Who Can You Use ‘De la patada’ With?
Although this is a Mexican slang expression, you can use it with all type of people as long as the context is informal.
Other Ways to Say ‘De la patada’
Here are some of the most common synonyms that you can use instead of these slang expression.
- Muy mal → It’s the direct translation of ‘very bad’. You can use it in both informal and formal contexts.
- Pésimo → It’s the direct translation of ‘awful’ and it can be used in both formal and informal situations.
- Del nabo → Although this phrase is a synonym of ‘de la patada’, it’s slightly more informal, so try to use it only in very informal contexts.