cerrar Preterite Conjugation
cerrar — to close
Cerrar is regular in the preterite: cerré, cerraste, cerró, cerramos, cerrasteis, cerraron.
cerrar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for 'cerrar' when talking about a specific moment a door was shut, a deal was finalized, or a store closed for the day.
Notes on cerrar in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, 'cerrar' is completely regular in the preterite. The 'e' does not change to 'ie'.
Example Sentences
Cerré la ventana porque hacía frío.
I closed the window because it was cold.
yo
¿Cerraste la puerta con llave?
Did you lock (close with a key) the door?
tú
Ellos cerraron el trato ayer.
They closed the deal yesterday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'cierré' instead of 'cerré'.
Correct: The correct form is cerré.
Why: Learners often try to carry the stem change (e > ie) from the present tense into the preterite, but it only happens in the present.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cierro
Cerrar is a stem-changing verb (e > ie) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
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.