recalentar
/rekalenˈtaɾ/
To reheat in Spanish is recalentar.
The verb recalentar is used to describe the action of heating something up again after it has cooled down.
Meaning: heat something after it has cooled off (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the prefix re- (again) and calentar (to heat).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the continuous present, such as 'reheating', use the gerund form recalentando. The subjunctive form of the verb is recaliente. When specifying how long or to what state to reheat food, you might use the phrase bien caliente to mean 'piping hot' or hasta que esté caliente to mean 'until it's warm'.
How do you pronounce it?
/rekalenˈtaɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, if you are 'recalentando' food, you might be participating in the tradition of 'comida de recalentado', which refers to eating leftovers the day after a major celebration like Christmas or Epiphany.
- The root calentar is closely related to the word caliente, which is used in a slang context in many countries to describe someone who is sexually aroused.
- The word calentar comes from the Latin 'calere', which is the same ancestor for the English word 'caloric'. This makes the biological concept of 'calories' a distant linguistic cousin to 'reheating' your food.
Examples in context
- Por favor, caliente de nuevo la comidaPlease reheat the food
- Es necesario recalentar el plato antes de servirloIt's necessary to reheat the dish before serving it
- Voy a calentar otra vez el puré de papasI'm going to reheat the mashed potatoes
- Vuelve a calentar el café en el hornoReheat the coffee in the oven
- Hay que recalentar la sopa.The soup needs to be reheated.
- Voy a recalentar la sopa.I am going to reheat the soup.
- Puedes recalentar la pizza en el horno.You can reheat the pizza in the oven.
- No hace falta recalentar el arroz.It is not necessary to reheat the rice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “reheat” translations and entries recalentar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries recalentar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
