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How to Say "to strain" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “to strain” is “escurrir” — use 'escurrir' when separating a solid food item from its liquid, like draining pasta or washing vegetables..

English → Spanish

escurrir

/es-koo-reer//eskuˈriɾ/

verbA2cooking
Use 'escurrir' when separating a solid food item from its liquid, like draining pasta or washing vegetables.
A metal colander filled with cooked pasta, with water droplets falling through the holes into a sink.

Examples

Tienes que escurrir la pasta antes de servirla.

You have to drain the pasta before serving it.

Deja escurrir los platos sobre el fregadero.

Let the dishes drip dry over the sink.

El paraguas está escurriendo agua por todo el pasillo.

The umbrella is dripping water all over the hallway.

Action vs. Result

Use 'escurrir' when you are actively removing water (like with a colander) or when an object is naturally losing its water.

Escurrir vs. Escuchar

Mistake: “Escucha la pasta.”

Correction: Escurre la pasta. 'Escuchar' means 'to listen,' but they sound similar to beginners!

colar

/ko-lar//koˈlaɾ/

verbA2cooking
Use 'colar' when passing a liquid through a sieve or filter to remove small solids, typically in cooking or beverage preparation.
A person pouring liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl.

Examples

Tienes que colar el caldo antes de servirlo.

You have to strain the broth before serving it.

Cuela el café con cuidado.

Strain the coffee carefully.

He colado el zumo porque no me gusta la pulpa.

I strained the juice because I don't like the pulp.

The Stem Change Rule

This word changes its middle 'o' to 'ue' when you stress it (cuelo, cuelas), but it stays 'o' when the stress is at the end (colamos, coláis).

Forgetting the 'ue'

Mistake: “Yo colo el zumo.”

Correction: Yo cuelo el zumo because the 'o' changes to 'ue' in the present tense for the 'I' form.

filtrar

/feel-TRAR//filˈtɾaɾ/

verbA2cooking, chemistry
Use 'filtrar' when purifying a liquid or gas by passing it through a filter, common in contexts like water purification or scientific experiments.
Clear water dripping through a white cone-shaped filter into a glass jar.

Examples

Necesitamos filtrar el agua del río antes de beberla.

We need to filter the river water before drinking it.

Las nubes filtran la luz del sol.

The clouds filter the sunlight.

Puedes filtrar los resultados de búsqueda por precio.

You can filter the search results by price.

Filtering physical things vs. digital things

Just like in English, 'filtrar' works for both cleaning water and sorting through data on a computer.

Confusing with 'colar'

Mistake: “Using 'filtrar' when straining pasta.”

Correction: Use 'colar' for kitchen tasks like draining pasta, and 'filtrar' for more thorough processes like water purification.

esforzar

/es-for-sar//esforˈθar/

verbB2physical
Use 'esforzar' when talking about overexerting a body part, such as your eyes, voice, or muscles, often implying damage or fatigue.
A singer on a stage with their mouth wide open, hand on their throat, showing they are pushing their voice.

Examples

No debes esforzar la vista leyendo con poca luz.

You shouldn't strain your eyes reading in low light.

El cantante esforzó la voz y ahora no puede hablar.

The singer strained his voice and now he can't talk.

No 'se' required

Unlike when you 'make an effort,' when you are straining a body part, you don't use the 'se' pronoun. It's an action you do TO your eyes or voice.

Cooking vs. Physical Strain

The most common confusion is using a cooking term like 'colar' or 'escurrir' for physical exertion. Remember that 'esforzar' is for overusing body parts like eyes or voice, not for separating liquids from solids in the kitchen.

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