después de meter la pata
Grammar & Usage
How it works
This temporal adverbial phrase combines the prepositional locution 'después de' (after) with the idiomatic verbal phrase 'meter la pata' (to make a blunder/mess up). Since it follows a preposition, the verb 'meter' appears in the infinitive form, but it refers to an action executed by the subject of the clause.
Sample sentences
Después de meter la pata en la reunión, tuve que pedirle disculpas a mi jefe.
After putting my foot in my mouth during the meeting, I had to apologize to my boss.
No supo qué decir después de meter la pata con ese comentario tan indiscreto.
He didn't know what to say after messing up with such an indiscreet comment.
Es mejor quedarse callado después de meter la pata para no empeorar la situación.
It's better to stay quiet after making a blunder so as not to make the situation worse.
Quick facts
Mnemonic
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Example
Después de meter la pata en la reunión, tuve que pedirle disculpas a mi jefe.
After putting my foot in my mouth during the meeting, I had to apologize to my boss.
No supo qué decir después de meter la pata con ese comentario tan indiscreto.
He didn't know what to say after messing up with such an indiscreet comment.
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