sécate las lágrimas
/sekate las laɡɾimas/from spelling rules
The phrase 'wipe your tears' in Spanish is sécate las lágrimas.
Which one should you use?
While the default form uses a reflexive structure, you may encounter Seca tus lágrimas or Limpia tus lágrimas, which are informal alternatives. The formal alternative is Límpiese las lágrimas.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, when using a reflexive verb to refer to body parts or parts of the body like lágrimas, they are typically preceded by the definite article las rather than a possessive adjective like tus.
Did you know?
- Using the non-reflexive Seca tus lágrimas instead of sécate is so rare in daily life that it typically only appears in dramatic telenovelas or poetry.
- Depending on the culture, saying sécate las lágrimas can be interpreted as an attempt to shut down a person's emotional display rather than a gesture of comfort.
- The word lágrima shares a common root with the English medical term 'lacrimal', which refers to the glands that produce tears.
Examples in context
- Sécate las lágrimas.Wipe your tears.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase sécate las lágrimas.Tatoeba #1355487 by marcelostockle, translation #554326 by FeuDRenais
- No llores más, sécate las lágrimas.Don't cry anymore, wipe your tears.
- Hijo, limpia tus lágrimas. Todo estará bien.Son, wipe your tears. Everything will be okay.
- No llores más, sécate las lágrimas y sigue.Don't cry anymore, wipe your tears and carry on.
- Sécate las lágrimas antes de salir de la habitación.Wipe your tears before leaving the room.
Example conversation
Elena is comforting Javier after a sad movie.
- ElenaLa película fue muy triste, ¿verdad?The movie was very sad, wasn't it?
- JavierSí, me ha hecho llorar mucho.Yes, it made me cry a lot.
- ElenaYa terminó, sécate las lágrimas, Javier.It's over now, wipe your tears, Javier.
- JavierEstá bien, gracias, Elena.Okay, thanks, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
