Enfriar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

enfriar means "to cool" 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. Enfriar means to cool something down: enfriar la bebida, enfriar la sopa. It is also used figuratively: enfriar la relación means for a relationship to cool. With se it means to catch a cold: enfriarse. 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 enfriar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the enfriar present tense page.

enfriar 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 enfrío la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge"
  2. Mi amigo enfría la sopa con un poco de agua — "My friend cools the soup with a little water"
  3. Mañana, tú enfriarás el motor con aire — "Tomorrow, you will cool the engine with air"
  4. Yo enfriaría el ambiente de la sala si pudiera — "I would cool the atmosphere in the room 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 enfrié la bebida en la nevera — "Yesterday, I cooled the drink in the fridge"
  2. Antes, nosotros enfriábamos la sopa con un poco de agua — "Before, we used to cool the soup with a little water"
  3. Él ha enfriado el motor con aire — "He has cooled the engine with air"
  4. Yo ya había enfriado el ambiente de la sala antes de salir — "I already had cooled the atmosphere in the room 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 enfríe la bebida en la nevera — "I hope he cools the drink in the fridge"
  2. Si yo enfriara la sopa con un poco de agua, todo cambiaría — "If I cooled the soup with a little water, everything would change"
  3. Enfría el motor con aire. — "Cool the engine with air."
  4. Yo habría enfriado el ambiente de la sala con más tiempo — "I would have cooled the atmosphere in the room with more time"

enfriar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use enfriar 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 enfrío la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge"
  • Marcos: Él enfría la sopa con un poco de agua — "He cools the soup with a little water"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo enfrié el motor con aire — "Yesterday, I cooled the engine with air"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú enfriarás el ambiente de la sala — "Tomorrow, you will cool the atmosphere in the room"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Enfría la relación entre ambos. — "Cool the relationship between them."
  • Lucía: Él ha enfriado la bebida en la nevera — "He has cooled the drink in the fridge"
  • Marcos: Espero que él enfríe la sopa con un poco de agua — "I hope he cools the soup with a little water"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo enfriaba el motor con aire — "Before, I used to cool the engine with air"

Common mistakes with enfriar

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

✗ *Espero que él enfría el ambiente de la sala

✓ Correct: Espero que él enfríe el ambiente de la sala

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él enfríe el ambiente de la sala — not the indicative Espero que él enfría el ambiente de la sala.

✗ *Ayer, yo enfrío la relación entre ambos

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo enfrié la relación entre ambos

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enfrié la relación entre ambos.

✗ *De niño, yo enfrié la bebida en la nevera todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo enfriaba la bebida en la nevera todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo enfriaba la bebida en la nevera todos los días.

✗ *Yo enfrío en el motor con aire.

✓ Correct: Yo enfrío el motor con aire.

enfriar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo enfrío el motor con aire.

✗ *Vosotros enfriais la sopa con un poco de agua.

✓ Correct: Vosotros enfriáis la sopa con un poco de agua.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: enfriáis, not enfriais.

Quiz: enfriar in use

Ten questions on enfriar — 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 ______ la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge" (present) A. enfría B. enfriamos C. enfrío D. enfrías

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la sopa con un poco de agua — "Yesterday, I cooled the soup with a little water" (preterite) A. enfriamos B. enfrié C. enfriaste D. enfrió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el motor con aire — "Before, we used to cool the engine with air" (imperfect) A. enfriabais B. enfriábamos C. enfriaba D. enfriabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el ambiente de la sala — "Tomorrow, you will cool the atmosphere in the room" (future) A. enfriará B. enfriaremos C. enfriarás D. enfriaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la relación entre ambos — "I would cool the relationship between them" (conditional) A. enfriaríamos B. enfriaríais C. enfriaría D. enfriarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la bebida en la nevera — "He has cooled the drink in the fridge" (present perfect) A. he enfriado B. has enfriado C. hemos enfriado D. ha enfriado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la sopa con un poco de agua — "I hope he cools the soup with a little water" (present subjunctive) A. enfríe B. enfríes C. enfriemos D. enfriéis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el motor con aire. — "Cool the engine with air." (affirmative imperative) A. enfriad B. enfría C. enfríe D. enfriemos

  9. Which is the gerund of enfriar, used with estar for the progressive? A. enfriado B. enfrío C. enfrié D. enfriando

  10. What does enfriar mean in English? A. to cross B. to cool C. to cool, to refresh D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. enfrío — The present form for yo is enfrío.
  2. enfrié — The preterite form for yo is enfrié.
  3. enfriábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is enfriábamos.
  4. enfriarás — The future form for tú is enfriarás.
  5. enfriaría — The conditional form for yo is enfriaría.
  6. ha enfriado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha enfriado.
  7. enfríe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is enfríe.
  8. enfría — The affirmative imperative form is enfría.
  9. enfriando — The gerund of enfriar is enfriando: estoy enfriando. The participle enfriado is used with haber instead.
  10. to cool — enfriar means to cool.

Frequently asked questions

What does enfriar mean in English?

enfriar means to cool. For example: Yo enfrío la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with enfriar?

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

Is enfriar regular?

Yes. enfriar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise enfriar?

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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