The Present Tense of cepillarse is used to describe the action of brushing oneself in the present moment. For example, Me cepillo los dientes todas las mañanas. (I brush my teeth every morning.)

Cepillarse 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 Cepillarse (to brush oneself) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Cepillarse generally means to brush oneself or something, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To brush one’s teeth: for example, Yo me cepillo los dientes todas las mañanas. (I brush my teeth every morning.)

To brush one’s hair: for example, Ella se cepilla el cabello antes de salir. (She brushes her hair before going out.)

To brush off (remove dirt or dust): for example, Él se cepilla la ropa después de trabajar. (He brushes off his clothes after working.)

Slang: To eat quickly or voraciously: for example, Nos cepillamos toda la comida en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. (We wolfed down all the food in no time.)

Vulgar slang: To have sex: for example, Se cepillan cada vez que pueden. (They have sex whenever they can.) Warning: This usage is considered very rude and offensive.

Examples

Examples of Cepillarse in the Present Tense

Cada mañana me cepillo los dientes antes de salir de casa. (Every morning I brush my teeth before leaving home.)

¿Te cepillas los dientes después de cada comida? (Do you brush your teeth after every meal?)

Mi hijo pequeño todavía no se cepilla bien los dientes solo. (My young son still doesn’t brush his teeth well on his own.)

En la oficina, me cepillo después del almuerzo para refrescar mi aliento. (At the office, I brush after lunch to freshen my breath.)

¿Con qué frecuencia te cepillas los dientes? (How often do you brush your teeth?)

El dentista recomienda que te cepilles dos veces al día. (The dentist recommends that you brush twice a day.)

Antes de acostarse, mi abuela siempre se cepilla los dientes. (Before going to bed, my grandmother always brushes her teeth.)

Cuando viajo, me cepillo los dientes en el avión. (When I travel, I brush my teeth on the plane.)

¿Por qué te cepillas tan rápido? Tómate tu tiempo. (Why do you brush so quickly? Take your time.)

Después de tomar café, me cepillo para quitarme el mal aliento. (After drinking coffee, I brush to get rid of bad breath.)

¿Te cepillas la lengua también? Es importante para la higiene bucal. (Do you brush your tongue too? It’s important for oral hygiene.)

Mi hijo mayor se cepilla solo, pero a veces se le olvida. (My older son brushes by himself, but sometimes he forgets.)

Cuando estoy apurado, a veces me cepillo en el trabajo. (When I’m in a hurry, sometimes I brush at work.)

¿Cepillas en círculos o con movimientos horizontales? (Do you brush in circles or with horizontal strokes?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cepillarse (to brush 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.