cerrar Present Conjugation
cerrar — to close
Cerrar is a stem-changing verb (e > ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
cerrar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to describe things closing right now, general store hours, or things you habitually close.
Notes on cerrar in the Present
This is a 'boot verb'. The 'e' in the stem changes to 'ie' in the yo, tú, él/ella, and ellos forms (the ones inside the 'boot').
Example Sentences
Yo cierro mi computadora a las seis.
I close my computer at six.
yo
La tienda cierra los domingos.
The store closes on Sundays.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros cerramos las cortinas por la noche.
We close the curtains at night.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'cierramos' instead of 'cerramos'.
Correct: The correct form is cerramos.
Why: The stem change (e > ie) never happens in the nosotros or vosotros forms.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: cerré
Cerrar is regular in the preterite: cerré, cerraste, cerró, cerramos, cerrasteis, cerraron.
Imperfect
yo: cerraba
Cerrar is regular in the imperfect: cerraba, cerrabas, cerraba, cerrábamos, cerrabais, cerraban.
Future
yo: cerraré
Cerrar is regular in the future: cerraré, cerrarás, cerrará, cerraremos, cerraréis, cerrarán.
Conditional
yo: cerraría
Cerrar is regular in the conditional: cerraría, cerrarías, cerraría, cerraríamos, cerraríais, cerrarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cierre
The present subjunctive of cerrar mirrors the present indicative stem change: cierre, cierres, cierre, cerremos, cerréis, cierren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cerrara
Cerrar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive (based on the preterite stem): cerrara, cerraras, cerrara, cerráramos, cerrarais, cerraran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ¡Cierra!
Use 'cierra' (tú) or 'cierre' (usted) for commands; remember the stem change in most forms.
Negative Imperative
yo: ¡No cierres!
The negative imperative uses 'no' + present subjunctive: no cierres, no cierre, no cerremos, no cerréis, no cierren.