The Present Tense of hervir is used to describe actions that are currently boiling or bubbling, for example, El agua hierve en la olla. (The water is boiling in the pot.)

Hervir is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes from e to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Hervir generally means to boil or simmer, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To bring a liquid to the boiling point, for example, El agua hierve a 100°C. (The water boils at 100°C.)

Figurative meaning: To be extremely angry or furious, for example, Estoy hirviendo de rabia. (I’m boiling with rage.)

Slang meaning: To be very excited or eager about something, for example, ¡Hiervo de ganas por ir a la fiesta! (I’m bursting with excitement to go to the party!)

Idiomatic meaning: To be in a state of intense activity or commotion, for example, La oficina hierve de actividad. (The office is boiling with activity.)

Colloquial meaning: To be extremely hot or sweating profusely, for example, ¡Hiervo de calor! (I’m boiling from the heat!)

Examples

Examples of Hervir in the Present Tense

Cuando hiervo agua para el té, siempre uso una tetera. (When I boil water for tea, I always use a teapot.)

Mi mamá hierve frijoles todos los domingos para la comida familiar. (My mom boils beans every Sunday for the family meal.)

¿Por qué hierves la leche? Así se pierde el sabor. (Why are you boiling the milk? That way it loses its flavor.)

En esta receta, primero hervimos el agua con especias antes de agregar el arroz. (In this recipe, we first boil the water with spices before adding the rice.)

¡Cuidado! El agua hierve a 100°C. (Be careful! Water boils at 100°C.)

Ustedes hierven demasiado los vegetales y pierden sus nutrientes. (You boil the vegetables too much and they lose their nutrients.)

Cuando hervís huevos, ¿cuánto tiempo los dejan en el agua hirviendo? (When you boil eggs, how long do you leave them in the boiling water?)

Las ollas de acero inoxidable hierven el agua más rápido que las de aluminio. (Stainless steel pots boil water faster than aluminum ones.)

En algunas regiones, hierven la leche antes de beberla por razones de seguridad alimentaria. (In some regions, they boil milk before drinking it for food safety reasons.)

¿Escuchas ese sonido? La olla hierve demasiado fuerte, baja el fuego. (Do you hear that sound? The pot is boiling too hard, turn down the heat.)

Cuando voy de camping, hiervo agua sobre la fogata para preparar café. (When I go camping, I boil water over the campfire to make coffee.)

En algunos países, hierven el agua del grifo antes de beberla. (In some countries, they boil tap water before drinking it.)

Mi abuela siempre hierve las verduras demasiado tiempo y quedan muy blandas. (My grandma always boils the vegetables for too long and they end up too soft.)

¿Por qué hierves el pollo antes de freírlo? Así se seca demasiado. (Why are you boiling the chicken before frying it? That way it dries out too much.)

Cuando hervimos agua para hacer pasta, le agregamos un poco de sal. (When we boil water to make pasta, we add a little salt.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.