vestirse
/besˈtiɾse/
To get dressed in Spanish is vestirse.
vestirse is used to describe the act of clothing oneself or putting on clothes.
Meaning: to beclothe oneself, to put on clothes (verb)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between vestirse and vestir. Use the reflexive form vestirse when you are dressing yourself, but use the non-reflexive form vestir if you are dressing someone else.
How does it change in a sentence?
vestirse is a reflexive verb, so the se at the end indicates that the action is performed on oneself. In the present tense, it is an e-to-i stem-changing verb, following the pattern: me visto, te vistes, se viste, nos vestimos, os vestís, se visten. In the preterite tense, the stem changes from vest- to vist-, such as in se vistió.
How do you pronounce it?
/besˈtiɾse/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, vestirse can be used metaphorically to describe a role. For example, vestirse de cordero means to disguise oneself as a lamb, often implying a hidden predatory nature.
- The root of vestirse is the Latin word vestis, meaning 'garment'. This makes it a distant relative of the English word 'vest', though they evolved to describe different types of clothing.
- In many Spanish speaking countries, the word vestido means both 'dressed' and 'dress'. A woman wearing a dress is está vestida, which literally means she is 'dressed'.
Examples in context
- Tom ayudó a su hijo a vestirse.Tom helped his son get dressed.This sentence shows how to use vestirse when helping someone else dress.Tatoeba #1289690 by marcelostockle, translation #1025230 by CK
- Ella ayudó a su hija a vestirse.She helped her daughter get dressed.Tatoeba #1033373 by Shishir, translation #1115745 by CS
- Necesita diez horas para vestirse.He needs ten hours to get dressed.This sentence shows the time required for the action of vestirse.Tatoeba #1290891 by enteka, translation #4736726 by paper1n0
- Por favor, señor Rodríguez, es hora de vestirse y prepararse para la reunión.Please, Mr. Rodríguez, it's time to get dressed and prepare for the meeting.
- Ellos deben vestirse adecuadamente para asistir a la ceremonia.They should get dressed appropriately to attend the ceremony.
- Amiga, ¿ya te arreglaste? Tenemos que salir en cinco minutos.Friend, did you get dressed already? We have to leave in five minutes.
- Siempre me pongo ropa cómoda los domingos.I always get dressed in comfortable clothes on Sundays.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are getting ready to leave the house.
- SofíaTengo que vestirme rápido.I have to get dressed quickly.
- AlejandroYo ya estoy listo, Sofía.I am already ready, Sofía.
- Sofía¿Puedes esperar a que me termine de vestirse?Can you wait for me to finish getting dressed?
- AlejandroEstá bien, Alejandro te espera.That's fine, Alejandro will wait for you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry vestirse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
