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pulir

poo-leer/puˈliɾ/

to polish

Also: to shine, to sand down
VerbA2regular ir
A person using a soft cloth to rub a wooden table until it glows.
gerundpuliendo
past Participlepulido
infinitivepulir

📝 In Action

Necesito pulir los zapatos antes de la fiesta.

A1

I need to polish my shoes before the party.

Él pule el mármol hasta que brilla como un espejo.

A2

He polishes the marble until it shines like a mirror.

El carpintero pulió la madera para quitarle las astillas.

B1

The carpenter sanded the wood to remove the splinters.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • abrillantar (to brighten/shine)
  • lijar (to sand)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • pulir el suelo – to polish the floor
  • pulir metales – to polish metals

to refine

Also: to brush up, to tweak
VerbB1regular ir
A sculptor using a small tool to carefully smooth the edges of a clay vase.
gerundpuliendo
past Participlepulido
infinitivepulir

📝 In Action

Tengo que pulir mi ensayo antes de entregarlo.

B1

I have to refine my essay before handing it in.

Ella está puliendo su técnica de piano.

B2

She is perfecting her piano technique.

Vamos a pulir los últimos detalles del proyecto.

B1

We are going to polish the final details of the project.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • pulir una habilidad – to polish a skill
  • pulir el estilo – to polish one's style

to blow through

Also: to squander
VerbB2regular irinformal
Spain
A hand holding a wallet with many colorful paper bills flying out of it into the wind.
gerundpuliendo
past Participlepulido
infinitivepulir

📝 In Action

Se pulió todo el sueldo en una noche.

B2

He blew through his whole salary in one night.

No te pulas los ahorros tan rápido.

C1

Don't spend your savings so fast.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • despilfarrar (to waste/squander)
  • gastar (to spend)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • pulirse el dinero – to blow the money

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespulieran
yopuliera
túpulieras
vosotrospulierais
nosotrospuliéramos
él/ella/ustedpuliera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespulan
yopula
túpulas
vosotrospuláis
nosotrospulamos
él/ella/ustedpula

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedespulieron
yopulí
túpuliste
vosotrospulisteis
nosotrospulimos
él/ella/ustedpulió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespulían
yopulía
túpulías
vosotrospulíais
nosotrospulíamos
él/ella/ustedpulía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespulen
yopulo
túpules
vosotrospulís
nosotrospulimos
él/ella/ustedpule
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pulir" in Spanish:

to polish→to refine→to shine→to squander→to tweak→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pulir

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is a physical use of 'pulir'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
pulido(polished/neat) — Adjective
pulidor(polisher (person or tool)) — Noun
pulimento(polish (the substance)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'polire', which meant to smooth, brighten, or refine.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: polishFrench: polir

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'pulir' a stem-changing verb?

No, pulir is completely regular. The 'u' stays a 'u' in all forms.

Can I use 'pulir' for cleaning a window?

Not really. You 'limpias' (clean) a window. You 'pules' (polish) something that needs friction to shine, like metal, wood, or stone.

What is the difference between 'pulir' and 'abrillantar'?

'Pulir' often implies smoothing the surface by rubbing it, while 'abrillantar' specifically focuses on the final step of making it look shiny.