The Subjunctive Mood of Hervir is used to express desires, doubts, or hypothetical situations, for example: Es importante que el agua hierva antes de agregar los fideos. (It’s important that the water boils before adding the noodles.)

Hervir is an e to ie stem-changing verb, meaning the e in the stem changes to ie in certain conjugations of the present subjunctive.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hervir (to boil) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Hervir generally means “to boil” or “to bubble”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To be extremely angry or furious: for example, Aunque hierva de rabia, no debe insultarle (Although he may be boiling with rage, he should not insult him).

To be extremely excited or anxious: for example, Hierva de emoción ante la posibilidad de viajar (She may be bubbling with excitement at the possibility of traveling).

To be in a state of intense activity or commotion: for example, La ciudad hierva de turistas en verano (The city may be boiling over with tourists in the summer).

To be extremely hot or sweltering: for example, Aunque hiervan las calles, debo salir (Even if the streets are boiling hot, I must go out).

To be extremely difficult or challenging (colloquial): for example, Hierva o no, aprobaré ese examen (Whether it boils over or not, I will pass that exam).

Examples

Examples of Hervir in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que el agua hierva antes de agregar los fideos. (It’s important that the water boils before adding the noodles.)

Espero que mi hijo hierva suficiente agua para la sopa. (I hope my son boils enough water for the soup.)

Aunque no tengas prisa, es mejor que hiervas el agua con cuidado. (Even if you’re not in a hurry, it’s better that you boil the water carefully.)

Para la receta, necesitamos que hiervan dos tazas de agua. (For the recipe, we need two cups of water to boil.)

¿Podrías asegurarte de que el agua hierva antes de apagar la estufa? (Could you make sure the water boils before turning off the stove?)

Ojalá que las papas hiervan rápido para que podamos comer pronto. (Hopefully the potatoes boil quickly so we can eat soon.)

Tal vez sería mejor que hirvamos más agua por si acaso. (Maybe it would be better if we boil more water just in case.)

Aunque hirváis el agua, asegúrense de no quemarse. (Even if you boil the water, be careful not to burn yourselves.)

Es fundamental que el agua hierva por completo antes de consumirla. (It’s essential that the water boils completely before drinking it.)

Ojalá que la olla hierva pronto para preparar los alimentos a tiempo. (Hopefully the pot boils soon to prepare the food on time.)

Quizás convenga que hirvamos un poco más de agua por si se enfría. (Perhaps we should boil a bit more water in case it gets cold.)

Aunque hiervan el agua, tengan cuidado al servirla para no quemarse. (Even if they boil the water, be careful when serving it to avoid burns.)

Es recomendable que hiervas suficiente agua para todo el día. (It’s advisable that you boil enough water for the whole day.)

Ojalá que el agua hierva pronto para que podamos tomar un baño caliente. (Hopefully the water boils soon so we can take a warm bath.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.