Cepillar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cepillar means to brush, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, cepillar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say cepillo mis dientes después de comer, and in the preterite you say cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: cepillar
  • English: to brush
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: cepillando
  • Past participle: cepillado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cepillado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cepillar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Cepillar brushes something else; cepillarse brushes yourself. Say me cepillo los dientes for your own teeth.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cepillar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo cepillo
tú cepillas
él/ella/Ud. cepilla
nosotros/as cepillamos
vosotros/as cepilláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillan

Preterite

Person Form
yo cepillé
tú cepillaste
él/ella/Ud. cepilló
nosotros/as cepillamos
vosotros/as cepillasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo cepillaba
tú cepillabas
él/ella/Ud. cepillaba
nosotros/as cepillábamos
vosotros/as cepillabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillaban

Future

Person Form
yo cepillaré
tú cepillarás
él/ella/Ud. cepillará
nosotros/as cepillaremos
vosotros/as cepillaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo cepillaría
tú cepillarías
él/ella/Ud. cepillaría
nosotros/as cepillaríamos
vosotros/as cepillaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he cepillado
tú has cepillado
él/ella/Ud. ha cepillado
nosotros/as hemos cepillado
vosotros/as habéis cepillado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han cepillado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había cepillado
tú habías cepillado
él/ella/Ud. había cepillado
nosotros/as habíamos cepillado
vosotros/as habíais cepillado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían cepillado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré cepillado
tú habrás cepillado
él/ella/Ud. habrá cepillado
nosotros/as habremos cepillado
vosotros/as habréis cepillado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán cepillado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría cepillado
tú habrías cepillado
él/ella/Ud. habría cepillado
nosotros/as habríamos cepillado
vosotros/as habríais cepillado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían cepillado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo cepille
tú cepilles
él/ella/Ud. cepille
nosotros/as cepillemos
vosotros/as cepilléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo cepillara
tú cepillaras
él/ella/Ud. cepillara
nosotros/as cepilláramos
vosotros/as cepillarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú cepilla
él/ella/Ud. cepille
nosotros/as cepillemos
vosotros/as cepillad
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú cepilles
él/ella/Ud. cepille
nosotros/as cepillemos
vosotros/as cepilléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cepillen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund cepillando with estar for the progressive: estoy cepillando
Past participle cepillado with haber for the perfect tenses: he cepillado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cepillo mis dientes después de comer. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cepillé el pelo de mi hija. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cepillaba la chaqueta antes de salir. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cepillaré al perro en el jardín. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cepillaría mis dientes después de comer si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cepillado el pelo de mi hija. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cepillado la chaqueta antes de salir antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cepillado al perro en el jardín. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cepillado mis dientes después de comer con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cepille el pelo de mi hija. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cepillara la chaqueta antes de salir, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡cepilla al perro en el jardín! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cepillar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cepilles mis dientes después de comer. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with cepillar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Cepillo mis dientes después de comer. — I brush my teeth after eating.
  2. Cepilla el pelo de mi hija. — He/she brushes my daughter's hair.
  3. Ayer, cepillé la chaqueta antes de salir. — Yesterday, I brushed the jacket before going out.
  4. Antes, nosotros cepillábamos al perro en el jardín. — Before, we used to brush the dog in the garden.
  5. Mañana, tú cepillarás mis dientes después de comer. — Tomorrow, you will brush my teeth after eating.
  6. Yo cepillaría el pelo de mi hija si tuviera más tiempo. — I would brush my daughter's hair if I had more time.
  7. Él ha cepillado la chaqueta antes de salir. — He has brushed the jacket before going out.
  8. Espero que él cepille al perro en el jardín. — I hope he brushes the dog in the garden.
  9. Yo ya había cepillado mis dientes después de comer antes de salir. — I had already brushed my teeth after eating before leaving.
  10. Ellos cepillaban el pelo de mi hija cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to brush my daughter's hair when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ mis dientes después de comer. (present tense) A. cepillo B. cepillas C. cepilla D. cepillamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el pelo de mi hija. (preterite) A. cepillé B. cepillaste C. cepillaron D. cepilló

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la chaqueta antes de salir. (imperfect) A. cepillabas B. cepillaban C. cepillábamos D. cepillaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al perro en el jardín. (future) A. cepillaremos B. cepillarás C. cepillaré D. cepillará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ mis dientes después de comer si pudiera. (conditional) A. cepillaría B. cepillarías C. cepillarían D. cepillo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el pelo de mi hija. (present subjunctive) A. cepilles B. cepillemos C. cepillo D. cepille

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la chaqueta antes de salir, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cepilláramos B. cepillo C. cepillara D. cepillaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al perro en el jardín. (present perfect) A. han cepillado B. hemos cepillado C. he cepillado D. has cepillado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ mis dientes después de comer! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. cepilla B. cepille C. cepillemos D. cepillad

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

Answer key

  1. cepillo — The first-person present of cepillar is cepillo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. cepilló — The third-person preterite of cepillar is cepilló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. cepillábamos — The nosotros imperfect of cepillar is cepillábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. cepillarás — The second-person future of cepillar is cepillarás.
  5. cepillaría — The first-person conditional of cepillar is cepillaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. cepille — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of cepillar is cepille.
  7. cepillara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of cepillar is cepillara.
  8. hemos cepillado — The nosotros present perfect of cepillar is hemos cepillado: hemos + cepillado.
  9. cepilla — The affirmative tú imperative of cepillar is cepilla.
  10. cepillando — The gerund of cepillar is cepillando: estoy cepillando. The participle cepillado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cepillar mean in English?

Cepillar means to brush. It is used in everyday situations such as Cepillo mis dientes después de comer. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is cepillar regular or irregular?

Cepillar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including cepillo in the present and cepillé in the preterite.

What is the difference between cepillar and cepillarse?

Cepillar means to brush, while cepillarse means to brush your own teeth or hair. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cepillar when you mean to brush, as in Cepillo mis dientes después de comer, and use cepillarse for to brush your own teeth or hair. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I brush” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cepillé el pelo de mi hija. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cepillaba la chaqueta antes de salir. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cepillado el pelo de mi hija.

How do I practise cepillar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the cepillar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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