madurar
“madurar” means “to ripen” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
to ripen
Also: to grow
📝 In Action
Los plátanos maduran más rápido fuera de la nevera.
A2Bananas ripen faster outside of the fridge.
Deja que el aguacate madure un poco antes de comerlo.
B1Let the avocado ripen a bit before eating it.
El vino necesita tiempo para madurar en la barrica.
B2The wine needs time to age (ripen) in the barrel.
to mature
Also: to grow up
📝 In Action
Mi hermano ha madurado mucho desde que vive solo.
B1My brother has matured a lot since he's been living alone.
A veces las personas tardan en madurar.
B1Sometimes people take a long time to grow up/mature.
¡Ya es hora de que madures!
B2It's about time you grew up!
to develop
Also: to think through
📝 In Action
Necesitamos madurar la idea antes de presentarla al jefe.
B2We need to develop the idea further before presenting it to the boss.
El plan de negocio se está madurando poco a poco.
B2The business plan is being developed little by little.
Es una propuesta interesante, pero hay que madurarla.
C1It's an interesting proposal, but it needs to be thought through.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: madurar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly describes fruit becoming ready to eat?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'maturare', which means 'to make ripe' or 'to bring to full growth'.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'madurar' a regular verb?
Yes, it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.
Can 'madurar' be used for wine or cheese?
Yes! Just like in English, it is used to describe the aging process that makes food or drink better over time.
What is the difference between 'crecer' and 'madurar'?
'Crecer' is about physical size (getting taller/bigger), while 'madurar' is about internal readiness, personality growth, or the ripening of fruit.


