Phrase · 🧩 Idioms in everyday speech
Todos llegaron tarde, pero el que pagó el pato fui yo.
Everyone was late, but I was the one who took the blame.
C2complaining about unfairnesscolloquialAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Todospronouneveryonetodo · masc. · pl.llegaronverbarrivedllegar · past · 3rd pl.tardeadverblate,peroconjunctionbutel2determinerthe onemasc. · sing. · definiteque2pronounwhopagó1verbpaidpagar · past · 3rd sing.el1determinerthemasc. · sing. · definitepato1nounduckmasc. · sing.fui2verbwasser · past · 1st sing.yo2pronounI1st sing. · subject.
- pagó → pato: pagar el pato: take the blame
- fui → yo: fui agrees with yo, not with el que
- el → que: el que: the one who
- Todos → llegaron: todos: subject
Word for word: “All arrived late, but the one who paid the duck was me.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1pagar el pato = to take the blame, pay for what others did (lit. pay for the duck).
- 2Cleft sentence: el que pagó el pato fui yo. ser agrees with yo: fui yo, not *fue yo. Emphasis and information structure: clefts and lo … que →
Variations
- Todos llegaron tarde, pero yo pagué el pato.
- Todos llegaron tarde, pero la que pagó el pato fui yo.
- Todos llegaron tarde y el que pagó los platos rotos fui yo.