pintar
/pinˈtaɾ/
To paint in Spanish is pintar.
The verb pintar is the most common and straightforward way to say 'to paint'. It can refer to the act of applying paint to a surface, such as a wall or the artistic act of painting a picture. For more technical or professional contexts involving the application of paint, you might use the phrase aplicar pintura.
Which one should you use?
pintar is the standard verb for both general tasks like painting a room and the artistic process of creating a painting.
How does it change in a sentence?
pintar is a regular -ar verb. In the present indicative tense, it is conjugated as pinto, pintas, pinta, pintamos, pintáis and pintan. The past participle pintado can be used to form compound tenses or to function as an adjective meaning 'painted'.
How do you pronounce it?
/pinˈtaɾ/
Did you know?
- When someone says está pintado, they might not mean the object is literally painted, but that a result was predetermined or 'fixed' from the start.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if someone says eso pinta bien, they are not talking about art, but rather suggesting that a situation 'looks good' or is promising.
- The expression no pinta nada is often used to say that someone has no chance of succeeding in a particular endeavor.
Examples in context
- No me gusta pintar.I don't like to paint.This sentence shows how to use pintar with a verb of liking.Tatoeba #1748397 by marcelostockle, translation #1579438 by fanty
- ¿Quién te enseñó a pintar?Who taught you how to paint?This sentence uses pintar to talk about being taught a skill.Tatoeba #9443822 by hayastan, translation #9443821 by CK
- Me encanta pintar y dibujar.I love to paint and draw.This sentence demonstrates using pintar alongside another activity.Tatoeba #5566837 by swyter, translation #5206934 by CK
- Voy a pintar mi habitación de color azul.I am going to paint my room blue.
- Te voy a pintar una imagen de la playa.I am going to paint you a picture of the beach.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing home improvements.
- JavierQuiero pintar mi habitación de azul.I want to paint my room blue.
- LucíaEs una buena idea, Javier.It is a good idea, Javier.
- Javier¿Me ayudas a pintar el fin de semana?Will you help me paint this weekend?
- LucíaSí, yo te ayudo con gusto, Javier.Yes, I will help you gladly, Javier.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pintar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
