Spanish grammar · Beginner
Cerrar Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Cerrar means to close. Stem-changing e→ie in stressed forms: cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran. Regular elsewhere. Past participle cerrado is regular (unlike abrir's abierto).
Cierro la puerta.
I close the door.
What it is
Cerrar means to close. Stem-change e→ie in stressed forms (cierro, cierras, cierra, cierran). Nosotros / vosotros stay regular (cerramos, cerráis). Boot verb. Past participle is regular cerrado.
Cierro la puerta (I close the door, present e→ie). La tienda está cerrada (The store is closed, past participle cerrado used as adjective).
How to spot it
Boot verb e→ie. Yo: cierro. Used for: closing doors / windows / containers, closing businesses, closing accounts, closing eyes / mouth.
- Cierro los ojos. — I close my eyes.
- La tienda cierra a las 10. — The store closes at 10.
- Han cerrado el restaurante. — They've closed the restaurant.
Same e→ie family as pensar (pienso), empezar (empiezo), entender (entiendo), querer (quiero).
Cerrar Conjugation Quick Reference
Cerrar at a glance
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | cierro | cerré | cerraba | cerraré | cierre |
| tú | cierras | cerraste | cerrabas | cerrarás | cierres |
| él/ella/Ud. | cierra | cerró | cerraba | cerrará | cierre |
| nosotros | cerramos | cerramos | cerrábamos | cerraremos | cerremos |
| vosotros | cerráis | cerrasteis | cerrabais | cerraréis | cerréis |
| ellos/Uds. | cierran | cerraron | cerraban | cerrarán | cierren |
Common Cerrar Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Cerrar across uses:
Closing Physical Things
- Cierro la puerta.
- I close the door.
- ¿Cierras la ventana?
- Will you close the window?
- Cerré la caja con cuidado.
- I closed the box carefully.
- Cierra el libro, por favor.
- Close the book, please.
Most common: doors, windows, books, boxes, bottles.
Closing Businesses / Hours
- La tienda cierra a las 10.
- The store closes at 10.
- ¿A qué hora cierran los bancos?
- What time do banks close?
- Cerraremos en agosto por vacaciones.
- We'll close in August for vacation.
- La oficina está cerrada hoy.
- The office is closed today.
Use cerrar for business hours / closing times. Estar cerrado/a/os/as = to be closed.
Closing Eyes / Mouth / Hand
- Cierro los ojos.
- I close my eyes.
- Cierra la boca.
- Close your mouth.
- Cerró los puños.
- He closed his fists.
- No cierres los ojos.
- Don't close your eyes.
Body parts: ojos, boca, manos, puños. Common with commands.
Closing Accounts / Deals / Conversations
- Quiero cerrar mi cuenta.
- I want to close my account.
- Cerramos el trato ayer.
- We closed the deal yesterday.
- Vamos a cerrar la reunión.
- We're going to close the meeting.
- Han cerrado las negociaciones.
- They've closed the negotiations.
Figurative uses: accounts, deals, meetings, negotiations.
How to Conjugate Cerrar Across Tenses
Present, Stem Change e→ie
Boot verb: cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran. e→ie in stressed forms (yo, tú, él, ellos). Nosotros / vosotros regular.
Cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran.
I close, you close, etc.
Boot: e→ie.
Preterite, Fully Regular
Cerré, cerraste, cerró, cerramos, cerrasteis, cerraron. No stem change in preterite (only present).
Cerré la puerta ayer.
I closed the door yesterday.
Preterite is regular.
Subjunctive, Stem Change Preserved
Cierre, cierres, cierre, cerremos, cerréis, cierren. Same boot shape as present.
Quiero que cierres la puerta.
I want you to close the door.
Boot also in subjunctive.
Past Participle Regular: Cerrado
Past participle is REGULAR: cerrado (unlike abrir's irregular abierto). Used in compound tenses and as adjective. La tienda está cerrada.
He cerrado la puerta. La oficina está cerrada.
I've closed the door. The office is closed.
Past participle cerrado is regular.
Common Mistakes with Cerrar Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo cerro la puerta. — I close the door.
Correct: Yo cierro la puerta. — I close the door.
Stem-changing e→ie in stressed forms. Yo form is cierro (NOT *cerro). Same as pienso, empiezo.
Incorrect: Nosotros cierramos a las 10. — We close at 10.
Correct: Nosotros cerramos a las 10. — We close at 10.
Nosotros stays regular (no stem change): cerramos. Boot verb pattern: stem-change in yo/tú/él/ellos; regular in nosotros/vosotros.
Incorrect: La tienda es cerrada. — The store is closed.
Correct: La tienda está cerrada. — The store is closed.
Use ESTAR (not ser) for the state of being closed. Es cerrada would suggest a permanent characteristic, which doesn't fit business hours.
Cerrar Across Every Tense
Boot verb: e→ie in stressed forms of present and subjunctive. Regular past participle (unlike abrir).
Present (Boot)
e→ie in stressed forms.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Boot shape.
Preterite (Regular)
Standard -ar preterite, no stem change.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
No stem change.
Imperfect (Regular)
Standard -ar imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Regular.
Future / Conditional / Subjunctive / Compound
Future / cond. regular. Subj. keeps boot.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle cerrado is REGULAR (unlike abierto).
Cerrar Conjugation FAQs
- What does cerrar mean?
- Cerrar means to close. Use for: closing doors / windows / containers (cierro la puerta), closing businesses (la tienda cierra a las 10), closing accounts (cerrar la cuenta), closing eyes / mouth.
- How do you conjugate cerrar in the present?
- Cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran. Stem changes e→ie in stressed forms (yo, tú, él, ellos). Nosotros and vosotros stay regular.
- What's the past participle of cerrar?
- Cerrado (regular). Unlike abrir's irregular abierto, cerrar has a regular past participle. He cerrado, la tienda está cerrada.
- How do I say 'the store is closed' in Spanish?
- La tienda está cerrada. Use ESTAR + cerrado/a (not ser). Form agrees with the noun: la tienda (fem.) → cerrada. Los bancos → cerrados.
- How can I master cerrar?
- Drill the boot shape (cierro, cierras, cierra, cierran vs. cerramos, cerráis). Related e→ie verbs: pensar, empezar, entender, querer. Use it daily for opening / closing things. Parrot's videos show cerrar in real contexts.