lávate el pelo
/labate el pelo/from spelling rules
To say "wash your hair" in Spanish, the default form is lávate el pelo.
This phrase is used to instruct someone to clean the hair on their head using soap or shampoo. You can use the infinitive form lavarse el pelo to express the action of "to wash one's hair".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase lávate el pelo is literally "wash yourself the hair". In Spanish, reflexive pronouns and definite articles are used for body parts instead of the possessive adjectives commonly found in English.
Which one should you use?
While English uses the possessive adjective "your", Spanish uses the reflexive pronoun te and the definite article el to indicate that the hair belongs to the person being addressed.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, it is common to hear Lávate el pelo. In Latin America more broadly, the form Lávate el cabello is also used to mean "wash your hair".
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form lávate el pelo uses the informal imperative (tú) and includes the reflexive pronoun te.
Did you know?
- The word pelo shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'pile', specifically the sense of a 'fine, short hair' found on certain animals.
- The word pelo is used in many Spanish idioms to describe precision or luck, such as por un pelo, meaning 'by a hair' or 'by a whisker'.
- Using el pelo can refer to any hair on the body, but el cabello refers exclusively to the hair on the head.
Examples in context
- Lávate el pelo antes de salir, por favor.Wash your hair before going out, please.
- No te olvides de lavarte el cabello antes de la fiesta.Don't forget to wash your hair before the party.
- Lave su cabello regularmente para mantenerlo limpio.Wash your hair regularly to keep it clean.
- Lávate el pelo antes de salir.Wash your hair before going out.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are getting ready to go to a party.
- ElenaMateo, lávate el pelo antes de la fiesta.Mateo, wash your hair before the party.
- MateoEstá bien, Elena, lo haré ahora.Okay, Elena, I will do it now.
- ElenaUsa el champú que está en el estante.Use the shampoo that is on the shelf.
- MateoGracias, ya casi estoy listo.Thanks, I am almost ready.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, pelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
