Quick answer
cerrar · cierro, cierras, cierra, cerramos, cerráis, cierran
to close, to shut. Fully regular, so the endings carry over to every other -ar verb.
Conjugation
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | cierro | cerré | cerraba | cerraré |
| tú | cierras | cerraste | cerrabas | cerrarás |
| él / ella / usted | cierra | cerró | cerraba | cerrará |
| nosotros | cerramos | cerramos | cerrábamos | cerraremos |
| vosotros | cerráis | cerrasteis | cerrabais | cerraréis |
| ellos / ustedes | cierran | cerraron | cerraban | cerrarán |
Orange marks a form you cannot guess from the rules.
| Non-finite | Form |
|---|---|
| gerund | cerrando |
| past participle | cerrado |
| imperative (tú) | cierra |
| subjunctive (yo) | cierre |
Which form to learn first
cierran a las dos. Spanish shops close at lunchtime, so you will need this one.
Where you will actually use it
Cierran a las dos.They close at two.
Cierra la puerta.Close the door.
La tienda está cerrada.The shop is closed.
Cerré la ventana porque hacía frío.I closed the window because it was cold.
No cierres los ojos.Don’t close your eyes.
El museo cierra los lunes.The museum is closed on Mondays.
Typical mistakes
Yo cerro la puerta.
Yo cierro la puerta.
e → ie in every form except cerramos and cerráis: cierro, cierras, cierra, cierran.
Ayer cerré… ayer cierré la tienda.
Ayer cerré la tienda.
The stem change only happens under the stress, so the preterite stays cerré, cerraste, cerró.
Quiero que cierras la ventana.
Quiero que cierres la ventana.
The subjunctive keeps the ie: cierre, cierres, cierre, cerremos, cerréis, cierren.
Check yourself
___ la puerta, hace frío.