ducharse
/dut͡ʃaɾse/from spelling rules
To take a shower in Spanish is ducharse.
The phrase ducharse is used to describe the act of washing one's body by standing under a spray of water.
Which one should you use?
Use ducharse specifically when you mean to take a shower, whereas bañarse is used for taking a bath.
How does it change in a sentence?
This is a reflexive verb, which means the action is performed on oneself. In the infinitive form ducharse, the suffix -se indicates this reflexivity. When you conjugate the verb, the pronoun changes to match the subject. For example, in the first person singular, you use the pronoun me to say me ducho (I shower) and in the third person singular, you use the pronoun se to say se ducha (he/she showers).
How do you pronounce it?
/dutʃaɾse/
Did you know?
- The word ducha is also used as a metaphor in sports to describe a 'showering' of goals or points when one team dominates another.
- In certain contexts, bañarse is used to describe swimming in the sea or a pool, even if no soap or scrubbing is involved.
- While ducharse is the standard verb, you will often hear tomar una ducha in Latin American countries due to the influence of the English phrase 'take a shower'.
Examples in context
- Tom prefiere ducharse en la mañana, mientras que María prefiere tomar un baño justo antes de ir a la cama.Tom prefers to take a shower in the morning while Mary prefers to take a bath just before going to bed.This sentence is useful for comparing the preference of taking a shower in the morning versus taking a bath before bed using ducharse.Tatoeba #2618881 by marcelostockle, translation #2334926 by CK
- Necesito tomar una ducha antes de la reunión.I need to take a shower before the meeting.
- Por favor, asegúrese de bañarse antes de entrar en la piscina.Please make sure to take a shower before entering the pool.
- Me voy a duchar rápidamente y estaré listo.I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll be ready.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are getting ready to go to a party.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿ya estás listo para irnos?Daniel, are you ready to go?
- DanielNo, todavía me falta ducharse.No, I still need to take a shower.
- ElenaDate prisa, que ya es tarde.Hurry up, it's already late.
- DanielVale, voy a ducharse ahora mismo.Okay, I'm going to take a shower right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ducharse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
