Cepillar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

cepillar means “to brush” 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. Cepillar means to brush, and it is used for brushing teeth, hair, a jacket and a dog: you brush your teeth after eating, you brush your daughter's hair, you brush a jacket before going out. To brush yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive cepillarse. 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 cepillar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the cepillar present tense page.

cepillar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer. — I brush my teeth after eating.
  2. Él/Ella cepilla el pelo de mi hija. — He brushes my daughter's hair.
  3. Nosotros/as cepillamos la chaqueta antes de salir. — We brush the jacket before going out.
  4. Ellos/as cepillan al perro en el jardín. — They brush the dog in the garden.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir. — Yesterday, I brushed the jacket before going out.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as cepillábamos al perro en el jardín. — Before, We used to brush the dog in the garden.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella cepilló mis dientes después de comer. — Yesterday, He brushed my teeth after eating.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as cepillaban el pelo de mi hija. — As children, They used to brush my daughter's hair.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú cepillarás mis dientes después de comer. — Tomorrow, You will brush my teeth after eating.
  2. Yo cepillaría el pelo de mi hija. — I would brush my daughter's hair.
  3. Espero que él cepille la chaqueta antes de salir. — I hope he brushes the jacket before going out.
  4. Él/Ella ha cepillado al perro en el jardín. — He has brushed the dog in the garden.

cepillar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú cepillas mis dientes después de comer mañana? — Are you going to brush my teeth after eating tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer todos los días. — Yes, I brush my teeth after eating every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana cepillarás el pelo de mi hija? — And tomorrow, will you brush my daughter's hair? Luis: Claro, mañana cepillaré el pelo de mi hija sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will brush my daughter's hair without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo cepillaré la chaqueta antes de salir también. — Perfect. I will brush the jacket before going out too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir. — Yesterday, I brushed the jacket before going out. Ana: ¿Y antes cepillabas al perro en el jardín? — And before, did you use to brush the dog in the garden? Luis: Sí, antes cepillaba al perro en el jardín todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to brush the dog in the garden every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos cepillaron mis dientes después de comer? — And did your brothers brushed my teeth after eating? Luis: Sí, ellos cepillaron mis dientes después de comer por la tarde. — Yes, they brushed my teeth after eating in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cepilla mis dientes después de comer. — Right: Yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer. — The person matters: cepilla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cepillo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating cepillar and cepillarse as identical in every context. — Right: Cepillar means to brush, while cepillarse means to brush your own teeth or hair. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cepillar fits sentences such as Cepillo mis dientes después de comer, while cepillarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy cepillado el pelo de mi hija. — Right: Yo he cepillado el pelo de mi hija. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cepillado, has cepillado, ha cepillado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cepillaba la chaqueta antes de salir todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cepillaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cepillé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al perro en el jardín. (present tense) A. cepillan B. cepillo C. cepillas D. cepilla

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ mis dientes después de comer. (preterite tense) A. cepillé B. cepillaste C. cepilló D. cepillamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el pelo de mi hija. (imperfect tense) A. cepillábamos B. cepillabais C. cepillabas D. cepillaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la chaqueta antes de salir. (future tense) A. cepillaremos B. cepillará C. cepillaré D. cepillarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ al perro en el jardín. (conditional tense) A. cepillaríamos B. cepillaría C. cepillarías D. cepillaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ mis dientes después de comer. (present-perfect tense) A. has cepillado B. ha cepillado C. hemos cepillado D. he cepillado

  7. What does cepillar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to brush D. to brush your own teeth or hair

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir. B. Yo cepilla mis dientes después de comer. C. Yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer. D. Él/Ella cepilla el pelo de mi hija.

  9. Which is the gerund of cepillar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cepillando B. cepillado C. cepillo D. cepillé

  10. Which is the past participle of cepillar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cepillando B. cepillo C. cepillé D. cepillado

Answer key

  1. cepillan — The correct form here is cepillan.
  2. cepillamos — The correct form here is cepillamos.
  3. cepillabas — The correct form here is cepillabas.
  4. cepillará — The correct form here is cepillará.
  5. cepillaríamos — The correct form here is cepillaríamos.
  6. he cepillado — The correct form here is he cepillado.
  7. to brush — Cepillar means to brush. Cepillarse means to brush your own teeth or hair, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo cepilla mis dientes después de comer. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer.. The person matters: cepilla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cepillo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. cepillando — The gerund of cepillar is cepillando: estoy cepillando.
  10. cepillado — The past participle of cepillar is cepillado: he cepillado, has cepillado, ha cepillado.

Frequently asked questions

What does cepillar mean?

Cepillar means to brush. Cepillar means to brush, and it is used for brushing teeth, hair, a jacket and a dog: you brush your teeth after eating, you brush your daughter's hair, you brush a jacket before going out. To brush yourself, Spanish uses the reflexive cepillarse.

When do people use cepillar most?

People use cepillar most in everyday situations such as Yo cepillo mis dientes después de comer. and Ayer, Yo cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir.. 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 cepillar and cepillarse?

Cepillar means to brush, while cepillarse means to brush your own teeth or hair. 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 cepillar?

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

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