Vestirse

Vestirse is a Spanish reflexive verb meaning to clothe oneself or to get dressed. It denotes the action performed by the subject on itself and is distinct from vestir, which can mean to clothe someone or something else. The verb often combines with por, para, or de to express purpose, time, or appearance, and in many contexts is interchangeable with ponerse to indicate putting on clothing, though vestirse emphasizes the act of dressing oneself.

Etymology and usage: vestirse comes from Latin vestīre, meaning to clothe. In daily speech it is used for self-directed dressing, as in “Me voy a vestir” (I’m going to get dressed) or “Ella se viste de negro” (She dresses in black). The preposition de in vestirse de + color or style expresses the look or attire, e.g., “vestirse de gala” (to dress for a gala).

Conjugation overview: vestirse is an e→i stem-changing -ir verb in many present forms and is reflexive. Present indicative: me visto, te vistes, se viste, nos vestimos, os vestís, se visten. Preterite: me vestí, te vestiste, se vistió, nos vestimos, os vestisteis, se vistieron. Imperfect: me vestía, te vestías, se vestía, nos vestíamos, os vestíais, se vestían. Present subjunctive: me vista, te vistas, se vista, nos vistamos, os vistáis, se vistan. Imperatives: tú vístete; usted vístase; nosotros vistámonos; vosotros vestíos; ustedes vístanse; negative forms: no te vistas, no se vista, etc.

Notas: vestirse señala la acción de vestirse a uno mismo; para vestir a otra persona se usa vestir (a alguien). Local expressions y modismos comunes incluyen vestirse de gala o vestirse para salir.