Question
28 June
- Arabic
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English (US)
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Japanese
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German
Question about English (US)
Does this sound natural..?
I bent to pat a cat!
Does this sound natural..?
I bent to pat a cat!
I bent to pat a cat!
Answers
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- English (US)
"I bent down to pat a cat" sounds more natural to me
- Arabic
- English (US)
We say “pet a cat”.
I bent down to pet a cat.
Highly-rated answerer
- Arabic
So, what is the difference between "pat" and "pet"?
- English (US)
@mariamchan1357 they are both perfectly fine to use in this context. A pat is more like tapping a cat on the top of the head, while a pet might be more like stroking it down its back.
- English (US)
Pat is used for
I bent down to pat the child’s head.
As he walked by, a store employee patted him on the back.
Pet is used with animals
Every time I see a kitten I have to pet it.
Highly-rated answerer
- Arabic
I see like you both have slightly different options!
What should I do? 😅
What should I do? 😅
- English (US)
I will agree that using "pet" is much more common with animals, I was just saying that pat is also valid here. It depends exactly what you are trying to say. Sorry to confuse things.
- Arabic
- Arabic
Read more comments
- English (US)
@mariamchan1357 Yes, if you mean to pat the cat on the head rather than petting it.
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
@mariamchan1357 If it’s not clear, please continue to ask 😊
Highly-rated answerer
- French (France)
- English (US)
Hi Mariam! I bent down to pet (or to pat) a cat are both correct... but I think 90% of people would say "to pet" rather than "to pat." To pet has a broader meaning: it means to give physical affection to an animal... by patting or caressing or stroking or touching them lovingly however you spontaneously feel drawn to do that. To pat is the very specific physical action of gently tapping a person's or animal's head or back with the flat of one's hand. So, petting a cat involves more touching options than patting a cat. One well known use of "patting" in English is... "you can pat yourself on the back"... which means you can congratulate yourself by tapping your own back a few times. With small animals, whether you say you are patting or petting them, you have to bend "down" to sound natural. Hoping this helps!
- Arabic
One last question:
Can I use pet for people?
Can I use pet for people?
- English (US)
@mariamchan1357 No, pet is used just for animals.
Highly-rated answerer
- Arabic
- English (US)
@mariamchan1357 You’re welcome
Highly-rated answerer
- French (France)
- English (US)
We might touch humans in similar ways that we touch animals, but we don't call it "petting!". We call it caressing, stroking, massaging etc. Petting is only for pets, which is the name we give to domesticated animals in our homes!
- Arabic
@tesasilvestre I like your way of explaining!
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