Inklingo

How to Say "to dip" in Spanish

English → Spanish

mojar

/moh-HAR//moˈxaɾ/

verbA2informal
Use 'mojar' when dipping food into a drink or sauce, like a cookie into milk or chips into salsa.
A hand holding a golden cookie and dipping it into a glass of white milk.

Examples

Me encanta mojar el pan en aceite de oliva.

I love to dip bread in olive oil.

Me gusta mojar las galletas en la leche.

I like to dip the cookies in the milk.

No te olvides de mojar el pan en la salsa.

Don't forget to dip the bread in the sauce.

Using 'en'

When dipping food, always use the word 'en' to say what you are dipping it into.

sumergir

/soo-mair-HEER//sumerˈxiɾ/

verbB1
Use 'sumergir' when you need to fully submerge something in a liquid, often for a specific purpose like blanching or cleaning.
A small red toy boat being pushed completely underwater in a clear blue pool.

Examples

Hay que sumergir las verduras en agua helada para detener la cocción.

You have to dip the vegetables in ice water to stop the cooking.

Debes sumergir los tomates en agua hirviendo.

You should dip the tomatoes in boiling water.

El submarino se empezó a sumergir lentamente.

The submarine began to submerge slowly.

Sumergí mi cabeza en la piscina para refrescarme.

I dipped my head in the pool to cool off.

The 'G' to 'J' Swap

To keep the strong 'H' sound, the 'g' changes to a 'j' whenever the next letter is an 'a' or an 'o' (like in 'yo sumerjo').

Using it with 'en'

In Spanish, we always use the word 'en' (in) after sumergir to say what something is being dipped into.

Spelling Error with 'Yo'

Mistake: “Yo sumergo.”

Correction: Yo sumerjo. In Spanish, 'go' sounds like 'go' in 'gold'. To get the 'H' sound, we need the 'j'.

bañar

verbB2
Use 'bañar' when the intention is to coat something completely with a liquid or sauce, like dipping strawberries in chocolate.

Examples

Vamos a bañar los churros en caramelo.

We are going to dip the churros in caramel.

Choosing between 'mojar' and 'bañar'

Learners often confuse 'mojar' and 'bañar'. Remember that 'mojar' implies a quick dip, usually for eating, while 'bañar' suggests coating the entire item.

Related Translations

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