usar
to use
Reviewed by: David WestfallCofounder
To put something into service for a purpose
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
use
to use something
+
-ar
verb suffix
Usar means to use and is a direct cognate of the English word.
usar
to use
To put something into service for a purpose, whether it's an object, a tool, or a language.
Uso el diccionario cada vez que leo en españolI use the dictionary every time I read in Spanish
Mi hermano usó una escalera para alcanzar el techoMy brother used a ladder to reach the roof
to wear (clothing)
Applies to clothes, accessories, and sizes. English says you wear a jacket, but Spanish says you use it.
Ella usa un vestido azul en las bodasShe wears a blue dress to weddings
¿Qué talla de zapatos usas?What shoe size do you wear?
usarse
to be in fashion, to be worn (fashion)
Says that a piece of clothing is in style right now. The literal idea is that the clothes use themselves, like they're used or worn independent of any particular person. They're worn in general.
Este año se usan mucho los pantalones anchosThis year wide pants are very much in fashion
Ese tipo de sombrero ya no se usaThat kind of hat isn't worn anymore