Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi abuela hierve agua y prepara té con mermelada casera; mientras tanto, yo pongo los platos. - My grandmother boils water and makes tea with homemade jam; meanwhile, I set out the plates.

Hierve is the 3rd person singular present indicative of hervir (to boil): yo hiervo, tú hierves, él/ella/usted hierve, nosotros hervimos, ustedes/ellos hierven. It’s an e→ie stem‑changer (except in nosotros/vosotros).
Hervir is the infinitive.
Hierven is plural (they/you all boil).
Hierva is present subjunctive or formal command (e.g., “Boil the water, ma’am”: ¡Hierva el agua!).

Why is there no article before agua? Should it be el agua?

You can say either hervir agua (boil water, generic/unspecified) or hervir el agua (boil the water, specific/known).
Here it’s a generic activity, so omitting the article is natural: hierve agua.

Is agua masculine or feminine? Why do people say el agua?

Agua is feminine. It takes the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the aa sound: el agua, but it stays feminine for agreement: el agua fría.
In the plural, it’s regular: las aguas frías.
With other determiners, it stays feminine: esta agua, mucha agua; but with some short adjectives/articles you’ll see the masculine form: un agua, algún agua, by the same sound-avoidance rule.

Why does té have an accent?

Té (tea) takes an accent to distinguish it from the unstressed pronoun te (you, object pronoun). The accent also marks the stressed, single-syllable noun.

Is prepara té con mermelada casera idiomatic? Do people put jam in tea?

Grammatically fine, but it’s an unusual combination. It can mean:
- Tea prepared with jam as a sweetener (less common in Latin America).
- Tea served together with homemade jam (likely on bread/toast). If that’s the intent, clearer options are: prepara té con pan y mermelada casera or prepara té y mermelada casera.

Should it be prepara té or prepara el té?

Both are correct:
- Prepara té = makes some tea (non-specific).
- Prepara el té = makes the tea (a specific tea we have in mind, e.g., today’s tea).

Why is yo included? Isn’t Spanish pro‑drop?

Yes, Spanish usually omits subject pronouns. Yo is added here for contrast/emphasis, especially natural after a semicolon: Grandma does X; meanwhile, I do Y.

Why not use the progressive, like está hirviendo agua?

Spanish often uses the simple present for current, ongoing actions. Hierve agua can describe what’s happening now.
Está hirviendo agua highlights the action in progress right now. Both work; the progressive is more “right-this-second.”
Note: the gerund is hirviendo (e→i change).

Is pongo los platos idiomatic, or should it be pongo la mesa?

Poner la mesa = set the table (the idiomatic, general task).
Poner los platos = (specifically) put the plates down/on the table. It’s fine if you mean just the plates; for the full task, say pongo la mesa.

Why a semicolon before mientras tanto and a comma after it?

The semicolon separates two closely related independent clauses. It’s standard (a period would also be fine).
Mientras tanto (“meanwhile”) is an introductory connector and is typically followed by a comma.

What’s the difference between mientras tanto and mientras?

Mientras tanto is an adverbial connector: “in the meantime.” It starts a new clause: …; mientras tanto, yo pongo…
Mientras is a conjunction meaning “while” and must be followed by a verb: … mientras yo pongo los platos.

Could I move mientras tanto around?

Yes: Mientras tanto, yo pongo los platos. / Yo, mientras tanto, pongo los platos. Punctuation helps mark it off with commas.

Any issue with y vs e in this sentence?

No. Y only changes to e before words starting with the vowel sound i (i-/hi-), e.g., padres e hijos. Here it’s y prepara, so no change.
Note: before words like hielo (pronounced “yelo”), we keep y: agua y hielo.

Why is the adjective after the noun in mermelada casera? Could I say casera mermelada?

Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun in Spanish: mermelada casera (homemade jam).
Casera mermelada is odd/poetic and not standard.

Is poner irregular in the first person? What are the forms I might need here?

Yes: yo pongo (irregular), tú pones, él/ella pone, nosotros ponemos, ustedes/ellos ponen.

Pronunciation tips for tricky bits like hierve and mientras tanto?

h is silent: hierve ≈ “YER-veh” (ie is a diphthong), stress on the first syllable.
mientras ≈ “MYEN-tras” (initial “mie” as one glide).
té is a single stressed syllable.
agua starts with the open “a” + hard “g” before “u”: “AH-gwa.”