The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Hervir is used to give direct orders or instructions for something to boil, for example: ¡Hierve el agua para el té! (Boil the water for the tea!).

Hervir is a stem-changing verb, where the ‘e’ in the stem changes to ‘ie’ in certain conjugations. This pattern is common among Spanish verbs with a similar spelling.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Hervir generally means to boil or simmer, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To cause a liquid to boil or bubble vigorously by applying heat, for example, ¡Hierve el agua para la pasta! (Boil the water for the pasta!)

Figurative meaning: To be extremely angry or furious, for example, ¡Hierve de rabia! (You’re boiling with rage!)

Slang meaning: To be very excited or anxious about something, often used in a sexual context, for example, ¡Hierve de ganas por verla! (You’re boiling with desire to see her!)

Idiomatic meaning: To be in a state of intense activity or commotion, for example, ¡Hierve la ciudad con los preparativos para la fiesta! (The city is boiling with preparations for the party!)

Examples

Examples of Hervir in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Hierve el agua para el té! (Boil the water for tea!)

Mamá, hierva las papas para la cena. (Mom, boil the potatoes for dinner.)

Antes de cocinar los fideos, hirvamos agua con sal. (Before cooking the noodles, let’s boil some salted water.)

Para hacer huevos duros, hervid el agua primero. (To make hard-boiled eggs, boil the water first.)

Señora, hiervan un poco de agua para el mate. (Ma’am, boil some water for the mate.)

¡Hierve leche para el café con leche! (Boil some milk for cafe con leche!)

Antes de salir, hierva agua para los vegetales congelados. (Before leaving, boil water for the frozen veggies.)

Para la sopa de pollo, primero hirvamos el caldo. (For chicken soup, let’s first boil the broth.)

Mesero, hervid más agua para el té, por favor. (Waiter, boil more water for tea, please.)

Amigos, hiervan un poco de agua para preparar el mate. (Friends, boil some water to prepare mate.)

¡Hierve un huevo para el desayuno rápido! (Boil an egg for a quick breakfast!)

Antes de freír los camarones, hierva agua con vinagre. (Before frying the shrimp, boil water with vinegar.)

Para el arroz, primero hirvamos dos tazas de agua. (For the rice, let’s first boil two cups of water.)

Cocinero, hervid suficiente agua para las pastas. (Chef, boil enough water for the pasta.)

Antes de lavar los chiles, hiervan agua con sal. (Before washing the chili peppers, boil some salted water.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.