Barrer means 'to sweep', and it is a regular -er verb that fits the household-chores topic. Barro el suelo (I sweep the floor), barrimos la cocina (we swept the kitchen). Because chores are a dependable GCSE talking point, barrer sits naturally alongside limpiar ('to clean') and lavar ('to wash') when describing who does what at home. As a regular -er verb the conjugation is predictable. The idiom barrer para casa ('to look after one's own interests') is a colourful extra to know, and the related noun is la escoba ('broom').
Quick facts
Barrer (to sweep) is a regular -er verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Barro el suelo (I sweep the floor).
Sits with limpiar and lavar.
Barrer para casa (to look after one's own interests).
La escoba (broom).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
barrer is a regular -er verb — it follows the standard -er pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know barrer, you know the template for all regular -er verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice barrer now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: barro, tú: barres, él: barre, nosotros: barremos, vosotros: barréis, ellos: barren
The past participle is barrido (he barrido) and the gerund is barriendo (estoy barriendo).
Barrer is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with barrer or that behave like it.
Barrer is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.