Hervir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Hervir in Spanish

Hervir means “to boil.” You will learn its e → ie present change, e → i preterite and subjunctive families, irregular gerund hirviendo, regular participle hervido, and commands.

Hervir conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. RAE states that hervir follows the pattern of sentir. It uses hierv- in stressed present forms, hirv- in third-person preterite and related subjunctive forms, and the gerund hirviendo — “boiling.”

Hervir gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle hervido remains invariant in those compounds.

Function	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	hervir	to boil
Gerund	hirviendo	boiling
Past participle	hervido	boiled

Hervir meaning and essential uses

Hervir — “to boil” — can be intransitive when a liquid boils: El agua hierve. — “The water boils.”

It can also be transitive, meaning to bring a liquid to the boil or cook something in boiling liquid: Hierve el agua. — “Boil the water.”

Hervir irregular conjugation patterns

In the present indicative, stressed forms use hierv-: hiervo, hierves, hierve, hierven — “I boil, you boil, he/she boils, they boil.” Nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use herv-.

The third-person preterite uses hirvió — “he / she boiled” — and hirvieron — “they boiled.” The present subjunctive has hierva in stressed forms but hirvamos / hirváis in nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras. The gerund is hirviendo — “boiling.”

Hervir indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Hervir present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. Stressed forms use hierv-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use herv-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hiervo	I boil
Tú — you, singular informal	hierves	you boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hierve	he / she boils; you boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hervimos	we boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hervís	you boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hierven	they boil; you boil (plural)

• Hiervo agua para el té. — I boil water for tea.

Hervir preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The third-person forms use hirvió / hirvieron; the other preterite forms keep herv-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	herví	I boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	herviste	you boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hirvió	he / she boiled; you boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hervimos	we boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hervisteis	you boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hirvieron	they boiled; you boiled (plural)

• Ayer herví las verduras durante diez minutos. — Yesterday I boiled the vegetables for ten minutes.

Hervir imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hervía	I used to boil / was boiling
Tú — you, singular informal	hervías	you used to boil / were boiling
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hervía	he / she used to boil / was boiling; you used to boil / were boiling (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hervíamos	we used to boil / were boiling
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hervíais	you used to boil / were boiling (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hervían	they used to boil / were boiling; you used to boil (plural)

• Antes hervía la leche cada mañana. — I used to boil the milk every morning.

Hervir present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus the irregular gerund hirviendo — “boiling.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy hirviendo	I am boiling
Tú — you, singular informal	estás hirviendo	you are boiling
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está hirviendo	he / she is boiling; you are boiling (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos hirviendo	we are boiling
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis hirviendo	you are boiling (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están hirviendo	they are boiling; you are boiling (plural)

• El agua está hirviendo. — The water is boiling.

Hervir near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and hervir.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a hervir	I am going to boil
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a hervir	you are going to boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a hervir	he / she is going to boil; you are going to boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a hervir	we are going to boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a hervir	you are going to boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a hervir	they are going to boil; you are going to boil (plural)

• Voy a hervir dos huevos. — I am going to boil two eggs.

Hervir future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, when useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	herviré	I will boil
Tú — you, singular informal	hervirás	you will boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hervirá	he / she will boil; you will boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	herviremos	we will boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	herviréis	you will boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hervirán	they will boil; you will boil (plural)

• Herviré el agua antes de usarla. — I will boil the water before using it.

Hervir conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	herviría	I would boil
Tú — you, singular informal	hervirías	you would boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	herviría	he / she would boil; you would boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	herviríamos	we would boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	herviríais	you would boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hervirían	they would boil; you would boil (plural)

• Herviría la leche a fuego lento. — I would boil the milk over low heat.

Hervir present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he hervido	I have boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	has hervido	you have boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha hervido	he / she has boiled; you have boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos hervido	we have boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis hervido	you have boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han hervido	they have boiled; you have boiled (plural)

• Ya he hervido el agua. — I have already boiled the water.

Hervir past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había hervido	I had boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	habías hervido	you had boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había hervido	he / she had boiled; you had boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos hervido	we had boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais hervido	you had boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían hervido	they had boiled; you had boiled (plural)

• Habíamos hervido las verduras antes de servirlas. — We had boiled the vegetables before serving them.

Hervir future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré hervido	I will have boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás hervido	you will have boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá hervido	he / she will have boiled; you will have boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos hervido	we will have boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis hervido	you will have boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán hervido	they will have boiled; you will have boiled (plural)

• Para entonces habrá hervido durante cinco minutos. — By then it will have boiled for five minutes.

