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 (Latin American 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 bring a liquid to a boil, for example, ¡Hierve el agua para el té! (Boil the water for the tea!)

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

Slang meaning: To be extremely excited or anxious, often used in a sexual context, for example, ¡Hierve de la emoción! (Boil with excitement!)

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

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 un buen café, primero hiervan el agua. (To make good coffee, first boil the water.)

¡Hierve un poco de leche para el chocolate caliente! (Boil some milk for hot chocolate!)

Cuando prepares los huevos, hierve agua en la cacerola. (When you make the eggs, boil water in the pot.)

Para desinfectar los biberones, hierva agua durante 5 minutos. (To sterilize the baby bottles, boil water for 5 minutes.)

Antes de lavar la ropa a mano, hirvamos agua con un poco de jabón. (Before hand-washing clothes, let’s boil some water with a bit of soap.)

¡Hiervan un poco de agua para el mate! (Boil some water for mate tea!)

Para ablandar las verduras congeladas, hierve agua primero. (To soften frozen veggies, first boil some water.)

¡Hierve agua para la sopa de pollo! (Boil water for chicken soup!)

Antes de teñir la ropa, hierva agua con sal y vinagre. (Before dyeing clothes, boil water with salt and vinegar.)

Para limpiar las tuberías, hirvamos agua con bicarbonato de sodio. (To clean the pipes, let’s boil water with baking soda.)

¡Hiervan agua para blanquear las verduras frescas! (Boil water to blanch the fresh veggies!)

Cuando hagas pasta, hierve abundante agua con sal. (When making pasta, boil plenty of salted water.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.