Cepillarse Imperfect Tense in Latin American Spanish

The Imperfect Tense of cepillarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Me cepillaba los dientes todas las mañanas. (I used to brush my teeth every morning.)

Cepillarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cepillarse (to brush oneself) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Pronoun Conjugation
Yome cepillaba
te cepillabas
Él / Ella / Ustedse cepillaba
Nosotros / Nosotrasnos cepillábamos
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesse cepillaban

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Cepillarse (to brush oneself) in the Imperfect Tense to help you learn faster.

Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.

Usage of Cepillarse in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of cepillarse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

To brush one’s teeth: Por ejemplo, Cuando era niño, me cepillaba los dientes todas las noches antes de acostarme. (When I was a child, I brushed my teeth every night before going to bed.)

To brush one’s hair: Por ejemplo, Ella se cepillaba el cabello frente al espejo todas las mañanas. (She brushed her hair in front of the mirror every morning.)

To clean or tidy up (colloquial): Por ejemplo, Tenía que cepillarme la casa antes de que llegaran mis padres. (I had to tidy up the house before my parents arrived.)

To have sex (vulgar slang): Por ejemplo, Juan se cepillaba a todas las chicas lindas del barrio. (Juan had sex with all the pretty girls in the neighborhood.)

Examples

Examples of Cepillarse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me cepillaba los dientes todas las mañanas antes de ir a la escuela. (I used to brush my teeth every morning before going to school.)

Ella se cepillaba el cabello con mucho cuidado antes de salir. (She used to brush her hair carefully before going out.)

Nosotros nos cepillábamos las zapatillas después de jugar al fútbol. (We used to brush our sneakers after playing soccer.)

Ellos se cepillaban la ropa para quitarle el polvo. (They used to brush their clothes to remove the dust.)

te cepillabas el abrigo antes de salir a la calle. (You used to brush your coat before going out.)

Él se cepillaba los zapatos antes de una entrevista importante. (He used to brush his shoes before an important interview.)

Ellas se cepillaban el pelo con un cepillo especial. (They used to brush their hair with a special brush.)

Ustedes se cepillaban los dientes después de cada comida. (You used to brush your teeth after every meal.)

Yo me cepillaba la chaqueta para quitarle las migas. (I used to brush my jacket to remove the crumbs.)

Él se cepillaba el sombrero antes de salir a la calle. (He used to brush his hat before going out.)

Nosotros nos cepillábamos los pantalones después de trabajar en el jardín. (We used to brush our pants after working in the garden.)

Ellas se cepillaban el cabello antes de acostarse. (They used to brush their hair before going to bed.)

te cepillabas los zapatos antes de una cita importante. (You used to brush your shoes before an important date.)

Ustedes se cepillaban la ropa después de un día de trabajo. (You used to brush your clothes after a day of work.)

Ellos se cepillaban los dientes después de tomar café. (They used to brush their teeth after drinking coffee.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cepillarse (to brush oneself) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

Spanish English
Yo me cepillaba I was brushing myself
Tú te cepillabas You were brushing yourself
Él / Ella / Usted se cepillaba He / She / You was brushing oneself
Nosotros / Nosotras nos cepillábamos We were brushing ourselves
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se cepillaban They / You all were brushing themselves

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.