Getting Ready

• acostarse - to go to bed
• afeitarse - to shave
• arreglarse - to fix
• bañarse - to take a bath
• cepillarse - to brush
• cortarse el pelo - to cut one's hair
• despertarse - to wake up
• ducharse - to take a shower
• levantarse - to get up
• lavarse - to wash
• pedir prestado(a) - to borrow
• pintarse - to paint, to polish
• ponerse - to put on
• prepararse - to get ready
• secarse - to dry
• vestirse - to get dressed

Note: Acostarse has a stem change when conjugated (o to ue). Despertarse has a stemchange of (e to ie). Vestirse conjugates as (e to i).

Things needed to get ready

• agua de colonia - cologne
• anillo - ring
• cepillo - brush
• cinturón - belt
• desodorante - deodorant
• ducha - shower
• gel - gel
• joyas - jewelry
• oro - gold
• plata - silver
• labios - lips
• maquillaje - make-up
• peine - comb
• pelo - hair
• salón de belleza - beauty salon
• secador - blow dryer
• toalla - towel
• uñas - nails

Special events

• audición - audition
• boda - wedding
• cita - date
• concurso - contest
• evento especial - special event

Feelings

• entusiasmado(a) - excited
• nervioso(a) - nervous
• tranquilo(a) - calm
• feliz - happy

Other useful words

• antes de - before
• cómodo(a) - comfortable
• depende - it depends
• elegante - elegant
• lentamente - slowly
• luego - then
• por ejemplo - for example
• rápidamente - quickly
• te ves - you look

Reflexive verbs

To say that people do something to or for themselves, reflexive verbs are used. You know a verb is reflexive if its infinite form ends in se. The reflexive pronouns in Spanish are me, te, se, nos, and os. Each pronoun corresponds to a different subject. Here is the conjugation of the present-tense of the reflexive verb acostarse:

• me acuesto - I go to bed
• te acuestas - you go to bed (singular)
• se acuesta - he/she goes to bed
• nos acostamos - we go to bed
• os acostáis - you go to bed (plural)
• se acuestan - they go to bed

Ser (to be)

Ser is one form of "to be" in Spanish. Use ser to talk about:

• what a person or thing is
• what a person or thing is like
• where a person or thing is from
• what a thing is made of
• to whom something belongs

Here is the conjugation of ser:

• soy - I am
• eres - you are (singular)
• es - he/she is
• somos - we are
• sois - you are (plural)
• son - they are

Here is the conjugation of ser in the preterit tense:

• fui - I was
• fuiste - you were (singular)
• fue - he/she was
• fuimos - we were
• fuisteis - you were (plural)
• fueron - they were

Estar (to be)

Estar is the other form of "to be" in Spanish. Use estar to talk about:

• how a person or thing is at the moment
• how someone feels
• where a person or thing is located

Here is the conjugation of estar:

• estoy - I am
• estás - you are (singular)
• está - he/she is
• estamos - we are
• estáis - you are (plural)
• están - they are

Here is the conjugation of estar:

• estuve - I am
• estuviste - you are (singular)
• estuvo - he/she is
• estuvmos - we are
• estuvisteis - you are (plural)
• estuvieron - they are

Possessive adjectives

Spanish possessive adjectives have a long form that follows the noun. These forms are often used for emphasis. Sometimes, possessive adjectives may be used without the noun. To clarify or emphasize possession, you can use de + a noun or pronoun instead of suyo.

• mío(a, -os, -as) - mine
• tuyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (singular/familiar)
• suyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (singular/formal), his, hers, its
• nuestro (a, -os, -as) - ours
• vuestro (a, -os, -as) - yours (plural/familiar)
• suyo (a, -os, -as) - yours (plural/formal), theirs

Vocabulario adicional

• dientes - teeth
• esmalte de uñas - nail polish
• espuma de afeitar - shaving foam
• fijador - hair spray
• lápiz de labios - lipstick
• loción - lotion
• loción astringente - astringent
• loción humectante - moisturizing lotion
• loción para después de afeitarse - aftershave lotion
• maquinilla de afietar - razor
• sombra de ojos - eye shadow

Cultural Insight (Ponchos)

Ponchos, also known in other places as: (Huipil y sarape) are the typical clothing worn in the altiplano, a plateau in the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Peru. The poncho is also the traditional clothing of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico, especially in the mountainous regions. Ponchos are usually made of the wool from llama, alpacas, or other animals.