barbear
/baʁ.beˈa(ʁ)/
The English phrase 'shave' is translated into Portuguese as barbear. Wiktionary also lists raspar.
Meaning: to remove hair from (verb)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| barbear | /baʁ.beˈa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /baɾ.beˈa(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
| raspar | /ʁasˈpa(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /ʁasˈpa(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
To remove hair from a surface, you can use either barbear or raspar depending on the context and the method used.
Which one should you use?
Use barbear when referring specifically to shaving facial hair with a razor. In contrast, use raspar for a more general sense of scraping or shaving hair, such as shaving one's head or for scraping a surface.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When talking about shaving one's own facial hair, the reflexive form se barbear is typically used. For shaving one's head bald, the standard phrase is raspar a cabeça.
How do you pronounce it?
/baʁ.beˈa(ʁ)/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In some regions, raspar is used colloquially to describe a 'close call' or a narrow escape from danger, similar to the English 'close shave'.
- While barbear is used for facial hair, the word raspar is also used in the kitchen to describe the action of grating cheese or carrots.
- The word barbear is closely related to barbeiro, which means 'barber', but in some historical contexts, it also referred to a surgeon.
Examples in context
- Você precisa se barbear.You need to shave.This sentence is useful for practicing the reflexive form of barbear.Tatoeba #4848154 by bill, translation #3374700 by CK
- Eu acho que vou raspar a cabeça.I think I'll shave my head.This sentence demonstrates the standard way to express shaving one's head using raspar.Tatoeba #5071422 by bill, translation #3824100 by CK
- Não gosto de me barbear, prefiro que um profissional me barbeie.I don’t like to shave, I’d rather have a professional shave me.This sentence shows how to use barbear when discussing a preference for professional shaving.
- Ele precisa se barbear agoraHe needs to shave now
- Ela precisa se depilar antes do encontroShe needs to shave before the date
- Eu vou fazer a barba agoraI'm going to shave now
- Ele decidiu raspar a barbaHe decided to shave his beard
- Ele precisa se barbear todos os diasHe needs to shave every day
- Você precisa se depilar antes da viagemYou need to shave before the trip
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is getting ready for a party.
- GabrielEu preciso me barbear antes de sair.I need to shave before leaving.
- CamilaVocê vai demorar muito tempo?Are you going to take a long time?
- GabrielNão, vou apenas barbear o rosto.No, I'm just going to shave my face.
- CamilaTudo bem, eu espero você na sala.All right, I'll wait for you in the living room.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shave” translations and entries barbear, raspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
