Refrescar

Refrescar is a Spanish verb with a broad range of meanings centered on making something feel cooler, fresher, or more renewed. The primary sense is physical: to lower temperature or to refresh the body or a surface. It can also describe making a space or object more pleasant after heat or wear, and it can be used reflexively to denote cooling down or reviving oneself, as in refrescarse.

Beyond physical cooling, refrescar is used metaphorically to renew or update something non-material. Common expressions include refrescar la memoria, meaning to help someone remember or recall information, and refrescarse, to refresh oneself or to feel rejuvenated. In everyday language, the verb also appears in technical contexts to indicate renewing or reloading content.

In computing and digital media, refrescar frequently refers to reloading the current view to fetch the latest content, as in refrescar la página (refresh the page) or refrescar la pantalla (redraw the display). This use is closely related to the general sense of restoring freshness and is often paired or contrasted with actualizar, which is more specifically “to update” with new data.

Etymology and grammar: refrescar derives from the noun refresco, meaning a refreshment or something that restores freshness. It is a regular verb of the -ar group. Examples of conjugation in the present tense include: yo refresco, tú refrescas, él refresca, nosotros refrescamos, vosotros refrescáis, ellos refrescan. The preterite forms are: yo refresqué, tú refrescaste, él refrescó, nosotros refrescamos, vosotros refrescasteis, ellos refrescaron. The gerund is refrescando, and the past participle is refrescado.