impregnar
“impregnar” means “to soak” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to soak, to saturateAlso: to permeate
📝 In Action
Tienes que impregnar el algodón con alcohol.
B1You have to soak the cotton with alcohol.
El olor a café impregnaba toda la casa.
B2The smell of coffee permeated the whole house.
La lluvia impregnó su ropa por completo.
B1The rain completely saturated his clothes.
Word Connections
to imbue, to infuse
📝 In Action
El autor logró impregnar su obra de melancolía.
C1The author managed to imbue his work with melancholy.
Sus palabras estaban impregnadas de sabiduría.
C1His words were infused with wisdom.
Word Connections
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "impregnar" in Spanish:
✏️ 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
📚 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)
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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.