tallar
/taˈʝaɾ/
In Spanish, to carve is tallar.
Tallar is used when referring to the artistic act of carving or sculpting materials such as wood or stone.
Meaning: to cut (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use tallar for the artistic act of carving wood or stone. In contrast, use cortar for the general action of cutting something with a knife. If you are referring to carving or etching an inscription onto a surface like metal, the formal term is grabar.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Latin America, the term entallar might be used instead of tallar.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle tallado can be used as an adjective to describe something that has been carved, such as madera tallada (carved wood).
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈʝaɾ/
Did you know?
- While tallar describes sculpting, the word talla is also used to refer to the size of a piece of clothing, such as 'small' or 'large'.
- The Spanish word tallar shares an ancestor with the English word 'tally', which originates from the practice of cutting notches into a stick to keep count.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the verb tallar can also mean to 'rub' or 'scrub' something, such as rubbing a piece of cloth against a surface.
Examples in context
- ¿Se puede tallar el pollo?Can you carve the chicken?This sentence is useful for asking if one can carve the chicken using tallar.Tatoeba #3593304 by carlosalberto, translation #2199656 by Hybrid
- El maestro talló un hermoso busto de mármol.The master carved a beautiful marble bust.
- El joyero grabó un mensaje especial en el anillo.The jeweler engraved a special message on the ring.
- Él quiere tallar una figura de madera.He wants to carve a wooden figure.
- Ella sabe tallar piedra muy bien.She knows how to carve stone very well.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at a small workshop.
- Lucía¿Qué vas a tallar hoy, Mateo?What are you going to carve today, Mateo?
- MateoVoy a tallar un pequeño barco.I am going to carve a small boat.
- LucíaEs un proyecto muy detallado.It is a very detailed project.
- MateoSí, requiere mucha paciencia.Yes, it requires a lot of patience.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tallar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tallar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
