tócate la cara
/tokate la kaɾa/from spelling rules
To say 'touch your face' in Spanish, use tócate la cara.
This phrase is an instruction to place one's hand or fingers on their own face. You may also encounter the phrase Evite tocarse la cara to mean 'avoid touching your face'.
Which one should you use?
The form tócate la cara is the standard informal way to give the instruction. For a formal situation, use Toque su rostro. If you are addressing a group of people, use the plural form tóquense la cara to say 'touch your faces'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the phrase no te toques la cara (don't touch your face) is commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form tócate la cara uses the informal imperative (tú). When addressing a group, the verb and pronoun change to the plural form tóquense.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say tócate tu cara by using the possessive adjective 'tu' (your). In Spanish, you should use the definite article la (the) instead when referring to body parts.
Did you know?
- While cara is the standard word for 'face', it is also used in common idioms to describe someone's nerve or audacity, such as calling someone caradura if they are shameless.
- The word cara traces its ancestry back to the Ancient Greek word kára, which meant 'head'. While English speakers think of the 'face' as a surface, the root of the Spanish word focuses on the entire head.
- The formal version Toque su rostro uses rostro, a word that refers specifically to the front of the head and carries a more poetic or anatomical tone than cara.
Examples in context
- Tócate la cara con la mano derecha.Touch your face with your right hand.
Example conversation
María is teaching Mateo a simple game.
- MaríaMateo, ahora tócate la cara.Mateo, now touch your face.
- MateoYa lo hice, María.I already did it, María.
- MaríaMuy bien, ahora toca tu nariz.Very good, now touch your nose.
- Mateo¡Esto es muy divertido!This is very fun!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cara, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
