What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me arreglo el pelo means "I arrange/tidy for myself the hair". The verb arreglar means to arrange, tidy or fix.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In regions such as Argentina or Uruguay, you might hear the colloquial expression me arreglo el jopo to describe styling a quiff or pomp.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase me arreglo el pelo uses the reflexive pronoun me and the definite article el rather than a possessive adjective. In Spanish, when using reflexive verbs to refer to body parts, the definite article is used to indicate that the hair belongs to the speaker.
How do you pronounce it?
/me areɡlo el pelo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say me arreglo mi pelo. Instead, use the definite article el to say me arreglo el pelo, as Spanish prefers the article over the possessive adjective when referring to body parts with reflexive verbs.
Did you know?
- The word pelo comes from the Latin pilus, which is a distant relative of the English word 'pile' when it describes the short hair on animals.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word cabello is used to refer specifically to the hair on a person's head, whereas pelo can refer to hair on any part of the body or even on animals.
Examples in context
- Me arreglo el pelo antes de salir.I fix my hair before going out.
- Siempre me arreglo el pelo por la mañana.I always style my hair in the morning.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are getting ready to leave for a dinner party.
- Sofía¿Estás lista para irnos, Sofía?Are you ready to go, Sofía?
- DanielCasi, solo me arreglo el pelo y ya está.Almost, I'm just fixing my hair and then I'm done.
- SofíaNo te preocupes, te ves muy bien.Don't worry, you look great.
- DanielGracias, Daniel. ¡Vámonos!Thanks, Daniel. Let's go!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arreglo, el, me, pelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
