Derretir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb derretir means to melt, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, derretir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: derretir
  • English: to melt
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: derritiendo
  • Past participle: derretido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + derretido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for derretir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for derretir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derrito | | tú | derrites | | él/ella/Ud. | derrite | | nosotros/as | derretimos | | vosotros/as | derretís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derriten |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derretí | | tú | derretiste | | él/ella/Ud. | derritió | | nosotros/as | derretimos | | vosotros/as | derretisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derritieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derretía | | tú | derretías | | él/ella/Ud. | derretía | | nosotros/as | derretíamos | | vosotros/as | derretíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derretían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derretiré | | tú | derretirás | | él/ella/Ud. | derretirá | | nosotros/as | derretiremos | | vosotros/as | derretiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derretirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derretiría | | tú | derretirías | | él/ella/Ud. | derretiría | | nosotros/as | derretiríamos | | vosotros/as | derretiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derretirían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he derretido | | tú | has derretido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha derretido | | nosotros/as | hemos derretido | | vosotros/as | habéis derretido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han derretido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había derretido | | tú | habías derretido | | él/ella/Ud. | había derretido | | nosotros/as | habíamos derretido | | vosotros/as | habíais derretido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían derretido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré derretido | | tú | habrás derretido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá derretido | | nosotros/as | habremos derretido | | vosotros/as | habréis derretido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán derretido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría derretido | | tú | habrías derretido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría derretido | | nosotros/as | habríamos derretido | | vosotros/as | habríais derretido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían derretido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derrita | | tú | derritas | | él/ella/Ud. | derrita | | nosotros/as | derritamos | | vosotros/as | derritáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derritan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | derritiera | | tú | derritieras | | él/ella/Ud. | derritiera | | nosotros/as | derritiéramos | | vosotros/as | derritierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derritieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | derrite | | él/ella/Ud. | derrita | | nosotros/as | derritamos | | vosotros/as | derretid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derritan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | derritas | | él/ella/Ud. | derrita | | nosotros/as | derritamos | | vosotros/as | derritáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | derritan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund derritiendo with estar for the progressive: está derritiendo
Past participle derretido with haber for the perfect tenses: he derretido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For derretir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas — "I melt the chocolate in the microwave".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: derritió, derritieron. The gerund changes too: derritiendo. For derretir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo derretí la mantequilla en la sartén — "Yesterday, I melted the butter in the pan".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo derretía el hielo al sol — "As a child, I used to melt the ice in the sun".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo derretiré el queso sobre la pizza — "Tomorrow, I will melt the cheese on the pizza".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo derretiría el chocolate en el microondas si pudiera — "I would melt the chocolate in the microwave if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he derretido la mantequilla en la sartén — "Today, I have melted the butter in the pan".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había derretido el hielo al sol antes de salir — "I already had melted the ice in the sun before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré derretido el queso sobre la pizza — "By tomorrow, I will have melted the cheese on the pizza".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For derretir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría derretido el chocolate en el microondas con más tiempo — "I would have melted the chocolate in the microwave with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For derretir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él derrita la mantequilla en la sartén — "I hope he melts the butter in the pan".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For derretir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo derritiera el hielo al sol, todo cambiaría — "If I melted the ice in the sun, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For derretir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Derrite el queso sobre la pizza. — "Melt the cheese on the pizza.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For derretir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No derritas el chocolate en el microondas. — "Do not melt the chocolate in the microwave.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with derretir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo derretí el hielo al sol — "Yesterday, I melted the ice in the sun"
  4. Antes, nosotros derretíamos el queso sobre la pizza — "Before, we used to melt the cheese on the pizza"
  5. Mañana, tú derretirás la nieve en primavera — "Tomorrow, you will melt the snow in spring"
  6. Yo derretiría el chocolate en el microondas si tuviera más tiempo — "I would melt the chocolate in the microwave if I had more time"
  7. Él ha derretido la mantequilla en la sartén — "He has melted the butter in the pan"
  8. Espero que él derrita el hielo al sol — "I hope he melts the ice in the sun"
  9. Yo ya había derretido el queso sobre la pizza antes de salir — "I already had melted the cheese on the pizza before leaving"
  10. Ellos derretían la nieve en primavera cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to melt the snow in spring when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo derreto la mantequilla en la sartén. — Right: Yo derrito la mantequilla en la sartén. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él derrite la mantequilla en la sartén — Right: Espero que él derrita la mantequilla en la sartén — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él derrita la mantequilla en la sartén — not the indicative Espero que él derrite la mantequilla en la sartén.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo derrito el hielo al sol — Right: Ayer, yo derretí el hielo al sol — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo derretí el hielo al sol.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo derretí el queso sobre la pizza todos los días — Right: De niño, yo derretía el queso sobre la pizza todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo derretía el queso sobre la pizza todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo derrito en el chocolate en el microondas. — Right: Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas. — derretir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo derrito el chocolate en el microondas.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on derretir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ la mantequilla en la sartén — "He melted the butter in the pan" (preterite) A. derretiste B. derretimos C. derritió D. derretí

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el queso sobre la pizza — "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: Espero que él ______ el chocolate en el microondas — "I hope he melts the chocolate in the microwave" (present subjunctive) A. derritamos B. derritáis C. derrita D. derritas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la mantequilla en la sartén, todo cambiaría — "If I melted the butter in the pan, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. derritiéramos B. derritierais C. derritiera D. derritieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el hielo al sol — "We have melted the ice in the sun" (present perfect) A. he derretido B. has derretido C. ha derretido D. hemos derretido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el queso sobre la pizza. — "Do not melt the cheese on the pizza." (negative imperative) A. derritamos B. derritáis C. derritas D. derrita

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

Answer key

  1. derrito — The present form for yo is derrito.
  2. derritió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is derritió.
  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. derrita — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is derrita.
  7. derritiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is derritiera.
  8. hemos derretido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos derretido.
  9. derritas — The negative imperative form is derritas.
  10. derritiendo — The gerund of derretir is derritiendo: estoy derritiendo. The participle derretido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does derretir mean in English?

derretir means to melt. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of derretir?

The gerund is derritiendo and the past participle is derretido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I melt" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo derretí la mantequilla en la sartén — "Yesterday, I melted the butter in the pan". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo derretía el hielo al sol — "As a child, I used to melt the ice in the sun". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he derretido la mantequilla en la sartén — "Today, I have melted the butter in the pan".

What is the difference between derretir and fundir?

Fundir is the near-synonym for melting, often used for metals. Derretir is the everyday verb for chocolate, butter, ice and snow. 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.

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