The preterite of hervir is used to express a specific instance of something boiling in the past. For example, you might say “I boiled the water for tea,” indicating when the action was completed.

This is an e to i stem-changing verb, which means the ‘e’ in the stem changes to ‘i’ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of hervir expresses a completed action of boiling in the past.

To boil: Describes liquid reaching boiling point, for example Herví agua para el té (I boiled water for tea) or La leche hirvió y se derramó (The milk boiled over).

To seethe: Used figuratively for intense emotions, for example Hirvió de rabia (He/she seethed with anger).

Examples

Examples of Hervir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

El agua hirvió rápidamente. (The water boiled quickly.)Yo herví la leche para el café. (I boiled the milk for coffee.)Mi madre hirvió las verduras. (My mother boiled the vegetables.)Nosotros hervimos agua para el té. (We boiled water for tea.)La sopa hirvió a fuego lento. (The soup simmered on low heat.)Tú herviste los huevos perfectamente. (You boiled the eggs perfectly.)Ellos hirvieron el agua por seguridad. (They boiled the water for safety.)Ustedes hirvieron las papas demasiado. (You all boiled the potatoes too much.)La olla hirvió y se desbordó. (The pot boiled over.)Los fideos hirvieron durante diez minutos. (The noodles boiled for ten minutes.)El cocinero hirvió el arroz. (The cook boiled the rice.)La sangre me hirvió de rabia. (My blood boiled with rage.)El té hirvió hasta evaporarse. (The tea boiled until it evaporated.)Las verduras hirvieron hasta ablandarse. (The vegetables boiled until soft.)El caldo hirvió toda la tarde. (The broth simmered all afternoon.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.