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Estrenar is one of those Spanish words that doesn’t translate into just one simple English word. In English, we often have to use more words, like “wear for the first time,” “use for the first time,” “debut,” or “premiere,” depending on what we are talking about.
In Spanish, estrenar works for almost anything you are using for the very first time. It could be clothes, shoes, a car, a backpack, even a house. It’s about that feeling of “first use,” when something is brand new to you.
You can say:
Hoy voy a estrenar zapatos.
This means “Today I am going to wear my shoes for the first time.”
It doesn’t matter if you just bought them yesterday or two months ago, the important part is that it’s the first time you put them on.
We also say:
Estrenar un carro.
That is using your new car for the first time.
Estrenar una casa.
That’s when you move into your new home for the first time, maybe even have a party to celebrate it.
For kids, you can say:
Estrenar mochila.
That’s the first day of school when they go in with a brand new backpack.
The word also appears in the world of movies and theater.
El estreno de la película is the movie’s premiere.
El estreno de la obra de teatro is the opening night of the play.
We can also use it for clothes in general:
Estrenar ropa.
That’s when you put on a dress, a shirt, or any outfit for the first time.
The interesting thing is that in English you need to adjust the expression each time. You might say “wear for the first time” for clothes, “drive for the first time” for a car, “premiere” for a movie, and “move in” for a house. But in Spanish, we just use estrenar for all of them.
It’s a simple word, but it packs a lot of meaning, and it’s one of those words that makes Spanish feel richer and sometimes more economical than English.
