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rociar

rro-syahrroˈθjaɾ

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

to spray, to sprinkle

Also: to bedew
VerbA2regular with accent changes ar
A hand holding a spray bottle, releasing a fine mist of water onto a green plant.
gerundrociando
past Participlerociado
infinitiverociar

📝 In Action

Tienes que rociar las plantas cada mañana.

A2

You have to spray the plants every morning.

Ella se roció un poco de perfume antes de salir.

B1

She sprayed a bit of perfume on herself before leaving.

El jardinero roció el césped para refrescarlo.

B1

The gardener sprinkled the lawn to cool it down.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • rociar con agua – to spray with water
  • rociar perfume – to spray perfume

to sprinkle

VerbB1regular with accent changes ar
A hand holding a spoon, shaking white sugar over a golden brown muffin.

📝 In Action

Rocía un poco de azúcar sobre el pastel.

B1

Sprinkle a little sugar over the cake.

El chef roció sal fina sobre el pescado.

B1

The chef sprinkled fine salt over the fish.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • espolvorear (to dust/sprinkle (specifically for powders))

Common Collocations

  • rociar azúcar – to sprinkle sugar

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrociaran
yorociara
túrociaras
vosotrosrociarais
nosotrosrociáramos
él/ella/ustedrociara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrocíen
yorocíe
túrocíes
vosotrosrociéis
nosotrosrociemos
él/ella/ustedrocíe

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrociaron
yorocié
túrociaste
vosotrosrociasteis
nosotrosrociamos
él/ella/ustedroció

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrociaban
yorociaba
túrociabas
vosotrosrociabais
nosotrosrociábamos
él/ella/ustedrociaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrocían
yorocío
túrocías
vosotrosrociáis
nosotrosrociamos
él/ella/ustedrocía
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "rociar" in Spanish:

to bedew→to spray→to sprinkle→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: rociar

Question 1 of 3

Which form of 'rociar' is correct for 'I spray'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
rocío(dew) — Noun
rociador(sprayer / spray bottle) — Noun
rociada(a sprinkling / a spraying) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Derived from the Latin word 'roscidus', which means 'dewy', coming from 'ros' (dew). It originally described the way dew appears on grass in the morning.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: rociarItalian: rugiada (dew)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'rociar' only apply to water?

No! You can 'rociar' perfume, chemicals, sugar, salt, or even words (metaphorically). It basically refers to applying anything in small drops or particles.

Is it a regular verb?

Mostly, but it has a small twist: it adds an accent mark on the 'i' in most present tense forms (rocío, rocías, rocía, rocían) to maintain the correct pronunciation.

What is the difference between 'rociar' and 'regar'?

'Regar' is specifically 'to water' (like using a hose or watering can for plants), while 'rociar' is 'to spray' (a finer mist or light sprinkling).