The Present Tense of maquillar is used to describe actions happening right now or habitual actions, for example: Ella se maquilla todas las mañanas. (She puts on makeup every morning.)

Maquillar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the present tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Maquillar (to put on makeup) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Maquillar generally means to apply makeup or cosmetics, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To apply makeup or cosmetics to one’s face, for example, Ella se maquilla antes de salir. (She puts on makeup before going out.)

Figurative meaning: To disguise or conceal something, often in a deceptive way, for example, Maquilla los números para que parezcan mejores. (He makes up the numbers to make them look better.)

Slang meaning: To exaggerate or embellish a story, for example, No te la maquilles tanto, solo dinos lo que pasó. (Don’t make it up so much, just tell us what happened.)

Colloquial meaning: To beat someone up or physically assault them (rude), for example, Si no me pagas, te voy a maquillar la cara. (If you don’t pay me, I’ll beat your face in.)

Examples

Examples of Maquillar in the Present Tense

Yo maquillo a mis amigas antes de salir. (I do my friends’ makeup before going out.)

Mi hermana maquilla a las novias para sus bodas. (My sister does brides’ makeup for their weddings.)

¿Tú maquillas a tus clientes o sólo vendes los productos? (Do you do your clients’ makeup or just sell the products?)

Nosotros maquillamos a los actores antes de que salgan al escenario. (We do the actors’ makeup before they go on stage.)

Ellas maquillan a las modelos para los desfiles de moda. (They do the models’ makeup for fashion shows.)

En este momento, maquillo mi rostro antes de ir a trabajar. (Right now, I’m doing my makeup before going to work.)

Cada mañana, ella maquilla su cara con productos naturales. (Every morning, she does her makeup with natural products.)

¿Ustedes maquillan a sus hijos para las obras escolares? (Do you do your kids’ makeup for school plays?)

Los profesionales maquillan a las celebridades para los premios. (Professionals do celebrities’ makeup for awards shows.)

Marta maquilla muy bien, por eso le pagan para hacer el maquillaje de las quinceañeras. (Marta does makeup very well, that’s why they pay her to do quinceañeras’ makeup.)

Cuando vamos a fiestas, mis amigas y yo maquillamos a todas. (When we go to parties, my friends and I do everyone’s makeup.)

Para Halloween, los niños maquillan sus caritas con pintura facial. (For Halloween, kids do their face makeup with face paint.)

En el teatro, los maquilladores maquillan a los actores antes de la función. (In the theater, makeup artists do the actors’ makeup before the show.)

¿Puedes enseñarme cómo maquillas tus ojos? ¡Siempre te queda perfecto! (Can you teach me how you do your eye makeup? It always looks perfect on you!)

Para las fotos de la boda, la novia maquilla su rostro con un look natural. (For the wedding photos, the bride does her makeup with a natural look.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Maquillar (to put on makeup) 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.