This is a new problem, I guess has little to do with submodules. I'm guessing that the patch you create does not "fit" into the repository where you are trying to apply it, maybe because other changes have occurred in the mean time. I can't really say any more without seeing the entire error message, the patches you are trying to apply, and the repository you are trying to patch.
If you're unable to share the details, you just have to keep reading (google "git format patch"), and trying it out (I don't have so much experience with patches myself either). Try creating a little testing git repo with a few commits, which you clone locally, and then try patching changes from one to another, make some conflicts, see what happens, and so on. Here's a similar exercise: http://www.vogella.de/articles/Git/article.html#gitpatch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Git for human beings" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/git-users/-/WC9J1sRokEoJ. To post to this group, send email to git-users@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to git-users+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/git-users?hl=en.