Cerrar conjugation

Cerrar means "to close". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto close

Type-ar verb

Gerundcerrando

Past participlecerrado

Cerrar changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cierran. Preterite: cerré, cerraste, cerró, cerramos, cerraron. All tenses below.

Cerrar conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Cerrar in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	cierro
tú	cierras
él / ella / usted	cierra
nosotros	cerramos
vosotros (Spain)	cerráis
ellos / ustedes	cierran

Cerrar in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	cerré
tú	cerraste
él / ella / usted	cerró
nosotros	cerramos
vosotros (Spain)	cerrasteis
ellos / ustedes	cerraron

Cerrar in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	cerraba
tú	cerrabas
él / ella / usted	cerraba
nosotros	cerrábamos
vosotros (Spain)	cerrabais
ellos / ustedes	cerraban

Cerrar in the future

what will happen

yo	cerraré
tú	cerrarás
él / ella / usted	cerrará
nosotros	cerraremos
vosotros (Spain)	cerraréis
ellos / ustedes	cerrarán

Cerrar in the conditional

what would happen

yo	cerraría
tú	cerrarías
él / ella / usted	cerraría
nosotros	cerraríamos
vosotros (Spain)	cerraríais
ellos / ustedes	cerrarían

Cerrar in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	cierre
tú	cierres
él / ella / usted	cierre
nosotros	cerremos
vosotros (Spain)	cerréis
ellos / ustedes	cierren

Cerrar in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he cerrado
tú	has cerrado
él / ella / usted	ha cerrado
nosotros	hemos cerrado
vosotros (Spain)	habéis cerrado
ellos / ustedes	han cerrado

Cerrar in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	cierra
tú (no)	no cierres
usted	cierre
nosotros	cerremos
vosotros (Spain)	cerrad
ustedes	cierren

Cerrar in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Cierra la puerta de la cocina, por favor.
Close the kitchen door, please.

Mistakes learners make with cerrar

The stem changes e to ie: cierro, cierras, cierra, but cerramos.
Yo cerro is a common slip: the present is cierro, the preterite is cerré.
¿A qué hora cierran? asks when a shop closes.

Write your own sentence with cerrar

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

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Use cerrar in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is cerrar irregular in Spanish?

Partly. Cerrar changes form in the present and present subjunctive, through an irregular stem, a stem change or a spelling change. The other tenses follow the regular -ar pattern.

What is the preterite of cerrar?

Yo cerré, tú cerraste, él/ella cerró, nosotros cerramos, ellos/ustedes cerraron.

How do you conjugate cerrar in the present?

Yo cierro, tú cierras, él/ella cierra, nosotros cerramos, ellos/ustedes cierran.

What is the future of cerrar?

Yo cerraré, tú cerrarás, él/ella cerrará, nosotros cerraremos, ellos/ustedes cerrarán.

What is the present subjunctive of cerrar?

Que yo cierre, que tú cierres, que él/ella cierre, que nosotros cerremos, que ellos/ustedes cierren.