Peinarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb peinarse means to comb (one's hair). You can learn its forms from the full peinarse 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 peino antes de salir. — "I comb my hair before going out."
peinarse 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.
Peinarse example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo me peino antes de salir. — "I comb my hair before going out."
- Tú te peinas por la mañana. — "you comb my hair in the morning."
- Él se peina con un cepillo nuevo. — "he/she combs her hair with a new brush."
- Nosotros nos peinamos delante del espejo. — "we comb my hair in front of the mirror."
Talking about the past
- Yo me peiné con un cepillo nuevo. — "I combed my hair with a new brush."
- Él se peinaba delante del espejo. — "he/she used to comb my hair in front of the mirror."
- Nosotros nos peinamos todos los días. — "we combed my hair every day."
Plans and wishes
- Yo me peinaré todos los días. — "I will comb my hair every day."
- Tú te peinarías con cuidado. — "you would comb my hair carefully."
More examples with peinarse
- Me peino antes de salir de casa. — "I comb my hair before leaving the house."
- Mi hija se peina delante del espejo por la mañana. — "My daughter combs her hair in front of the mirror in the morning."
- Ayer me peiné con un cepillo nuevo. — "Yesterday I combed my hair with a new brush."
- De niña, me peinaba con una coleta todos los días. — "As a girl, I used to comb my hair into a ponytail every day."
- Mañana me peinaré antes de la foto de familia. — "Tomorrow I will comb my hair before the family photo."
- Si tuviera el pelo más largo, me peinaría de otra manera. — "If I had longer hair, I would comb my hair differently."
Peinarse in conversation
Two short dialogues using peinarse 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 peinas antes de salir? Carlos: Sí, yo me peino antes de salir. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Se peina por la mañana? Carlos: Sí, él se peina por la mañana todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú te peinarás con un cepillo nuevo? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo me peinaré con un cepillo nuevo.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: te peinas for tú, me peino for yo, se peina for él. The future forms at the end (te peinarás, me peinaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú te peinas delante del espejo? Luis: Sí, yo me peino delante del espejo. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Se peina todos los días? Luis: Sí, él se peina todos los días todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú te peinaste delante del espejo? Luis: Sí, ayer yo me peiné delante del espejo.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: me peiné for yo, te peinaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with peinarse 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 peino antes de salir.
Wrong: Yo peino antes de salir.
Right: Yo me peino antes de salir.
Peinarse is reflexive. Peino on its own means you comb someone else's hair.
2. Me peina por la mañana.
Wrong: Me peina por la mañana.
Right: Me peino por la mañana.
Me pairs with the yo form peino. Peina is the él/ella form.
3. Confusing peinarse with cepillarse
Wrong: Me peino los dientes después de comer.
Right: Me cepillo los dientes después de comer.
Peinarse is combing the hair; cepillarse is usually brushing the teeth (or also the hair, with a brush). With el pelo, peinarse is the standard verb.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo me peino antes de salir.
Right: Ayer yo me peiné antes de salir.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: me peiné. The present describes what you do now or usually.
5. Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Wrong: Yo peino antes de salir.
Right: Me peino antes de salir.
Without the pronoun you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something else. The pronoun is part of peinarse.
Quiz: peinarse in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ antes de salir (present)
- a) te peinas
- b) me peino
- c) se peina
- d) nos peinamos
- Nosotros ___ por la mañana (preterite)
- a) me peiné
- b) te peinaste
- c) se peinó
- d) nos peinamos
- Ellos ___ con un cepillo nuevo (imperfect)
- a) te peinabas
- b) se peinaba
- c) se peinaban
- d) me peinaba
- Tú ___ delante del espejo (future)
- a) nos peinaremos
- b) te peinarás
- c) me peinaré
- d) se peinará
- Nosotros ___ todos los días (conditional)
- a) nos peinaríamos
- b) me peinaría
- c) te peinarías
- d) se peinaría
- Ellos ___ con cuidado (present)
- a) me peino
- b) te peinas
- c) se peina
- d) se peinan
- Tú ___ antes de salir (preterite)
- a) se peinó
- b) nos peinamos
- c) te peinaste
- d) me peiné
- Nosotros ___ por la mañana (imperfect)
- a) se peinaba
- b) nos peinábamos
- c) me peinaba
- d) te peinabas
- Ellos ___ con un cepillo nuevo (future)
- a) se peinarán
- b) me peinaré
- c) te peinarás
- d) se peinará
- Tú ___ delante del espejo (conditional)
- a) me peinaría
- b) se peinaría
- c) nos peinaríamos
- d) te peinarías
Answers
- a) te peinas — the present form, for tú.
- d) nos peinamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) se peinaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) te peinarás — the future form, for tú.
- a) nos peinaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) se peinan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) te peinaste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) nos peinábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) se peinarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) te peinarías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about peinarse
What is the difference between peinar and peinarse?
Peinar is combing someone else's hair; peinarse is combing your own. For your own morning routine, peinarse is the verb you need.
Is peinarse regular?
Yes, it is a regular -ar reflexive verb: me peino, te peinas, se peina, nos peinamos, os peináis, se peinan.
What are the gerund and the past participle of peinarse?
The gerund is peinando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy peinando), and the past participle is peinado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he peinado).
Where does the reflexive pronoun go?
Before the conjugated verb: Me peino, te peinas, se peina. 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 peinarse
Four small habits will fix peinarse in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: me peino, te peinas, se peina, nos peinamos, os peináis, se peinan. 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 peino), one about yesterday with the preterite (me peiné), and one about tomorrow with the future (me peinaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from cepillarse: Peinarse is combing the hair; cepillarse is usually brushing the teeth (or also the hair, with a brush). With el pelo, peinarse is the standard verb. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund peinando and the past participle peinado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy peinando) and the present perfect (he peinado), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Peinarse conjugation: full tables — every tense of peinarse on one page.
- Peinarse Present tense — the deep dive on peinarse in the present.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.
- Reflexive verb conjugator — reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.