Hervir conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría hervido	I would have boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías hervido	you would have boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría hervido	he / she would have boiled; you would have boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos hervido	we would have boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais hervido	you would have boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían hervido	they would have boiled; you would have boiled (plural)

• Habría hervido el agua antes. — I would have boiled the water earlier.

Hervir subjunctive conjugations

Hervir present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use hierv-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use hirv-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hierva	that I boil
Tú — you, singular informal	hiervas	that you boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hierva	that he / she boil; that you boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hirvamos	that we boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hirváis	that you boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hiervan	that they boil; that you boil (plural)

• Espera a que hierva el agua. — Wait until the water boils.

Hervir imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. These forms use the hirvier- family inherited from the third-person preterite.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hirviera	that I boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	hirvieras	that you boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hirviera	that he / she boiled; that you boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hirviéramos	that we boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hirvierais	that you boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hirvieran	that they boiled; that you boiled (plural)

• El cocinero recomendó que hirviéramos la salsa unos minutos. — The cook recommended that we boil the sauce for a few minutes.
• Era mejor que hirvieses el agua primero. — It was better for you to boil the water first.

Hervir future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These forms use the hirvier- family inherited from the third-person preterite.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hirviere	if / when I should boil
Tú — you, singular informal	hirvieres	if / when you should boil
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hirviere	if / when he / she should boil; if / when you should boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hirviéremos	if / when we should boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hirviereis	if / when you should boil (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hirvieren	if / when they should boil; if / when you should boil (plural)

• Si hirviere el líquido, deberá retirarse del fuego. — If the liquid should boil, it must be removed from the heat.

Hervir present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya hervido	that I have boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas hervido	that you have boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya hervido	that he / she has boiled; that you have boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos hervido	that we have boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis hervido	that you have boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan hervido	that they have boiled; that you have boiled (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas hervido el agua. — I am glad that you boiled the water.

Hervir past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera hervido	that I had boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras hervido	that you had boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera hervido	that he / she had boiled; that you had boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos hervido	that we had boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais hervido	that you had boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran hervido	that they had boiled; that you had boiled (plural)

• Si hubiéramos hervido el agua, habría sido más seguro. — If we had boiled the water, it would have been safer.
• Si hubieses hervido los huevos más tiempo, estarían duros. — If you had boiled the eggs longer, they would be hard.

Hervir future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus hervido — “boiled.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere hervido	if / when I should have boiled
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres hervido	if / when you should have boiled
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere hervido	if / when he / she should have boiled; if / when you should have boiled (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos hervido	if / when we should have boiled
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis hervido	if / when you should have boiled (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren hervido	if / when they should have boiled; if / when you should have boiled (plural)

• Si hubieren hervido los recipientes, deberán dejarlos enfriar. — If they should have boiled the containers, they must let them cool.

Hervir imperative and commands

Hervir affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	hierve	boil
Usted — you, singular formal	hierva	boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	hirvamos	let’s boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hervid	boil (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	hiervan	boil (plural)

• Hierve el agua durante un minuto. — Boil the water for one minute.

Hervir negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no hiervas	do not boil
Usted — you, singular formal	no hierva	do not boil (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no hirvamos	let’s not boil
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no hirváis	do not boil (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no hiervan	do not boil (plural)

• No hiervas la leche demasiado tiempo. — Do not boil the milk for too long.

Common constructions with Hervir

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• hervir agua o leche. — to boil water or milk.
• hervir durante + period. — to boil for a period of time.
• estar hirviendo. — to be boiling.

Example sentences with Hervir

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• El agua ya hierve. — The water is already boiling.
• Pon los huevos cuando hierva el agua. — Put the eggs in when the water boils.
• La sopa está hirviendo. — The soup is boiling.
• Hirvieron la leche antes de beberla. — They boiled the milk before drinking it.
• Espero que hierva pronto. — I hope it boils soon.
• Hierve las verduras hasta que estén tiernas. — Boil the vegetables until they are tender.

Regional and usage notes for Hervir

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some common second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos hervís el agua antes de beberla. — You boil the water before drinking it. (voseo)
• Herví el agua primero. — Boil the water first. (affirmative vos command)

For hervir, track the three stem families: hierv- in stressed present forms, herv- in unstressed and regular families, and hirv- in the third-person preterite, related subjunctive forms, and gerund.