Afeitar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

afeitar means “to shave” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Afeitar means to shave, and it is the non-reflexive verb for shaving someone else, as a barber does: you shave a customer, a patient or a child. To shave yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive afeitarse, and confusing the two is a classic mistake — yo afeito suggests you shave other people for a living. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of afeitar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the afeitar present tense page.

afeitar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with afeitar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería. — I shave the customer in the barber's.
  2. Él/Ella afeita a mi padre con cuidado. — He shaves my father carefully.
  3. Nosotros/as afeitamos la barba de mi abuelo. — We shave my grandfather's beard.
  4. Ellos/as afeitan al paciente en el hospital. — They shave the patient in the hospital.

In the past

Four sentences with afeitar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo afeité la barba de mi abuelo. — Yesterday, I shaved my grandfather's beard.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as afeitábamos al paciente en el hospital. — Before, We used to shave the patient in the hospital.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella afeitó al cliente en la barbería. — Yesterday, He shaved the customer in the barber's.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as afeitaban a mi padre con cuidado. — As children, They used to shave my father carefully.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with afeitar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú afeitarás al cliente en la barbería. — Tomorrow, You will shave the customer in the barber's.
  2. Yo afeitaría a mi padre con cuidado. — I would shave my father carefully.
  3. Espero que él afeite la barba de mi abuelo. — I hope he shaves my grandfather's beard.
  4. Él/Ella ha afeitado al paciente en el hospital. — He has shaved the patient in the hospital.

afeitar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú afeitas al cliente en la barbería mañana? — Are you going to shave the customer in the barber's tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo afeito al cliente en la barbería todos los días. — Yes, I shave the customer in the barber's every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana afeitarás a mi padre con cuidado? — And tomorrow, will you shave my father carefully? Luis: Claro, mañana afeitaré a mi padre con cuidado sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will shave my father carefully without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo afeitaré la barba de mi abuelo también. — Perfect. I will shave my grandfather's beard too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer afeité la barba de mi abuelo. — Yesterday, I shaved my grandfather's beard. Ana: ¿Y antes afeitabas al paciente en el hospital? — And before, did you use to shave the patient in the hospital? Luis: Sí, antes afeitaba al paciente en el hospital todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to shave the patient in the hospital every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos afeitaron al cliente en la barbería? — And did your brothers shaved the customer in the barber's? Luis: Sí, ellos afeitaron al cliente en la barbería por la tarde. — Yes, they shaved the customer in the barber's in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo afeita al cliente en la barbería. — Right: Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería. — The person matters: afeita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afeito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating afeitar and afeitarse as identical in every context. — Right: Afeitar means to shave, while afeitarse means to shave yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afeitar fits sentences such as Afeito al cliente en la barbería, while afeitarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy afeitado a mi padre con cuidado. — Right: Yo he afeitado a mi padre con cuidado. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afeitado, has afeitado, ha afeitado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo afeité la barba de mi abuelo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo afeitaba la barba de mi abuelo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afeitaba), not the preterite. The preterite (afeité) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on afeitar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al paciente en el hospital. (present tense) A. afeitan B. afeito C. afeitas D. afeita

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ al cliente en la barbería. (preterite tense) A. afeité B. afeitaste C. afeitó D. afeitamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a mi padre con cuidado. (imperfect tense) A. afeitábamos B. afeitabais C. afeitabas D. afeitaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la barba de mi abuelo. (future tense) A. afeitaremos B. afeitará C. afeitaré D. afeitarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ al paciente en el hospital. (conditional tense) A. afeitaríamos B. afeitaría C. afeitarías D. afeitaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ al cliente en la barbería. (present-perfect tense) A. has afeitado B. ha afeitado C. hemos afeitado D. he afeitado

  7. What does afeitar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to shave D. to shave yourself

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo afeité la barba de mi abuelo. B. Yo afeita al cliente en la barbería. C. Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería. D. Él/Ella afeita a mi padre con cuidado.

  9. Which is the gerund of afeitar, used with estar for the progressive? A. afeitando B. afeitado C. afeito D. afeité

  10. Which is the past participle of afeitar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. afeitando B. afeito C. afeité D. afeitado

Answer key

  1. afeitan — The correct form here is afeitan.
  2. afeitamos — The correct form here is afeitamos.
  3. afeitabas — The correct form here is afeitabas.
  4. afeitará — The correct form here is afeitará.
  5. afeitaríamos — The correct form here is afeitaríamos.
  6. he afeitado — The correct form here is he afeitado.
  7. to shave — Afeitar means to shave. Afeitarse means to shave yourself, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo afeita al cliente en la barbería. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería.. The person matters: afeita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is afeito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. afeitando — The gerund of afeitar is afeitando: estoy afeitando.
  10. afeitado — The past participle of afeitar is afeitado: he afeitado, has afeitado, ha afeitado.

Frequently asked questions

What does afeitar mean?

Afeitar means to shave. Afeitar means to shave, and it is the non-reflexive verb for shaving someone else, as a barber does: you shave a customer, a patient or a child. To shave yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive afeitarse, and confusing the two is a classic mistake — yo afeito suggests you shave other people for a living.

When do people use afeitar most?

People use afeitar most in everyday situations such as Yo afeito al cliente en la barbería. and Ayer, Yo afeité la barba de mi abuelo.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between afeitar and afeitarse?

Afeitar means to shave, while afeitarse means to shave yourself. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of afeitar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of afeitar as your reference, the afeitar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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