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barrer

bah-REHR/baˈreɾ/

to sweep

Also: to brush away
VerbA1regular er
General
A wooden broom moving across a tiled floor, gathering a small pile of dust and crumbs.
gerundbarriendo
past Participlebarrido
infinitivebarrer

📝 In Action

Necesito barrer el suelo de la cocina porque hay migas.

A1

I need to sweep the kitchen floor because there are crumbs.

Mi abuela siempre barre la entrada de su casa por la mañana.

A2

My grandmother always sweeps her house entrance in the morning.

Si barres bien el garaje, te ayudaré a pintar después.

B1

If you sweep the garage well, I will help you paint later.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • escobar (to sweep (regional))
  • limpiar (to clean)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • barrer el suelo – to sweep the floor
  • barrer la casa – to sweep the house

Idioms & Expressions

  • barrer para casa – To act in one's own interest or favor one's own side.

to sweep away, to win by a landslide

VerbB2regular er
A strong gust of wind blowing dry autumn leaves off a stone path, clearing the surface completely.
gerundbarriendo
past Participlebarrido
infinitivebarrer

📝 In Action

El viento barrió las nubes y salió el sol.

B2

The wind swept away the clouds and the sun came out.

Nuestro equipo barrió en el torneo nacional.

B2

Our team swept the national tournament (won everything).

El detective barrió la habitación con la mirada.

C1

The detective scanned the room with his eyes (swept his gaze).

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • barrer con todo – to sweep everything away / to take it all
  • barrer con la mirada – to scan with one's eyes

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesbarrieran
yobarriera
túbarrieras
vosotrosbarrierais
nosotrosbarriéramos
él/ella/ustedbarriera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesbarran
yobarra
túbarras
vosotrosbarráis
nosotrosbarramos
él/ella/ustedbarra

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesbarrieron
yobarrí
túbarriste
vosotrosbarristeis
nosotrosbarrimos
él/ella/ustedbarrió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesbarrían
yobarría
túbarrías
vosotrosbarríais
nosotrosbarríamos
él/ella/ustedbarría

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesbarren
yobarro
túbarres
vosotrosbarréis
nosotrosbarremos
él/ella/ustedbarre
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "barrer" in Spanish:

to sweep→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: barrer

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence means 'The wind cleared the sky'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
escoba(broom) — Noun
barrendero(street sweeper (person)) — Noun
barredora(sweeping machine) — Noun
barrido(the act of sweeping / scanned) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'verrere', which means to scrape, to pull, or to sweep clean.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: varrerGalician: varrer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'barrer' a stem-changing verb?

No, 'barrer' is a completely regular -er verb. The root 'barr-' stays the same in all forms.

Can I use 'barrer' for clearing digital files?

Not usually. For deleting files, use 'borrar' (to erase/delete) or 'eliminar' (to eliminate).

What is the difference between 'barrer' and 'limpiar'?

'Limpiar' is a general word for cleaning. 'Barrer' is specific to using a broom to clear the floor.