cocinar

Cocinar is a Spanish verb that means to prepare food by applying heat, through methods such as boiling, frying, baking, roasting, or grilling. It covers the act of turning raw ingredients into meals and can also refer to the broader culinary process. In many dialects, it contrasts with cocer, which often emphasizes boiling or simmering.

Usage and context: cocinar is used for home cooking as well as professional food preparation. Phrases such as cocinar al horno (cook in the oven), cocinar a fuego lento (cook over low heat), and cocinar al vapor (steam) are common. The noun cocina denotes the kitchen or the act of cooking, while cocinado or cocida describes something that has been cooked. Related terms include cocinero/cocinera (cook) and la cocción (the act or process of cooking).

Grammar and conjugation: Cocinar is a regular -ar verb. In the present indicative, the forms are: yo cocino, tú cocinas, él/ella cocina, nosotros cocinamos, vosotros cocináis, ellos cocinan. Other tenses follow standard -ar patterns (for example, pretérito: cociné, cocinaste, cocinó, cocinamos, cocinasteis, cocinaron). The past participle is cocinado, and the gerund is cocinando.

Origin and related terms: The verb is derived from the noun cocina (kitchen), which itself comes from Latin coquina, via the evolution of cooking-related vocabulary in the Romance languages. The formation of cocinar uses the common suffix -ar to indicate the action of performing the verb’s root activity. In usage, cocinar remains the standard term for “to cook” in most Spanish-speaking regions, though cocer and asar may be preferred for specific techniques in some dialects.