It is possible to turn nouns into verbs in Spanish. This process is very popular. This is achieved by adding suffixes or changing the suffix of the noun to create a verb form. Sometimes a prefix should be added, too. It’s important to note that not all nouns can be easily converted into verbs, and the process may vary depending on the specific noun.
How to Turn Nouns into Verbs in Spanish
In this article, we will review how to turn nouns into verbs in Spanish. Look at these sets of words and notice how –
Suffix –ar
You can turn nouns into verbs in Spanish by adding the suffix –
| la planta | plantar |
| la mezcla | mezclar |
| la culpa | culpar |
| la ayuda | ayudar |
| la idea | idear |
Los jardineros han plantado árboles donde tuvo lugar un incendio.
The gardeners have have planted trees where a fire took place.
Mezcla bien los colores. La mezcla tiene que tener un tono homogéneo.
Mix the colors well. The mix has to have an homogeneous hue.
¡No me puedes culpar a mí, Ana María! No me ayudaste nada con el trabajo de clase, así que el suspenso es culpa tuya.
You cannot blame me, Ana María! You didn’t help me at all with the class work, so the fail is your fault.
Josefa siempre está ideando cosas nuevas; ahora quiere plantar palmeras en el jardín.
Josefa is always thinking up new things; now she wants to plant palm trees in the garden.
Masculine nouns that end with –
| el patín | patinar |
| el almacén | almacenar |
| el orden | ordenar |
| el perdón | perdonar |
| la mención | mencionar |
| la gestión | gestionar |
¡Ponte los patines y vamos a patinar!
Put on your rollers and let’s go skating.
Ellos almacenan naranjas para el verano.
They store oranges for the summer.
Ordeno mi habitación el sábado por la mañana.
I tidy up my room on Saturday morning.
José y Diego están muy enfadados. Pero creo que nos van a perdonar.
José and Diego are very angry. But I think that they’ll forgive us.
El actor menciona que le gusta mucho ver el fútbol.
The actor mentions that he really likes watching soccer.
Recuerdo cuando gestionaba yo mismo todo lo relacionado con el colegio.
I remember when I managed everything at the school myself.
You can also turn nouns into verbs in Spanish by adding –
| el horno | hornear |
| el paseo | pasear |
| el deseo | desear |
| el teléfono | telefonear |
Antes de servirlo, tienes que hornearlo en la parte superior del horno.
Before serving it, you have to bake it in the top part of the oven.
En verano, es muy bonito ir a pasear por la noche.
In summer, it’s very nice to go for a walk at night.
Pedro ha llamado porque deseaba hablar contigo.
Pedro has phoned because he wanted to talk to you.
Lucas se va, pero podemos telefonearlo luego.
Lucas leaves, but we can phone him later.
Prefix en –
Sometimes when you turn nouns into verbs in Spanish, you need to add the prefix
| la harina | enharinar |
| la cabeza | encabezar |
| el amor | enamorar |
| la cárcel | encarcelar |
Enharina bien el pescado antes de freírlo.
Flour the fish well before frying it.
El presidente encabezó la ceremonia de inauguración.
The president led the inauguration ceremony.
¡Rubén se enamora dos veces al día!
Rubén falls in love twice a day!
Por fin han hecho justicia y han encarcelado a la persona responsable.
Finally justice has been done and they have imprisoned the person responsible.
Exercises
We have learned to turn nouns into verbs in Spanish. Now you can do some exercises to practice some of these Spanish verbs.