ordenar
/oɾdeˈnaɾ/
The English phrase 'tidy up' is translated into Spanish as ordenar.
Ordenar means to put things back in their correct places to make a room or area neat. You can also use arreglar to express the idea of tidying up. If your goal is to pick up items specifically from the floor or surfaces to tidy a room, the synonym recoger is very common.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between tidying and cleaning. While ordenar and arreglar refer to organizing or putting things in order, limpiar means to clean, which specifically refers to removing dirt or dust. Recoger is a more specific synonym used when the focus is on picking up objects.
How does it change in a sentence?
Ordenar is a regular -ar verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/oɾdeˈnaɾ/
Did you know?
- Beyond tidying a room, ordenar is the standard verb used to describe the act of ordaining a priest in the Catholic Church.
- The synonym arreglar is a linguistic 'Swiss Army knife' that can mean to tidy a room, to fix a broken appliance, or to get oneself dressed up.
- In a restaurant, ordenar is the standard way to say 'to order' food, so if you are at a table and say quiero ordenar, you are ordering a meal, not tidying the table.
Examples in context
- Deberías ordenar tu escritorio.You should tidy up your desk.This sentence shows how to use ordenar when talking about a desk.Tatoeba #3674828 by Seael, translation #13670483 by araneo
- Solo tienes que ordenar tu habitación.You just have to tidy up your room.This sentence demonstrates the use of ordenar regarding a room.Tatoeba #1875620 by Shishir, translation #10461437 by DJ_Saidez
- Por favor, ordene el espacio.Please tidy up the space.
- Le agradecería si pudiera arreglar este lugar.I would appreciate it if you could tidy up this place.
- Permítame ayudarlo(a) a ordenar.Allow me to help you tidy up.
- Si necesita ayuda para ordenar, estaré encantado(a) de ayudar.If you need help tidying up, I'll be pleased to assist you.
- ¿Te importaría limpiar este desorden?Would you mind cleaning up this mess?
- Déjame ayudarte a ordenar.Let me help you tidy up.
- Cuenta conmigo para limpiar.Count on me to clean up.
- Si necesitas ayuda para ordenar, avísame.If you need help tidying up, let me know.
- Voy a arreglar mi habitación.I'm going to tidy up my room.
- Es hora de ordenar la sala.It's time to tidy up the living room.
- Por favor, limpia y ordena tu cuarto.Please clean and tidy up your room.
- Podrías limpiar y arreglar la cocina, por favor?Could you clean and tidy up the kitchen, please?
- Voy a ordenar la cocina ahora.I am going to tidy up the kitchen now.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are cleaning the kitchen together.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿puedes ayudarme a ordenar la cocina?Daniel, can you help me tidy up the kitchen?
- DanielClaro, yo guardo los platos ahora mismo.Sure, I will put the dishes away right now.
- LucíaGracias, así terminaremos de ordenar más rápido.Thanks, that way we will finish tidying up faster.
- DanielDe nada, ya casi está todo limpio.You're welcome, almost everything is clean now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ordenar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
