empollar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish empollar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [əm.puˈʎa]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əm.poˈʎa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [em.poˈʎaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

empollar (first-person singular present empollo, first-person singular preterite empollí, past participle empollat); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /o/

1. (colloquial) to swot, to cram (to study hard)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of empollar (first conjugation)

infinitive			empollar
gerund			empollant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		empollat		empollada
		plural		empollats		empollades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	empollo	empolles	empolla	empollem	empolleu	empollen
	imperfect	empollava	empollaves	empollava	empollàvem	empollàveu	empollaven
	future	empollaré	empollaràs	empollarà	empollarem	empollareu	empollaran
	preterite	empollí	empollares	empollà	empollàrem	empollàreu	empollaren
	conditional	empollaria	empollaries	empollaria	empollaríem	empollaríeu	empollarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	empolli	empollis	empolli	empollem	empolleu	empollin
	imperfect	empollés	empollessis	empollés	empolléssim	empolléssiu	empollessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	empolla	empolli	empollem	empolleu	empollin
	negative (no)	—	no empollis	no empolli	no empollem	no empolleu	no empollin

Further reading

• “empollar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Spanish

Etymology

From en- +‎ pollo +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /empoˈʝaɾ/ [ẽm.poˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): /empoˈʝaɾ/ [ẽm.poˈʝaɾ] (most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /empoˈʎaɾ/ [ẽm.poˈʎaɾ] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /empoˈʃaɾ/ [ẽm.poˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /empoˈʒaɾ/ [ẽm.poˈʒaɾ] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: em‧po‧llar

Verb

empollar (first-person singular present empollo, first-person singular preterite empollé, past participle empollado)

1. to incubate, brood

   Synonym: incubar

2. (colloquial, derogatory) swot (to study hard)

   Synonym: chapar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of empollar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			empollar
gerund			empollando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		empollado		empollada
		plural		empollados		empolladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	empollo	empollastú empollásvos	empolla	empollamos	empolláis	empollan
	imperfect	empollaba	empollabas	empollaba	empollábamos	empollabais	empollaban
	preterite	empollé	empollaste	empolló	empollamos	empollasteis	empollaron
	future	empollaré	empollarás	empollará	empollaremos	empollaréis	empollarán
	conditional	empollaría	empollarías	empollaría	empollaríamos	empollaríais	empollarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	empolle	empollestú empollésvos2	empolle	empollemos	empolléis	empollen
	imperfect (ra)	empollara	empollaras	empollara	empolláramos	empollarais	empollaran
	imperfect (se)	empollase	empollases	empollase	empollásemos	empollaseis	empollasen
	future1	empollare	empollares	empollare	empolláremos	empollareis	empollaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		empollatú empollávos	empolle	empollemos	empollad	empollen
	negative		no empolles	no empolle	no empollemos	no empolléis	no empollen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of empollar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive empollar	dative	empollarme	empollarte	empollarle, empollarse	empollarnos	empollaros	empollarles, empollarse
	accusative	empollarme	empollarte	empollarlo, empollarla, empollarse	empollarnos	empollaros	empollarlos, empollarlas, empollarse
with gerund empollando	dative	empollándome	empollándote	empollándole, empollándose	empollándonos	empollándoos	empollándoles, empollándose
	accusative	empollándome	empollándote	empollándolo, empollándola, empollándose	empollándonos	empollándoos	empollándolos, empollándolas, empollándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative empolla	dative	empóllame	empóllate	empóllale	empóllanos	not used	empóllales
	accusative	empóllame	empóllate	empóllalo, empóllala	empóllanos	not used	empóllalos, empóllalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative empollá	dative	empollame	empollate	empollale	empollanos	not used	empollales
	accusative	empollame	empollate	empollalo, empollala	empollanos	not used	empollalos, empollalas
with formal second-person singular imperative empolle	dative	empólleme	not used	empóllele, empóllese	empóllenos	not used	empólleles
	accusative	empólleme	not used	empóllelo, empóllela, empóllese	empóllenos	not used	empóllelos, empóllelas
with first-person plural imperative empollemos	dative	not used	empollémoste	empollémosle	empollémonos	empollémoos	empollémosles
	accusative	not used	empollémoste	empollémoslo, empollémosla	empollémonos	empollémoos	empollémoslos, empollémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative empollad	dative	empolladme	not used	empolladle	empolladnos	empollaos	empolladles
	accusative	empolladme	not used	empolladlo, empolladla	empolladnos	empollaos	empolladlos, empolladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative empollen	dative	empóllenme	not used	empóllenle	empóllennos	not used	empóllenles, empóllense
	accusative	empóllenme	not used	empóllenlo, empóllenla	empóllennos	not used	empóllenlos, empóllenlas, empóllense

Derived terms

• empollón m
• empollona f

Further reading

• “empollar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025