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cerca

SER-kaˈseɾ.ka

near, close

Also: nearby
A small, red, pitched-roof house standing immediately next to the base of a tall, white lighthouse.

📝 In Action

El supermercado está cerca.

A1

The supermarket is nearby.

Mi oficina está cerca de mi casa.

A1

My office is near my house.

No te preocupes, vivimos muy cerca.

A2

Don't worry, we live very close.

Ven más cerca para ver mejor.

B1

Come closer to see better.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • junto a (next to)
  • próximo (next, close)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • cerca de – near/close to (something specific)
  • de cerca – up close
  • muy cerca – very close

fence

Also: wall
NounfB1
A section of white wooden picket fence clearly separating a grassy lawn from a cultivated flower garden.

📝 In Action

El perro saltó la cerca del jardín.

B1

The dog jumped the garden fence.

Necesitamos reparar la cerca de madera.

B1

We need to repair the wooden fence.

Construyeron una cerca alta alrededor de la propiedad.

B2

They built a high fence around the property.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • valla (fence, barrier)
  • muro (wall (solid, of stone/brick))

Common Collocations

  • una cerca eléctrica – an electric fence
  • saltar la cerca – to jump the fence

he/she/it fences in, he/she/it surrounds

Also: he/she/it encloses
VerbB2regular (-car verb) arformal
A close-up view of hands securing the final wooden post to complete a perimeter fence around a small vegetable patch.
infinitivecercar
gerundcercando
past Participlecercado

📝 In Action

El jardinero cerca el huerto para proteger las verduras.

B2

The gardener fences in the vegetable patch to protect the vegetables.

La policía cerca el edificio donde se esconden los sospechosos.

C1

The police surround the building where the suspects are hiding.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • rodear (to surround)
  • vallar (to fence)

Indicative

Present

yocerco
túcercas
él/ella/ustedcerca
nosotroscercamos
vosotroscercáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescercan

Imperfect

yocercaba
túcercabas
él/ella/ustedcercaba
nosotroscercábamos
vosotroscercabais
ellos/ellas/ustedescercaban

Preterite

yocerqué
túcercaste
él/ella/ustedcercó
nosotroscercamos
vosotroscercasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescercaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yocerque
túcerques
él/ella/ustedcerque
nosotroscerquemos
vosotroscerquéis
ellos/ellas/ustedescerquen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocercara
túcercaras
él/ella/ustedcercara
nosotroscercáramos
vosotroscercarais
ellos/ellas/ustedescercaran
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "cerca" in Spanish:

close→near→nearby→wall→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: cerca

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence is correct and uses 'cerca' in two different ways (as a noun and an adverb)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
cercar(to fence, to surround) — Verb
cercano(nearby, close) — Adjective
cercanía(proximity, closeness) — Noun
acercar(to bring closer, to approach) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
tercamerca
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'circā', which means 'around' or 'about'. You can see how this one root word gave us both the idea of being 'around' or 'near' something (the adverb), and the thing that goes 'around' a property (the noun for 'fence').

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: cercaItalian: circaFrench: cercle

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'cerca' and 'cercano'?

'Cerca' is an adverb that tells you *where* something is (e.g., 'Vivo cerca' - I live nearby). 'Cercano' is an adjective that describes a noun, meaning it's a *type* of thing (e.g., 'un pueblo cercano' - a nearby town). If you can ask 'where?', use 'cerca'.

When do I use 'cerca de' instead of just 'cerca'?

Use 'cerca' by itself to simply say something is 'nearby'. Use 'cerca de' when you want to connect it to another object to say it's 'near *to something*'. For example: 'La farmacia está cerca' (The pharmacy is nearby). vs. 'La farmacia está cerca del banco' (The pharmacy is near the bank).