pintarse las uñas
/pintaɾse las uɲas/from spelling rules
To paint nails in Spanish is to say pintarse las uñas.
Pintar las uñas is a common and straightforward way to say 'paint nails'. While pintarse las uñas refers specifically to the act of applying polish, hacerse la manicura is a common way to refer to the entire process of a manicure.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase pintarse las uñas is literally 'to paint oneself the nails', using the reflexive pronoun se to indicate the action is being performed on one's own body.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the phrase esmaltarse las uñas is frequently used instead of pintarse las uñas.
How do you pronounce it?
/pintaɾse las uɲas/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say pintar mis uñas instead of pintarse las uñas. In Spanish, the reflexive pronoun and the definite article are used to show ownership of body parts.
Did you know?
- The word uñas is used for both human fingernails and animal 'claws'. When you say pintarse las uñas, you are using the same word a biologist would use to describe a tiger's claws.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word for nail polish is not 'pintura', but esmalte, which is the same word used for 'enamel' in English.
- The word las in pintarse las uñas comes from the Latin illās, which was the accusative feminine plural of ille.
Examples in context
- Hoy voy a pintarme las uñas de rojo intenso.Today, I'm going to paint my nails with intense red.
- Mi hermana siempre se hace la manicura en casa.My sister always does her own manicure at home.
- Ella quiere pintarse las uñas de rojo.She wants to paint her nails red.
Example conversation
María and Javier are talking about a beauty salon.
- MaríaHola Javier, voy a pintarse las uñas.Hello Javier, I am going to paint my nails.
- JavierQué bien, ¿de qué color?That's great, what color?
- MaríaQuiero pintarse las uñas de azul.I want to paint my nails blue.
- JavierTe verás muy bien, María.You will look very good, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries las, CC BY-SA 4.0.
