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impregnar

eem-preg-NAHR/im.pɾeɣˈnaɾ/

“impregnar” means “to soak” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to soak, to saturate

Also: to permeate
VerbB1regular ar
A thick blue sponge sitting on a wooden table, completely saturated and dripping with clear water.
gerundimpregnando
past Participleimpregnado
infinitiveimpregnar

📝 In Action

Tienes que impregnar el algodón con alcohol.

B1

You have to soak the cotton with alcohol.

El olor a café impregnaba toda la casa.

B2

The smell of coffee permeated the whole house.

La lluvia impregnó su ropa por completo.

B1

The rain completely saturated his clothes.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • empapar (to soak/drench)
  • penetrar (to penetrate)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • impregnar de – to soak with / fill with
  • quedar impregnado – to be left soaked/steeped in

to imbue, to infuse

VerbC1regular arformal
A small child standing in a bright garden, looking up with wonder as glowing golden light fills the air around them.

📝 In Action

El autor logró impregnar su obra de melancolía.

C1

The author managed to imbue his work with melancholy.

Sus palabras estaban impregnadas de sabiduría.

C1

His words were infused with wisdom.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • infundir (to instill/infuse)

Common Collocations

  • impregnar de entusiasmo – to fill with enthusiasm

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesimpregnaran
yoimpregnara
túimpregnaras
vosotrosimpregnarais
nosotrosimpregnáramos
él/ella/ustedimpregnara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesimpregnen
yoimpregne
túimpregnes
vosotrosimpregnéis
nosotrosimpregnemos
él/ella/ustedimpregne

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesimpregnaron
yoimpregné
túimpregnaste
vosotrosimpregnasteis
nosotrosimpregnamos
él/ella/ustedimpregnó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesimpregnaban
yoimpregnaba
túimpregnabas
vosotrosimpregnabais
nosotrosimpregnábamos
él/ella/ustedimpregnaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesimpregnan
yoimpregno
túimpregnas
vosotrosimpregnáis
nosotrosimpregnamos
él/ella/ustedimpregna
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "impregnar" in Spanish:

to imbue→to infuse→to permeate→to saturate→to soak→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: impregnar

Question 1 of 3

Which preposition usually follows 'impregnar' to indicate what substance is being used?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
impregnación(impregnation/soaking) — Noun
impregnado(soaked/saturated) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'impraegnare', which originally meant 'to make pregnant' or 'to fill up'. Over time, it evolved to describe filling or soaking any material with a substance.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: impregnateFrench: imprégner

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'impregnar' the same as 'mojar'?

'Mojar' just means to get something wet. 'Impregnar' is stronger; it means the liquid has gone all the way through or the object is totally saturated.

Can I use 'impregnar' for emotions?

Yes! It is very common in literature to say a story is 'impregnada de tristeza' (soaked/filled with sadness).

Is it a regular verb?

Yes, 'impregnar' follows the standard conjugation rules for all verbs ending in -ar.