corte de pelo
/koɾte de pelo/from spelling rules
The English phrase hair cut is corte de pelo in Spanish.
corte de pelo is a noun phrase used to refer to the act of cutting a person's hair to change its length or style. If you want to refer to a single instance of a haircut, you can say un corte de pelo.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase corte de pelo literally translates to cut of hair.
Which one should you use?
While corte de pelo is the noun for the haircut itself, the verbal phrase cortar el pelo is used to describe the action of cutting hair.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you are going to have your hair cut by someone else, use the reflexive form cortarse el pelo.
How do you pronounce it?
/koɾte de pelo/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, corte can mean a 'cut' or a 'court' (as in a royal palace). These two meanings come from entirely different Latin roots.
- While pelo is used for a 'hair cut', Spanish uses a different word, cabello, to describe the hair on a person's head in more poetic or formal contexts.
- While corte de pelo is the standard term, many Spanish speakers in different regions might simply say peluquería to refer to the service or the place, depending on the context.
Examples in context
- Necesito un corte de pelo nuevo.I need a new hair cut.
- El corte de pelo fue muy rápido.The hair cut was very fast.
- Ella quiere un corte de pelo corto.She wants a short hair cut.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are meeting for coffee.
- JavierHola Sofía, ¡qué lindo corte de pelo!Hi Sofía, what a nice haircut!
- SofíaGracias, Javier. Fui a la peluquería ayer.Thank you, Javier. I went to the hairdresser yesterday.
- JavierTe queda muy bien el estilo.The style looks very good on you.
- SofíaGracias, yo también quería un cambio.Thanks, I also wanted a change.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries corte, de, pelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
