Juego del vaso con la canción La cucaracha

What’s the difference between “pata” and “pierna” in Spanish?

In Spanish, animals don’t have piernas (legs) — they have patas. A pata is the leg or paw of an animal, and also the leg of a table or chair. People get piernas; dogs, insects and furniture get patas. The little form patita (“little leg”) is exactly what the famous cockroach is missing in the song La Cucaracha: le falta una patita para andar — “it’s missing a little leg to walk.”

The clip teaches that children’s song: la cucaracha ya no puede caminar porque le falta una patita para andar — the cockroach can’t walk because it’s missing a little leg. From pata you also get patada (a kick), meter la pata (“to put your foot in it,” i.e. make a blunder), and patas arriba (“upside down,” literally “legs up”).