cocinar
“cocinar” means “to cook” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to cook
Also: to prepare (a meal)
📝 In Action
Mi abuela siempre cocina la cena los domingos.
A1My grandmother always cooks dinner on Sundays.
¿Qué vas a cocinar hoy? Tengo mucha hambre.
A1What are you going to cook today? I'm very hungry.
Ella está cocinando un pastel de manzana en el horno.
A2She is baking an apple pie in the oven.
to concoct, to arrange
Also: to fix up
📝 In Action
Tuvieron que cocinar una excusa creíble para el jefe.
B1They had to concoct a believable excuse for the boss.
El director cocinó los números para que parecieran mejores.
B2The director cooked the books (falsified the numbers) so they would look better.
Están cocinando un plan para fusionar las dos empresas.
B2They are arranging a plan to merge the two companies.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: cocinar
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'cocinar' in its figurative sense (meaning to scheme or arrange)?
📚 More Resources
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes from the Latin verb *coquīnāre*, which simply meant 'to cook' or 'to prepare food,' and is related to the word for kitchen, *coquīna*.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
¿Se puede usar 'cocinar' para hornear (to bake)?
Yes, 'cocinar' is a general term and can include baking, frying, boiling, etc. However, if you want to be specific, you can use 'hornear' (to bake) or 'freír' (to fry).
Is 'cocinar' reflexive (like 'cocinarse')?
It can be! If you say 'Me cociné una sopa' (I cooked myself a soup), it means you prepared food specifically for yourself. It is not common, but perfectly correct.