How to Say "to stiffen" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to stiffen” is “endurecer” — B1 level.
Examples
El frío puede endurecer la mantequilla rápidamente.
The cold can harden the butter quickly.
Tienes que dejar que el cemento se endurezca durante la noche.
You have to let the cement harden overnight.
El sol endureció el barro del camino.
The sun hardened the mud on the path.
The 'ZC' Spelling Change
For verbs like 'endurecer', when the ending starts with an 'o' or 'a', the 'c' changes to 'zc'. This is why we say 'yo endurezco' instead of 'endureco'.
Harden vs. Become Hard
To say 'something becomes hard on its own', add 'se' to the end: 'endurecerse'. Use 'endurecer' (without 'se') when something or someone else is doing the hardening.
The 'yo' form error
Mistake: “Yo endureco el material.”
Correction: Yo endurezco el material. (Always add the 'z' before 'c' when the next letter is 'o').
Related Translations
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