Sastre in Spanish | Say Tailor Like A Local

In Spanish, sastre means “tailor,” the person who measures, cuts, and sews clothing to fit.

If you searched Sastre in Spanish, you’re probably trying to label a job, read a sign, or ask for alterations without getting blank stares. Good news: sastre is a straight-shooting word, and once you know how it behaves in a sentence, you can use it with ease.

This article gives you the meaning, pronunciation, gender and plural forms, and the nearby words Spanish speakers pick depending on the type of clothing work. You’ll also get ready-to-say phrases you can drop into a conversation at a tailor shop.

What Sastre Means And When People Say It

Sastre refers to a tailor: someone whose trade is cutting and sewing garments, often suits and structured pieces. In many places it still carries a “menswear” vibe, yet in everyday speech it can point to any tailor who does measuring, pattern work, and alterations.

You’ll hear sastre in a few common situations:

• When you need a suit altered: sleeves shortened, waist taken in, hems fixed.
• When someone makes garments to measure, not just repairs.
• When a store or workshop labels itself as a tailor’s shop.

Spanish also uses arreglos (alterations) a lot. So you may hear people say they’re taking a jacket “a hacer arreglos” rather than naming the profession.

Sastre in Spanish Pronunciation And Everyday Use

Pronunciation is simple once you see the rhythm: SAS-treh. The a sounds like “ah,” the e at the end is a short “eh,” and the stress lands on the first syllable.

In writing, sastre doesn’t take an accent mark. In speech, it stays crisp, with the s sounds clear. If you’re learning Spanish, it’s a handy word to practice because it uses clean, common sounds.

Quick ways to use it

These sentence patterns show up all the time:

• Ir al sastre: to go to the tailor.
• Llevar algo al sastre: to take something to the tailor.
• Ser sastre: to be a tailor by trade.

When you’re speaking, you can point to the garment and keep the rest short. That’s normal in Spanish. People do it every day.

Gender, Plurals, And Articles

Sastre is listed as “m. y f.” in the dictionary, meaning it can refer to a man or a woman. The article usually shows the gender: el sastre or la sastre. In many regions, people also say la sastra for a woman, which you’ll also see in dictionaries.

Plural forms follow the usual rule for words ending in -e: sastres. So you can say los sastres for a mixed group or a group of men, and las sastres for a group of women if you’re using the common-gender form.

Article choices you’ll see on signs

On storefronts and business cards, you may spot:

• Sastrería: tailor shop or tailoring as a trade.
• Sastre y arreglos: tailor and alterations.
• Arreglos de ropa: clothing alterations (often used even when a tailor runs the shop).

Meaning Straight From Authoritative Dictionaries

If you want a rock-solid definition, the Diccionario de la lengua española entry for “sastre, sastra” describes the trade as cutting and sewing suits, chiefly men’s suits. That phrasing explains why the word sometimes feels tied to suits even when the shop also works on dresses and casual pieces.

Another nearby term is alfayate, an older word that still appears in sayings and historical writing. The Centro Virtual Cervantes has a note on it in a page about sayings and vocabulary, where “alfayate” is treated as a synonym of “sastre”. You won’t need it for daily errands, yet it’s a nice one to recognize in books.

Choosing Between Sastre, Modista, And Costurera

Spanish has several words for people who sew, and the best pick depends on what they do and what they make. If you use the “wrong” one, people will still get you. If you want to sound natural, match the word to the work.

Sastre leans toward structured garments, measuring, patterns, and tailored fits. Modista leans toward making garments, often women’s clothing, and can also carry a fashion-design feel. The RAE definition of “modista” mentions creating garments and fashions, mainly for women.

Costurera is a common everyday term for a person who sews and fixes clothing, often with a practical, alterations-heavy feel. The RAE entry for “costurero, costurera” includes sewing, making, and repairing clothes.

How this plays out in real life

Here are the vibes you’ll notice in shops and conversations:

• If the window shows suits, jackets, and dress pants, sastrería is common.
• If the shop makes dresses from scratch, you may hear modista.
• If a neighbor fixes hems and zippers at home, people may call her costurera.

Still, Spanish is flexible. Many businesses do it all, and they’ll choose the label that local customers search for.

