sécate el pelo
/sekate el pelo/from spelling rules
To say "dry your hair" in Spanish, you use sécate el pelo.
This phrase is used to instruct someone to remove water from their hair, typically by using a towel or a hair dryer. You can use the word cabello as a more formal or sophisticated synonym for pelo in this context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase sécate el pelo is composed of the imperative verb seca (dry), the reflexive pronoun te (yourself) and the noun phrase el pelo (the hair).
Which one should you use?
While sécate el pelo is a common way to express this, you might also see sécate el cabello or seca tu pelo, which are all informal variations. If you want to suggest letting the hair dry naturally, you would use Deje que su cabello se seque.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word pelo is often used in the idiom por un pelo to describe a very narrow escape, similar to the English 'by a whisker'.
- The word pelo shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'pile', referring to the 'fine, short hair of certain animals'.
- Spanish speakers use the word pelo not just for the head, but for any hair on the body, whereas English distinguishes between 'hair' and 'fur'.
Examples in context
- Sécate el pelo con la toalla.Dry your hair with the towel.
- Sécate el pelo antes de salir.Dry your hair before going out.
- Si te vas a dormir, sécate el pelo.If you are going to sleep, dry your hair.
Example conversation
Lucía is about to leave the house while her hair is still wet.
- AlejandroLucía, tienes el cabello mojado.Lucía, your hair is wet.
- LucíaSí, tengo mucha prisa.Yes, I am in a big hurry.
- AlejandroSécate el pelo rápido con el secador.Dry your hair quickly with the hair dryer.
- LucíaEstá bien, lo haré ahora.Okay, I will do it now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, pelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
