hervir Present Subjunctive Conjugation
hervir — to boil
Hervir changes e > ie in most forms, but importantly shifts e > i in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
hervir Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of desire, doubt, or commands, like 'Espero que hierva' (I hope it boils).
Notes on hervir in the Present Subjunctive
Note the subtle difference: hierva (yo/él) but hirvamos (nosotros). The 'i' appears in the forms that are normally regular in the present indicative.
Example Sentences
Es importante que el agua hierva antes de añadir el arroz.
It is important that the water boils before adding the rice.
él/ella/usted
No quiero que hirvamos la carne demasiado.
I don't want us to boil the meat too much.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: hervamos
Correct: hirvamos
Why: In the subjunctive, -ir stem-changers like hervir change e to i in the nosotros form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: hiervo
Hervir is an e > ie stem-changer in the present (hiervo, hierves, hierve, hierven), except for nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: herví
Hervir has a 'slipper' stem change (e > i) only in the third-person forms: hirvió and hirvieron.
Imperfect
yo: hervía
Hervir is completely regular in the imperfect: hervía, hervías, hervía, hervíamos, hervíais, hervían.
Future
yo: herviré
Hervir is regular in the future; just add the endings to the infinitive: herviré, hervirás, etc.
Conditional
yo: herviría
The conditional uses the full infinitive 'hervir' plus the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: hirviera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'hirvier-' stem for all forms (hirviera, hirvieras, etc.).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: hierve
Use 'hierve' for tú and 'hierva' for usted to give direct cooking instructions.
Negative Imperative
yo: no hiervas
All negative commands for hervir are identical to the present subjunctive forms preceded by 'no'.