Enfriar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb enfriar means to cool, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, enfriar 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 enfrío la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge". 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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: enfriar
  • English: to cool
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: enfriando
  • Past participle: enfriado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + enfriado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfrío | | tú | enfrías | | él/ella/Ud. | enfría | | nosotros/as | enfriamos | | vosotros/as | enfriáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfrían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfrié | | tú | enfriaste | | él/ella/Ud. | enfrió | | nosotros/as | enfriamos | | vosotros/as | enfriasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfriaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfriaba | | tú | enfriabas | | él/ella/Ud. | enfriaba | | nosotros/as | enfriábamos | | vosotros/as | enfriabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfriaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfriaré | | tú | enfriarás | | él/ella/Ud. | enfriará | | nosotros/as | enfriaremos | | vosotros/as | enfriaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfriarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfriaría | | tú | enfriarías | | él/ella/Ud. | enfriaría | | nosotros/as | enfriaríamos | | vosotros/as | enfriaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfriarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfríe | | tú | enfríes | | él/ella/Ud. | enfríe | | nosotros/as | enfriemos | | vosotros/as | enfriéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfríen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | enfriara | | tú | enfriaras | | él/ella/Ud. | enfriara | | nosotros/as | enfriáramos | | vosotros/as | enfriarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfriaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | enfría | | él/ella/Ud. | enfríe | | nosotros/as | enfriemos | | vosotros/as | enfriad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfríen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | enfríes | | él/ella/Ud. | enfríe | | nosotros/as | enfriemos | | vosotros/as | enfriéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | enfríen |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo enfrío la bebida en la nevera — "I cool the drink in the fridge".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo enfrié la sopa con un poco de agua — "Yesterday, I cooled the soup with a little water".

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 enfriar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo enfriaba el motor con aire — "As a child, I used to cool the engine with air".

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 enfriar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo enfriaré el ambiente de la sala — "Tomorrow, I will cool the atmosphere in the room".

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 enfriar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo enfriaría la bebida en la nevera si pudiera — "I would cool the drink in the fridge 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 enfriar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he enfriado la sopa con un poco de agua — "Today, I have cooled the soup with a little water".

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 enfriar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había enfriado el motor con aire antes de salir — "I already had cooled the engine with air 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 enfriar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré enfriado el ambiente de la sala — "By tomorrow, I will have cooled the atmosphere in the room".

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 enfriar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría enfriado la bebida en la nevera con más tiempo — "I would have cooled the drink in the fridge with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él enfríe la sopa con un poco de agua — "I hope he cools the soup with a little water".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo enfriara el motor con aire, todo cambiaría — "If I cooled the engine with air, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Enfría el ambiente de la sala. — "Cool the atmosphere in the room.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For enfriar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No enfríes la bebida en la nevera. — "Do not cool the drink in the fridge.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo enfrié el motor con aire — "Yesterday, I cooled the engine with air"
  4. Antes, nosotros enfriábamos el ambiente de la sala — "Before, we used to cool the atmosphere in the room"
  5. Mañana, tú enfriarás la relación entre ambos — "Tomorrow, you will cool the relationship between them"
  6. Yo enfriaría la bebida en la nevera si tuviera más tiempo — "I would cool the drink in the fridge if I had more time"
  7. Él ha enfriado la sopa con un poco de agua — "He has cooled the soup with a little water"
  8. Espero que él enfríe el motor con aire — "I hope he cools the engine with air"
  9. Yo ya había enfriado el ambiente de la sala antes de salir — "I already had cooled the atmosphere in the room before leaving"
  10. Ellos enfriaban la relación entre ambos cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to cool the relationship between them when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él enfría la sopa con un poco de agua — Right: Espero que él enfríe la sopa con un poco de agua — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él enfríe la sopa con un poco de agua — not the indicative Espero que él enfría la sopa con un poco de agua.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo enfrío el motor con aire — Right: Ayer, yo enfrié el motor con aire — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enfrié el motor con aire.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo enfrié el ambiente de la sala todos los días — Right: De niño, yo enfriaba el ambiente de la sala todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo enfriaba el ambiente de la sala todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo enfrío en la bebida en la nevera. — Right: Yo enfrío la bebida en la nevera. — enfriar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo enfrío la bebida en la nevera.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros enfriais la relación entre ambos. — Right: Vosotros enfriáis la relación entre ambos. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: enfriáis, not enfriais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ la sopa con un poco de agua — "He cooled the soup with a little water" (preterite) A. enfrié B. enfriaste C. enfriamos D. enfrió

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el ambiente de la sala — "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: Espero que él ______ la bebida en la nevera — "I hope he cools the drink in the fridge" (present subjunctive) A. enfriemos B. enfriéis C. enfríe D. enfríes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la sopa con un poco de agua, todo cambiaría — "If I cooled the soup with a little water, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. enfriaras B. enfriáramos C. enfriarais D. enfriara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el motor con aire — "We have cooled the engine with air" (present perfect) A. he enfriado B. has enfriado C. ha enfriado D. hemos enfriado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el ambiente de la sala. — "Do not cool the atmosphere in the room." (negative imperative) A. enfriemos B. enfriéis C. enfríes D. enfríe

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

Answer key

  1. enfrío — The present form for yo is enfrío.
  2. enfrió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is enfrió.
  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. enfríe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is enfríe.
  7. enfriara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is enfriara.
  8. hemos enfriado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos enfriado.
  9. enfríes — The negative imperative form is enfríes.
  10. enfriando — The gerund of enfriar is enfriando: estoy enfriando. The participle enfriado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does enfriar mean in English?

enfriar means to cool. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as enfriáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of enfriar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo enfrié la sopa con un poco de agua — "Yesterday, I cooled the soup with a little water". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo enfriaba el motor con aire — "As a child, I used to cool the engine with air". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he enfriado la sopa con un poco de agua — "Today, I have cooled the soup with a little water".

What is the difference between enfriar and refrescar?

Refrescar is to refresh or cool someone or something pleasantly, such as with a drink. Enfriar is the plain verb for cooling food, engines and rooms. 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.

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