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calentar

kah-lehn-TAHR/kalenˈtaɾ/

to heat up

Also: to warm up
VerbA1irregular stem-changing (e to ie) ar
A pot of soup sitting on a glowing stovetop burner with steam rising from it.
gerundcalentando
past Participlecalentado
infinitivecalentar

📝 In Action

Voy a calentar la sopa en el microondas.

A1

I'm going to heat up the soup in the microwave.

El sol calienta la arena de la playa.

A2

The sun warms up the sand on the beach.

Si tienes frío, este radiador calienta la habitación rápido.

B1

If you're cold, this radiator warms the room quickly.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • templar (to warm slightly)
  • entibiar (to make lukewarm)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • calentar la comida – to heat up the food
  • calentar motores – to warm up engines (also used figuratively)

to warm up

VerbA2irregular stem-changing (e to ie) ar
A person in athletic gear doing a dynamic leg stretch on a grassy field.
gerundcalentando
past Participlecalentado
infinitivecalentar

📝 In Action

Es importante calentar diez minutos antes de correr.

A2

It is important to warm up for ten minutes before running.

Los jugadores están calentando en el campo.

B1

The players are warming up on the field.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • calentar los músculos – to warm up the muscles

to rile up / to provoke

Also: to heat up
VerbB2irregular stem-changing (e to ie) arinformal
SpainLatin America
A cartoon bull with steam coming out of its nose looking very angry.
gerundcalentando
past Participlecalentado
infinitivecalentar

📝 In Action

Sus palabras calentaron el ambiente en la reunión.

B2

His words heated up the atmosphere in the meeting.

No me calientes, que hoy no tengo paciencia.

C1

Don't rile me up, I don't have patience today.

El debate se calentó cuando hablaron de impuestos.

B2

The debate heated up when they talked about taxes.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • calentar la cabeza – to fill someone's head with worries/nonsense
  • calentar el ambiente – to make the mood tense

Idioms & Expressions

  • calentarle la oreja a alguien – to talk someone's ear off or try to persuade/seduce them

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescalentaran
yocalentara
túcalentaras
vosotroscalentarais
nosotroscalentáramos
él/ella/ustedcalentara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescalienten
yocaliente
túcalientes
vosotroscalentéis
nosotroscalentemos
él/ella/ustedcaliente

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedescalentaron
yocalenté
túcalentaste
vosotroscalentasteis
nosotroscalentamos
él/ella/ustedcalentó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescalentaban
yocalentaba
túcalentabas
vosotroscalentabais
nosotroscalentábamos
él/ella/ustedcalentaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescalientan
yocaliento
túcalientas
vosotroscalentáis
nosotroscalentamos
él/ella/ustedcalienta
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: calentar

Question 1 of 3

How do you say 'I heat up' in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'calentāre,' which means 'to make hot,' derived from 'calēns' (being warm).

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: chaufferPortuguese: aquecer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'calentar' a regular verb?

Almost! It follows regular -ar patterns except for a small spelling change: the 'e' becomes 'ie' when it's the stressed part of the word (like in 'caliento' or 'calienta').

What is the difference between 'calentar' and 'cocinar'?

'Cocinar' means to cook or prepare a meal from scratch. 'Calentar' simply means to increase the temperature of something that might already be cooked.

Can I use 'calentar' to talk about the weather?

Yes! You can say 'El sol calienta mucho hoy' (The sun is heating/warming a lot today).