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"to kick" in seven languages

Meaningto kick

Spanish

dar una patada

/daɾ ˈuna paˈtada/

other source · pata 'paw, leg' (origin uncertain) + -ada

Patear exists too, more common in Latin America.

French

donner un coup de pied

/dɔne ɛ̃ ku də pje/

other source · coup 'blow' (Latin COLAPHUM) + pied 'foot' (Latin PEDEM)

Italian

calciare

/kalˈtʃare/

other source · calcio 'kick', from Latin CALCEM 'heel'

Dare un calcio is just as common.

Portuguese

chutar

/ʃuˈtah/

other source · English shoot

Romanian

lovi cu piciorul

/loˈvi ku piˈtʃjorul/

other source · lovi 'to hit' (Slavic loviti 'to hunt') + picior 'foot' (Latin PETIOLUM)

Catalan

donar una puntada de peu

/duˈna ˈunə punˈtadə də pɛw/

other source · puntada 'a blow with the tip' (punta ← Latin PUNCTA) + peu 'foot' (Latin PEDEM)

A ball is kicked with xutar, from English shoot.

English

kick

/kɪk/

native English · Middle English kiken, origin unknown

English → Italianto kickcalciareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

The story

No language shares a word here: Spanish gives 'a blow with the paw', French 'a blow of the foot', Italian strikes with the heel (CALX), which is why football in Italy is il calcio.

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In a sentence

  • esLe dio una patada fuerte al balón.
  • frIl a donné un grand coup de pied dans le ballon.
  • itHa calciato forte il pallone.
  • ptEle chutou a bola com força.
  • roA lovit tare mingea cu piciorul.
  • caVa donar una puntada de peu molt forta a la pilota.
  • enHe kicked the ball hard.

More in Core verbs

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