Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hervir | /eɾˈbiɾ/ | |
| herver | /eɾbeɾ/ (from spelling rules) | Central America, alternative form |
| jerver | /xeɾbeɾ/ (from spelling rules) | Dominican Republic, alternative form |
| jerber | /xeɾbeɾ/ (from spelling rules) | Dominican Republic, alternative form |
The verb hervir is used to describe the action of heating a liquid until it begins to turn into a gas. If you need to refer to the point at which a fluid begins to change to a vapour, you can use the noun hervor. For the medical term referring to an accumulation of pus, use the nouns furúnculo, forúnculo or divieso.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Central America, you may see the alternative spelling herver. In the Dominican Republic, the spellings jerver and jerber are also used as alternative spellings of hervir.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present participle (gerund) of hervir is irregular, changing the 'e' to 'i', hirviendo. The third-person singular preterite form of hervir is irregular, changing the 'e' to 'i', hirvió. The first-person singular preterite form of hervir is regular and does not undergo the stem change seen in the third-person, herví.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾˈbiɾ/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase hervir la sangre literally means 'to boil the blood' but is used to describe feeling intense anger or rage.
- The Latin root fervēre for hervir is also the ancestor of the English word 'fervent', which describes a passion as hot as boiling water.
- In Spanish, saying that someone is hirviendo can describe not just a liquid, but a person who is feeling an intense, overwhelming heat or a fever.
Examples in context
- Pon el agua a hervir.Bring the water to a boil.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use hervir in an imperative context with water.Tatoeba #1214291 by marcelostockle, translation #240224 by adjusting
- El agua empezó a hervir.The water began to boil.This sentence shows the use of hervir with the verb beginning.Tatoeba #2268643 by Shishir, translation #2268642 by _undertoad
- Herviré las papas por ti.I'll boil the potatoes for you.This sentence demonstrates the future tense of hervir used for potatoes.Tatoeba #3875900 by cueyayotl, translation #637462 by kebukebu
- Para hacer la pasta al dente, hervir agua con sal y añadir los fideos.To cook the pasta al dente, boil water with salt and add the noodles.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a kitchen while preparing coffee.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿puedes poner a hervir el agua?María, can you boil the water?
- MaríaSí, ya está en el fuego.Yes, it is already on the stove.
- AlejandroPerfecto, el café estará listo pronto.Perfect, the coffee will be ready soon.
- MaríaEspero que no tarde mucho.I hope it doesn't take long.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boil” translations and entries hervir, herver, jerver, jerber, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hervir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