When You Need Alterations: The Words People Use

Most day-to-day visits to a tailor aren’t about a full suit made from zero. They’re about tweaks: shorten sleeves, take in a waist, fix a hem, replace a zipper. Spanish has quick verbs for these jobs, and knowing them saves time at the counter.

Common verbs and nouns:

• arreglar: to fix or adjust.
• entallar: to make more fitted.
• acortar: to shorten.
• alargar: to lengthen.
• dobladillo: hem.
• cremallera / cierre: zipper (regional).

If you’re speaking with a professional, you can mix these with sastre or arreglos and be understood fast.

Tailoring Vocabulary You’ll See And Hear

Once you know sastre, the next step is spotting the related words that show up on signs, price lists, and receipts. This table collects the ones that matter most and how people tend to use them.

Spanish Term	English Meaning	Notes On Use
sastre / sastra	tailor	Often linked with suits; also used for general tailoring.
sastrería	tailor shop; tailoring	Common on storefronts and maps.
arreglos	alterations	Catch-all word for small clothing fixes.
patrón	pattern	Can mean sewing pattern; also “boss” in other settings.
tela	fabric	Used for cloth in general, not only for sewing.
medidas	measurements	Used when tailoring to a person’s body.
prueba	fitting	Often said as una prueba before final delivery.
dobladillo	hem	Often paired with hacer: hacer el dobladillo.
entallar	to taper / take in	Useful for waist, legs, sleeves.
confección	garment making	Seen in shop names and clothing labels.

How To Ask For What You Want At A Sastre

Walking into a shop can feel awkward in a second language. The trick is to keep your sentences short and pair them with gestures. Tailors are used to clients pointing, pinching fabric, and showing the exact spot that needs work.

Start with the simple request

Try one of these openers, then hand over the item:

• ¿Me puede hacer un arreglo? Can you do an alteration for me?
• Quiero ajustar esto. I want to have this fitted.
• ¿Puede acortar las mangas? Can you shorten the sleeves?

Talk about fit without overthinking it

Spanish speakers often describe fit with a few plain adjectives:

• Me queda grande. It’s too big on me.
• Me queda chico. It’s too small on me.
• Me aprieta aquí. It squeezes here.
• Me sobra tela. There’s extra fabric.

Pair “aquí” with a tap on the spot and you’re set.

Phrases That Make Tailor Visits Easier

This second table gives you ready phrases, plus the situations where they fit. Keep a few in your head and you won’t need to translate in real time.

Spanish Phrase	What It Means	When To Say It
¿Cuánto cuesta el arreglo?	How much does the alteration cost?	Right after you show the item and the change you want.
¿Para cuándo está?	When will it be ready?	When you’re setting the pickup date.
¿Me toma las medidas?	Will you take my measurements?	When you need a proper fit, not a quick hem.
Quiero que quede más entallado.	I want it to fit more closely.	For jackets, shirts, dresses, and pants.
No quiero que se note la costura.	I don’t want the seam to show.	When you care about a clean finish.
¿Me lo puede probar con alfileres?	Can you pin it on me for a fitting?	During a fitting when you want to check the shape.
Me gustaría recogerlo el viernes.	I’d like to pick it up Friday.	When you’re negotiating timing.

Common Mistakes Learners Make With Sastre

A few mix-ups pop up often. Fix them once and you won’t trip over them again.

Mixing up the person and the place

Sastre is the person. Sastrería is the shop or the trade. If you say “voy a la sastre,” it will sound off. “Voy a la sastrería” or “voy al sastre” will sound normal.

Using only English loanwords

In some cities you’ll see “tailor” on a sign aimed at tourists. In Spanish conversation, people still lean on arreglos, sastrería, and the verbs in the earlier list. Using those makes you easier to follow.

Over-gendering job titles

Spanish is fine with la sastre and also fine with la sastra. If you’re not sure what a shop prefers, listen to the staff. Then mirror their wording.

A Pocket Checklist For Using Sastre Naturally

If you want a fast mental checklist, use this one. It’s built for real errands and travel moments.

• When you mean “tailor,” say sastre.
• When you mean “tailor shop,” say sastrería.
• When you mean “alterations,” say arreglos.
• When you want a better fit, use ajustar or entallar.
• Ask price with ¿Cuánto cuesta…? and timing with ¿Para cuándo está?

Once these are in your pocket, sastre stops being a flashcard word and starts being a tool you can use on the street.