helar
to freeze
Reviewed by: David WestfallCofounder
To turn something to ice
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
visual
Helar means to freeze and is hielo0 turned into a verb, so to helar something is to ice it over.
helar
to freeze
To make something turn to ice.
El frío heló las tuberías anocheThe cold froze the pipes last night
La escarcha heló los cultivos del valleThe frost froze the crops in the valley
to freeze, to stun (with shock)
To shock someone so badly that they stop still, as if they've been frozen in place.
La noticia nos heló a todosThe news froze us all
Aquel grito en la oscuridad me helóThat scream in the dark stunned me
helarse
to freeze, to freeze over, to ice over
When something freezes or turns to ice on its own.
Las tuberías se helaron durante la tormentaThe pipes froze during the storm
El lago se hiela todos los inviernosThe lake freezes over every winter
to freeze, to be freezing (a person)
When someone is really cold, as if they're freezing. The reflexive se marks who is getting frozen.
Me helé esperando el autobúsI froze waiting for the bus
Ponte el abrigo, te vas a helarPut on your coat, you're going to be freezing