Derretir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

derretir means "to melt" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Derretir means to melt something with heat: derretir el chocolate, derretir la mantequilla. With se it means to melt by itself: el hielo se derrite al sol. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of derretir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the derretir present tense page.

derretir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave"
  2. Mi amigo derrite la mantequilla en la sartén — "My friend melts the butter in the pan"
  3. Mañana, tú derretirás el hielo al sol — "Tomorrow, you will melt the ice in the sun"
  4. Yo derretiría el queso sobre la pizza si pudiera — "I would melt the cheese on the pizza if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo derretí el chocolate en el microondas — "Yesterday, I melted the chocolate in the microwave"
  2. Antes, nosotros derretíamos la mantequilla en la sartén — "Before, we used to melt the butter in the pan"
  3. Él ha derretido el hielo al sol — "He has melted the ice in the sun"
  4. Yo ya había derretido el queso sobre la pizza antes de salir — "I already had melted the cheese on the pizza before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él derrita el chocolate en el microondas — "I hope he melts the chocolate in the microwave"
  2. Si yo derritiera la mantequilla en la sartén, todo cambiaría — "If I melted the butter in the pan, everything would change"
  3. Derrite el hielo al sol. — "Melt the ice in the sun."
  4. Yo habría derretido el queso sobre la pizza con más tiempo — "I would have melted the cheese on the pizza with more time"

derretir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use derretir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave"
  • Marcos: Él derrite la mantequilla en la sartén — "He melts the butter in the pan"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo derretí el hielo al sol — "Yesterday, I melted the ice in the sun"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú derretirás el queso sobre la pizza — "Tomorrow, you will melt the cheese on the pizza"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Derrite la nieve en primavera. — "Melt the snow in spring."
  • Lucía: Él ha derretido el chocolate en el microondas — "He has melted the chocolate in the microwave"
  • Marcos: Espero que él derrita la mantequilla en la sartén — "I hope he melts the butter in the pan"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo derretía el hielo al sol — "Before, I used to melt the ice in the sun"

Common mistakes with derretir

The errors learners actually make with derretir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo derreto el queso sobre la pizza.

✓ Correct: Yo derrito el queso sobre la pizza.

derretir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is derrito, not derreto.

✗ *Espero que él derrite el queso sobre la pizza

✓ Correct: Espero que él derrita el queso sobre la pizza

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él derrita el queso sobre la pizza — not the indicative Espero que él derrite el queso sobre la pizza.

✗ *Ayer, yo derrito la nieve en primavera

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo derretí la nieve en primavera

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo derretí la nieve en primavera.

✗ *De niño, yo derretí el chocolate en el microondas todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo derretía el chocolate en el microondas todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo derretía el chocolate en el microondas todos los días.

✗ *Yo derrito en el hielo al sol.

✓ Correct: Yo derrito el hielo al sol.

derretir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo derrito el hielo al sol.

Quiz: derretir in use

Ten questions on derretir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave" (present) A. derrite B. derretimos C. derrito D. derrites

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la mantequilla en la sartén — "Yesterday, I melted the butter in the pan" (preterite) A. derretí B. derretiste C. derritió D. derretimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el hielo al sol — "Before, we used to melt the ice in the sun" (imperfect) A. derretíais B. derretíamos C. derretía D. derretías

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el queso sobre la pizza — "Tomorrow, you will melt the cheese on the pizza" (future) A. derretirá B. derretiremos C. derretirás D. derretiré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la nieve en primavera — "I would melt the snow in spring" (conditional) A. derretiríamos B. derretiríais C. derretiría D. derretirías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el chocolate en el microondas — "He has melted the chocolate in the microwave" (present perfect) A. he derretido B. has derretido C. hemos derretido D. ha derretido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la mantequilla en la sartén — "I hope he melts the butter in the pan" (present subjunctive) A. derritas B. derritamos C. derritáis D. derrita

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el hielo al sol. — "Melt the ice in the sun." (affirmative imperative) A. derretid B. derrite C. derrita D. derritamos

  9. Which is the gerund of derretir, used with estar for the progressive? A. derretí B. derritiendo C. derretido D. derrito

  10. What does derretir mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to draw D. to melt

Answer key

  1. derrito — The present form for yo is derrito.
  2. derretí — The preterite form for yo is derretí.
  3. derretíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is derretíamos.
  4. derretirás — The future form for tú is derretirás.
  5. derretiría — The conditional form for yo is derretiría.
  6. ha derretido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha derretido.
  7. derrita — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is derrita.
  8. derrite — The affirmative imperative form is derrite.
  9. derritiendo — The gerund of derretir is derritiendo: estoy derritiendo. The participle derretido is used with haber instead.
  10. to melt — derretir means to melt.

Frequently asked questions

What does derretir mean in English?

derretir means to melt. For example: Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with derretir?

derretir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is derretir regular?

No. derretir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: derrito, derrites, derrite and derriten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: derretimos, derretís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: derritió, derritieron, and the gerund is derritiendo.

How do I practise derretir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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