herir

Herir is a Spanish verb meaning to wound or injure, physically or emotionally. It can be used transitively (algo hiere a alguien) or reflexively (herirse) to indicate harm done to oneself. In a figurative sense, it is common to say that a remark or event wounds someone.

Etymology and varieties: the verb derives from Latin ferire “to strike.” In the evolution of Spanish, the initial f- of Latin often became h- in early borrowings, giving modern herir. Some historical or regional texts may show the related verb ferir, but herir is the standard form in contemporary Spanish.

Conjugation overview: herir is irregular and exhibits a stem change in many tenses. Present indicative: yo hiero, tú hieres, él hiere, nosotros herimos, vosotros herís, ellos hieren. Preterite: yo herí, tú heriste, él hirió, nosotros herimos, vosotros heristeis, ellos hirieron. Imperfect: yo hería, tú herías, él hería, nosotros heríamos, vosotros heríais, ellos herían. Future: yo heriré, tú herirás, él herirá, nosotros heriremos, vosotros heriréis, ellos herirán. Present subjunctive: hiera, hieras, hiera, heramos, heráis, hieran. Imperfect subjunctive: hiriera (o hiriese), hirieras, hiriera, hiriéramos, hiriérais, hirieran. Present participle: hiriendo; past participle: herido.

Usage notes: aside from bodily injury, herir commonly appears in contexts of emotional or moral impact, as in "uncleared insult that wounds pride." The reflexive form “herirse” is used for injuries one inflicts on oneself, e.g., "Se hirió la mano." Common synonyms include dañar, lastimar, and herir can pair with prepositional phrases such as "herir a alguien" or "herirse de orgullo."

See also: herida (wound), heridor (wounding agent).