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manchar

mahn-CHAR/manˈtʃaɾ/

“manchar” means “to stain” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to stain, to get dirty

Also: to smudge
VerbA2regular ar
A white t-shirt with a large purple grape juice stain on the front.
gerundmanchando
past Participlemanchado
infinitivemanchar

📝 In Action

Ten cuidado con el café, puedes manchar el sofá.

A2

Be careful with the coffee; you might stain the sofa.

La tinta de este bolígrafo mancha mucho las manos.

B1

The ink from this pen really stains your hands.

Me manché la camisa blanca con salsa de tomate.

A2

I stained my white shirt with tomato sauce.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • ensuciar (to get dirty)
  • mancillar (to tarnish (more formal))

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • manchar de grasa – to stain with grease
  • manchar de sangre – to stain with blood
  • mancharse la ropa – to get one's clothes dirty

Idioms & Expressions

  • mancharse las manos – To get involved in something dishonest or to do the hard work

to tarnish, to blemish

VerbB2regular ar
A shiny gold medal with a dark, muddy thumbprint on its surface.

📝 In Action

Ese escándalo va a manchar su reputación para siempre.

B2

That scandal is going to tarnish his reputation forever.

No permitiré que manches el buen nombre de mi familia.

C1

I won't allow you to blemish my family's good name.

Un solo error puede manchar un expediente perfecto.

B2

A single mistake can tarnish a perfect record.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • deshonrar (to dishonor)
  • desprestigiar (to discredit)

Common Collocations

  • manchar la reputación – to tarnish the reputation
  • manchar el honor – to stain the honor

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmancharan
yomanchara
túmancharas
vosotrosmancharais
nosotrosmancháramos
él/ella/ustedmanchara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmanchen
yomanche
túmanches
vosotrosmanchéis
nosotrosmanchemos
él/ella/ustedmanche

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesmancharon
yomanché
túmanchaste
vosotrosmanchasteis
nosotrosmanchamos
él/ella/ustedmanchó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmanchaban
yomanchaba
túmanchabas
vosotrosmanchabais
nosotrosmanchábamos
él/ella/ustedmanchaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmanchan
yomancho
túmanchas
vosotrosmancháis
nosotrosmanchamos
él/ella/ustedmancha
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "manchar" in Spanish:

to blemish→to smudge→to stain→to tarnish→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: manchar

Question 1 of 3

How would you say 'I stained my pants'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
mancha(stain / spot) — Noun
manchado(stained / dirty) — Adjective
manchita(little spot) — Noun
desmanchar(to remove a stain) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'maculare', which means 'to make spots' or 'to stain'.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: immaculate (meaning 'not stained')Portuguese: manchar

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between manchar and ensuciar?

Manchar is for specific spots or stains (like ink or wine). Ensuciar is more general (like getting mud on your shoes or dust on a table).

Is 'manchar' a regular verb?

Yes! It follows the standard -ar verb pattern for all tenses.

Does 'manchar' always mean something bad?

Usually, yes, because it implies something clean is now dirty or damaged. However, it can be used neutrally in art (like smudging a drawing for effect).