The Present Tense of secarse is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Me seco las manos después de lavarlas. (I dry my hands after washing them.)

Secarse is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Secarse (to dry oneself) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Secarse generally means to dry or to become dry, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To dry (something): for example, Yo seco la ropa después de lavarla (I dry the clothes after washing them).

To dry up/become dry: for example, El río se seca en el verano (The river dries up in the summer).

To wipe away (tears, sweat): for example, Me seco las lágrimas con un pañuelo (I wipe away my tears with a handkerchief).

To ignore/brush off (someone or something) (colloquial): for example, Ella me seca cuando le pido ayuda (She brushes me off when I ask her for help).

To run out of money (slang): for example, Me sequé esta semana y no tengo dinero para salir (I ran out of money this week and don’t have any to go out).

Examples

Examples of Secarse in the Present Tense

Después de nadar, me seco con una toalla. (After swimming, I dry myself with a towel.)

¿Por qué te secas el pelo con la secadora? Hace mucho calor. (Why are you drying your hair with the hair dryer? It’s very hot.)

El sol seca la ropa tendida en el patio. (The sun dries the clothes hung in the yard.)

Mamá, me seco las manos antes de comer. (Mom, I’m drying my hands before eating.)

En el gimnasio, te secas el sudor con una toalla pequeña. (At the gym, you wipe your sweat with a small towel.)

Después de lavar los platos, secas cada uno con un paño de cocina. (After washing the dishes, you dry each one with a kitchen towel.)

¿Por qué te secas el pelo con el secador? Vas a dañarlo. (Why are you drying your hair with the hair dryer? You’re going to damage it.)

La pintura seca más rápido con el sol. (The paint dries faster in the sun.)

Después de bañarme, me seco con una toalla suave. (After bathing, I dry myself with a soft towel.)

En la playa, te secas con una toalla de baño grande. (At the beach, you dry yourself with a large beach towel.)

La secadora de ropa seca la colada en una hora. (The clothes dryer dries the laundry in an hour.)

Después de lavar el carro, me seco las manos con una franela. (After washing the car, I dry my hands with a cloth.)

¿Por qué te secas el pelo con el ventilador? Usa mejor la secadora. (Why are you drying your hair with the fan? Use the hair dryer instead.)

El viento seca la tierra después de la lluvia. (The wind dries the ground after the rain.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Secarse (to dry oneself) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.