bailar
/baiˈlaɾ/
The Spanish phrase "bailar" means to dance.
bailar is the most common and versatile verb used to express the act of moving your body rhythmically to music.
Which one should you use?
While bailar is the standard term, you may encounter danzar, which is a more formal word often associated with classical or elegant forms of dance. For a much more informal and playful way to say one is dancing, you can use the expression mover el esqueleto, which literally means "to move the skeleton".
How does it change in a sentence?
bailar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -ar, such as: bailo (I dance), bailas (you dance), baila (he/she/it dances), bailamos (we dance), bailáis (you all dance) and bailan (they dance).
How do you pronounce it?
/baiˈlaɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb bailar shares an ancient root with the Greek word bállō, which means 'to throw'. This suggests that the act of dancing was once metaphorically linked to the rhythmic throwing of the body or limbs.
- When a Spanish speaker asks ¿sabes bailar?, they may be asking if you know the specific steps to lead or follow in a partner dance rather than if you can move to music.
- While bailar is the general term, Spanish uses the specific verb zapatear to describe the rhythmic, percussive footwork essential to Flamenco.
Examples in context
- Me encanta danzar tango los fines de semana.I love dancing tango on weekends.
- Vamos a bailar toda la noche en la fiesta.Let's dance all night at the party.
- ¿Bailas?Do you dance?
- ¡Baila conmigo!Dance with me!
- ¡Sigue el ritmo!Follow the rhythm!
- Ayer fui a una clase de salsa y aprendí a bailar los pasos básicos.Yesterday, I went to a salsa class and learned to dance the basic steps.
- La pareja de baile deslumbró al público con su magnífico baile flamenco.The dance couple dazzled the audience with their magnificent flamenco dance.
- Los jóvenes se reunieron en la discoteca para bailar al ritmo de la música electrónica.The young people gathered at the nightclub to dance to the rhythm of electronic music.
- ¡Diviértete bailando!Have fun dancing!
- Me gusta bailar salsa.I like to dance salsa.
- Me gusta bailar en las fiestas.I like to dance at parties.
- ¿Quieres bailar conmigo?Do you want to dance with me?
- Ellos van a bailar esta noche.They are going to dance tonight.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are at a wedding reception.
- Elena¡La música es muy buena!The music is very good!
- DanielSí, quiero bailar un poco.Yes, I want to dance a little.
- Elena¿Podemos bailar juntos, Daniel?Can we dance together, Daniel?
- Daniel¡Claro que sí, Elena!Of course, Elena!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bailar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bailar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
