The Present Tense of Hervir is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually, for example, El agua hierve. (The water boils.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American 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 cien grados Celsius (The water boils at 100 degrees Celsius).

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 really eager 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 buzzing with activity).

Colloquial meaning: To be very hot or sweating profusely, for example, Estoy hirviendo con este calor (I’m boiling in this 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 makes it lose its flavor.)

En esta receta, primero hervimos el agua con las especias. (In this recipe, we first boil the water with the spices.)

Los huevos hierven demasiado si los dejas en el agua caliente por mucho tiempo. (The eggs boil too much if you leave them in the hot water for too long.)

Cuando la olla hierve, baja el fuego para que no se desborde. (When the pot boils, lower the heat so it doesn’t boil over.)

En la clase de cocina, hervimos diferentes tipos de pasta para probar las texturas. (In the cooking class, we boil different types of pasta to try the textures.)

Las ollas hierven más rápido si las tapas con una tapa de vidrio. (The pots boil faster if you cover them with a glass lid.)

Cuando hiervo papas, les pongo un poco de sal en el agua. (When I boil potatoes, I put a little salt in the water.)

¿Ya hierve el agua para los fideos? Tengo mucha hambre. (Is the water for the noodles boiling yet? I’m really hungry.)

Siempre hierves demasiado los vegetales. Así pierden todos sus nutrientes. (You always overboil the vegetables. That way they lose all their nutrients.)

En la cafetería, hierven grandes ollas de café desde temprano. (At the cafeteria, they boil large pots of coffee from early on.)

Cuando hiervo huevos, uso un reloj para que no queden duros de más. (When I boil eggs, I use a timer so they don’t get too hard.)

El agua hierve a 100 grados centígrados a nivel del mar. (Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.)

En la fábrica, hierven grandes cantidades de jarabe para embotellar. (At the factory, they boil large quantities of syrup for bottling.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.