hervir
verbCEFR B1
What does “hervir” mean in English?
to boil
to boil (bring liquid to rolling boil, or cook food in boiling water) — hervir el agua, hervir la pasta
Example sentences
Hierve el agua antes de añadir la pasta y asegúrate de que el hervor sea fuerte, no un simple burbujeo.
Boil the water before adding the pasta and make sure the boil is vigorous, not just gentle bubbling.
Deja hervir las verduras durante cinco minutos y luego sumérgelas en agua fría para que conserven el color.
Let the vegetables boil for five minutes and then plunge them into cold water so they keep their colour.
How to use it
Hervir means 'to boil' and is a stem-changing verb (e→ie in stressed syllables: hierve, hierves). It is used both transitively (hervir el agua = to boil the water) and intransitively (el agua hierve = the water is boiling). The distinction between hervir and cocer a fuego lento (to simmer) is important in recipes — hervir implies a full rolling boil.
Common mistake
English 'boil' and 'simmer' are distinct but both translate loosely to hervir. For simmering, Spanish uses cocer a fuego lento or mantener un hervor suave. Also note the stem change: the present tense form is hierve (not herve), which catches many learners off guard.