Maquillarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

The Spanish verb maquillarse means to put on makeup. You can learn its forms from the full maquillarse conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo me maquillo antes de salir. — "I put on make-up before going out."

maquillarse is reflexive, so watch for the pronoun in every sentence: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always matches the person, and it is part of the verb.

Maquillarse example sentences

Everyday use — the present tense

  1. Yo me maquillo antes de salir. — "I put on make-up before going out."
  2. Tú te maquillas para una fiesta. — "you put on make-up for a party."
  3. Él se maquilla en el baño. — "he/she puts on make-up in the bathroom."
  4. Nosotros nos maquillamos con un espejo pequeño. — "we put on make-up with a small mirror."

Talking about the past

  1. Yo me maquillé en el baño. — "I put on make-up in the bathroom."
  2. Él se maquillaba con un espejo pequeño. — "he/she used to put on make-up with a small mirror."
  3. Nosotros nos maquillamos todos los días. — "we put on make-up every day."

Plans and wishes

  1. Yo me maquillaré todos los días. — "I will put on make-up every day."
  2. Tú te maquillarías rápidamente. — "you would put on make-up quickly."

More examples with maquillarse

  1. Me maquillo antes de salir de casa. — "I put on make-up before leaving the house."
  2. Mi hermana se maquilla para una fiesta. — "My sister puts on make-up for a party."
  3. Ayer me maquillé rápidamente en el baño. — "Yesterday I put on make-up quickly in the bathroom."
  4. De joven, me maquillaba todos los días para ir al instituto. — "When I was young, I used to put on make-up every day to go to school."
  5. Mañana me maquillaré para la boda de mi prima. — "Tomorrow I will put on make-up for my cousin's wedding."
  6. Si tuviera más tiempo, me maquillaría con más calma. — "If I had more time, I would put on make-up more calmly."

Maquillarse in conversation

Two short dialogues using maquillarse naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.

Dialogue 1: making plans

María: ¿Tú te maquillas antes de salir? Carlos: Sí, yo me maquillo antes de salir. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Se maquilla para una fiesta? Carlos: Sí, él se maquilla para una fiesta todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú te maquillarás en el baño? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo me maquillaré en el baño.

In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: te maquillas for tú, me maquillo for yo, se maquilla for él. The future forms at the end (te maquillarás, me maquillaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.

Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday

Ana: ¿Tú te maquillas con un espejo pequeño? Luis: Sí, yo me maquillo con un espejo pequeño. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Se maquilla todos los días? Luis: Sí, él se maquilla todos los días todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú te maquillaste con un espejo pequeño? Luis: Sí, ayer yo me maquillé con un espejo pequeño.

Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: me maquillé for yo, te maquillaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.

Common mistakes with maquillarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo maquillo antes de salir.

Wrong: Yo maquillo antes de salir.

Right: Yo me maquillo antes de salir.

Maquillarse is reflexive. Maquillo without me suggests you are putting make-up on someone else, like a make-up artist.

2. Me maquilla para una fiesta.

Wrong: Me maquilla para una fiesta.

Right: Me maquillo para una fiesta.

Me needs the yo form maquillo. Maquilla is the él/ella form, so the pronoun and the verb disagree.

3. Confusing maquillarse with peinarse

Wrong: Me maquillo antes de salir.

Right: Me peino antes de salir.

Maquillarse is putting on make-up; peinarse is combing the hair. Both are morning-routine verbs, but maquillarse acts on the face with cosmetics and peinarse acts on the hair.

4. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo me maquillo antes de salir.

Right: Ayer yo me maquillé antes de salir.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: me maquillé. The present describes what you do now or usually.

5. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo maquillo antes de salir.

Right: Me maquillo antes de salir.

Without the pronoun you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something else. The pronoun is part of maquillarse.

Quiz: maquillarse in use

Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.

  1. Tú ___ antes de salir (present)
    • a) te maquillas
    • b) me maquillo
    • c) se maquilla
    • d) nos maquillamos
  2. Nosotros ___ para una fiesta (preterite)
    • a) me maquillé
    • b) te maquillaste
    • c) se maquilló
    • d) nos maquillamos
  3. Ellos ___ en el baño (imperfect)
    • a) te maquillabas
    • b) se maquillaba
    • c) se maquillaban
    • d) me maquillaba
  4. Tú ___ con un espejo pequeño (future)
    • a) nos maquillaremos
    • b) te maquillarás
    • c) me maquillaré
    • d) se maquillará
  5. Nosotros ___ todos los días (conditional)
    • a) nos maquillaríamos
    • b) me maquillaría
    • c) te maquillarías
    • d) se maquillaría
  6. Ellos ___ rápidamente (present)
    • a) me maquillo
    • b) te maquillas
    • c) se maquilla
    • d) se maquillan
  7. Tú ___ antes de salir (preterite)
    • a) se maquilló
    • b) nos maquillamos
    • c) te maquillaste
    • d) me maquillé
  8. Nosotros ___ para una fiesta (imperfect)
    • a) se maquillaba
    • b) nos maquillábamos
    • c) me maquillaba
    • d) te maquillabas
  9. Ellos ___ en el baño (future)
    • a) se maquillarán
    • b) me maquillaré
    • c) te maquillarás
    • d) se maquillará
  10. Tú ___ con un espejo pequeño (conditional)
  • a) me maquillaría
  • b) se maquillaría
  • c) nos maquillaríamos
  • d) te maquillarías

Answers

  1. a) te maquillas — the present form, for tú.
  2. d) nos maquillamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
  3. c) se maquillaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  4. b) te maquillarás — the future form, for tú.
  5. a) nos maquillaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
  6. d) se maquillan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) te maquillaste — the preterite form, for tú.
  8. b) nos maquillábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
  9. a) se maquillarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
  10. d) te maquillarías — the conditional form, for tú.

Frequently asked questions about maquillarse

What is the difference between maquillar and maquillarse?

Maquillar is putting make-up on someone else; maquillarse is putting it on yourself. In everyday speech about your own routine, maquillarse is the form you need.

Is maquillarse regular?

Yes, it is a regular -ar reflexive verb: me maquillo, te maquillas, se maquilla, nos maquillamos, os maquilláis, se maquillan.

What are the gerund and the past participle of maquillarse?

The gerund is maquillando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy maquillando), and the past participle is maquillado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he maquillado).

Where does the reflexive pronoun go?

Before the conjugated verb: Me maquillo, te maquillas, se maquilla. The pronoun always matches the person: me with yo, te with tú, se with él/ella, nos with nosotros, os with vosotros, se with ellos/ellas.

How to remember maquillarse

Four small habits will fix maquillarse in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: me maquillo, te maquillas, se maquilla, nos maquillamos, os maquilláis, se maquillan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (me maquillo), one about yesterday with the preterite (me maquillé), and one about tomorrow with the future (me maquillaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from peinarse: Maquillarse is putting on make-up; peinarse is combing the hair. Both are morning-routine verbs, but maquillarse acts on the face with cosmetics and peinarse acts on the hair. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund maquillando and the past participle maquillado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy maquillando) and the present perfect (he maquillado), which covers most everyday conversation.

Related pages