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recortar

rreh-kohr-TAHR/rekorˈtar/

“recortar” means “to cut out” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to cut out, to trim

Also: to clip
VerbA1regular ar
A child's hand using safety scissors to cut a red heart shape out of a piece of blue construction paper.
gerundrecortando
past Participlerecortado
infinitiverecortar

📝 In Action

Los niños están recortando figuras de papel para el proyecto.

A1

The children are cutting out paper figures for the project.

Necesito recortarme un poco la barba.

A2

I need to trim my beard a little.

Recortó la foto para que cupiera en el marco.

B1

He trimmed the photo so it would fit in the frame.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • podar (to prune)
  • trasquilar (to shear/badly trim)

Antonyms

  • pegar (to stick/glue)
  • añadir (to add)

Common Collocations

  • recortar con tijeras – to cut out with scissors
  • recortar el pelo – to trim hair

to cut back, to reduce

VerbB1regular ar
A pair of garden shears trimming a long green hedge to make it shorter and neater.
gerundrecortando
past Participlerecortado
infinitiverecortar

📝 In Action

La empresa tiene que recortar gastos este trimestre.

B1

The company has to cut back on expenses this quarter.

El corredor recortó la distancia con el líder.

B2

The runner reduced the distance between himself and the leader.

Han recortado el presupuesto de educación.

B1

They have cut the education budget.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • recortar el presupuesto – to cut the budget
  • recortar personal – to cut staff/lay off workers

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecortaran
yorecortara
túrecortaras
vosotrosrecortarais
nosotrosrecortáramos
él/ella/ustedrecortara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecorten
yorecorte
túrecortes
vosotrosrecortéis
nosotrosrecortemos
él/ella/ustedrecorte

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecortaron
yorecorté
túrecortaste
vosotrosrecortasteis
nosotrosrecortamos
él/ella/ustedrecortó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecortaban
yorecortaba
túrecortabas
vosotrosrecortabais
nosotrosrecortábamos
él/ella/ustedrecortaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecortan
yorecorto
túrecortas
vosotrosrecortáis
nosotrosrecortamos
él/ella/ustedrecorta
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "recortar" in Spanish:

to clip→to reduce→to trim→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: recortar

Question 1 of 3

Which verb would you use to describe making a paper snowflake?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
recorte(a cut/clipping) — Noun
recortable(cut-out (like a paper doll)) — Noun
cortar(to cut) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Spanish 're-' (indicating repetition or emphasis) combined with 'cortar' (to cut), which comes from the Latin 'curtare' meaning 'to shorten'.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: curtail

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'recortar' for hair?

Yes! If you want a trim rather than a full style change, use 'recortar' or 'recortarse el pelo'.

Is 'recortar' regular?

Yes, it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.

What's the difference between 'cortar' and 'recortar'?

Think of 'cortar' as a general action (cutting a finger, cutting a cake) and 'recortar' as a precise action (trimming edges, cutting out a photo).