escarbar

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish escarvar, from Latin scarīfāre, from Ancient Greek σκαριφᾶσθαι (skariphâsthai), from σκάριφος (skáriphos, “writing, drawing, sketching”). Cognate with English scarify, Galician escarvar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eskaɾˈbaɾ/ [es.kaɾˈβ̞aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: es‧car‧bar

Verb

escarbar (first-person singular present escarbo, first-person singular preterite escarbé, past participle escarbado)

1. (transitive) to paw, scratch, scrape, dig (the ground)
2. (transitive) to clean, pick (one's teeth, ears, nose)
3. (transitive) to poke (a fire)
4. (transitive) to dig about; poke about

Conjugation

    Conjugation of escarbar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			escarbar
gerund			escarbando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		escarbado		escarbada
		plural		escarbados		escarbadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	escarbo	escarbastú escarbásvos	escarba	escarbamos	escarbáis	escarban
	imperfect	escarbaba	escarbabas	escarbaba	escarbábamos	escarbabais	escarbaban
	preterite	escarbé	escarbaste	escarbó	escarbamos	escarbasteis	escarbaron
	future	escarbaré	escarbarás	escarbará	escarbaremos	escarbaréis	escarbarán
	conditional	escarbaría	escarbarías	escarbaría	escarbaríamos	escarbaríais	escarbarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	escarbe	escarbestú escarbésvos2	escarbe	escarbemos	escarbéis	escarben
	imperfect (ra)	escarbara	escarbaras	escarbara	escarbáramos	escarbarais	escarbaran
	imperfect (se)	escarbase	escarbases	escarbase	escarbásemos	escarbaseis	escarbasen
	future1	escarbare	escarbares	escarbare	escarbáremos	escarbareis	escarbaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		escarbatú escarbávos	escarbe	escarbemos	escarbad	escarben
	negative		no escarbes	no escarbe	no escarbemos	no escarbéis	no escarben

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of escarbar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive escarbar	dative	escarbarme	escarbarte	escarbarle, escarbarse	escarbarnos	escarbaros	escarbarles, escarbarse
	accusative	escarbarme	escarbarte	escarbarlo, escarbarla, escarbarse	escarbarnos	escarbaros	escarbarlos, escarbarlas, escarbarse
with gerund escarbando	dative	escarbándome	escarbándote	escarbándole, escarbándose	escarbándonos	escarbándoos	escarbándoles, escarbándose
	accusative	escarbándome	escarbándote	escarbándolo, escarbándola, escarbándose	escarbándonos	escarbándoos	escarbándolos, escarbándolas, escarbándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative escarba	dative	escárbame	escárbate	escárbale	escárbanos	not used	escárbales
	accusative	escárbame	escárbate	escárbalo, escárbala	escárbanos	not used	escárbalos, escárbalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative escarbá	dative	escarbame	escarbate	escarbale	escarbanos	not used	escarbales
	accusative	escarbame	escarbate	escarbalo, escarbala	escarbanos	not used	escarbalos, escarbalas
with formal second-person singular imperative escarbe	dative	escárbeme	not used	escárbele, escárbese	escárbenos	not used	escárbeles
	accusative	escárbeme	not used	escárbelo, escárbela, escárbese	escárbenos	not used	escárbelos, escárbelas
with first-person plural imperative escarbemos	dative	not used	escarbémoste	escarbémosle	escarbémonos	escarbémoos	escarbémosles
	accusative	not used	escarbémoste	escarbémoslo, escarbémosla	escarbémonos	escarbémoos	escarbémoslos, escarbémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative escarbad	dative	escarbadme	not used	escarbadle	escarbadnos	escarbaos	escarbadles
	accusative	escarbadme	not used	escarbadlo, escarbadla	escarbadnos	escarbaos	escarbadlos, escarbadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative escarben	dative	escárbenme	not used	escárbenle	escárbennos	not used	escárbenles, escárbense
	accusative	escárbenme	not used	escárbenlo, escárbenla	escárbennos	not used	escárbenlos, escárbenlas, escárbense

Derived terms

• escarbadientes
• escarbador

Further reading

• “escarbar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025