abrir Preterite Conjugation
abrir — to open
Abrir is regular in the preterite: abrí, abriste, abrió, abrimos, abristeis, abrieron.
abrir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for one-time completed actions in the past, such as opening a letter, a door, or a business on a specific date.
Notes on abrir in the Preterite
Abrir is fully regular in the preterite. Note that 'abrimos' is the same in both present and preterite; context is key.
Example Sentences
Abrí la puerta cuando escuché el timbre.
I opened the door when I heard the doorbell.
yo
¿Abriste el paquete que llegó hoy?
Did you open the package that arrived today?
tú
Ellos abrieron el champán para celebrar.
They opened the champagne to celebrate.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: abrio
Correct: abrió
Why: Missing the accent on the 'o' changes the pronunciation and can be confused with other forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: abro
The present tense of abrir is regular: abro, abres, abre, abrimos, abrís, abren.
Imperfect
yo: abría
The imperfect of abrir follows the regular -ir pattern: abría, abrías, abría, abríamos, abríais, abrían.
Future
yo: abriré
The future of abrir uses the infinitive as the stem: abriré, abrirás, abrirá, abriremos, abriréis, abrirán.
Conditional
yo: abriría
The conditional of abrir is regular: abriría, abrirías, abriría, abriríamos, abriríais, abrirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: abra
The present subjunctive of abrir uses the 'a' endings: abra, abras, abra, abramos, abráis, abran.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: abriera
The imperfect subjunctive of abrir uses the preterite stem: abriera, abrieras, abriera, abriéramos, abrierais, abrieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: abre
The affirmative imperative for abrir: abre (tú), abra (usted), abramos (nosotros), abrid (vosotros), abran (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no abras
The negative imperative of abrir uses the present subjunctive: no abras, no abra, no abramos, no abráis, no abran.