cerrado
/se-RRAH-doh/
closed
When something is physically shut, like a door, it is cerrado.
📝 In Action
La oficina está cerrada hasta las nueve.
A1The office is closed until nine.
¿Por qué tienes el libro tan cerrado?
A2Why do you have the book so shut?
💡 Grammar Points
Adjective Agreement
Like many Spanish descriptions, 'cerrado' must match the thing it describes in both gender and number: 'la tienda está cerrada' (feminine singular), 'los ojos están cerrados' (masculine plural).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using Ser instead of Estar
Mistake: "La tienda es cerrada."
Correction: La tienda está cerrada. Use 'estar' because being closed is usually a temporary state, not an inherent quality.
⭐ Usage Tips
Weather Use
You can use 'cerrado' to describe weather or sky that is overcast or cloudy: 'El cielo está cerrado' (The sky is overcast/dense).
A cerrado person is often reserved or withdrawn in social situations.
📝 In Action
Es una persona muy cerrada, le cuesta hacer nuevos amigos.
B1He is a very reserved person; it is hard for him to make new friends.
No la juzgues, solo es un poco cerrada al principio.
B2Don't judge her, she's just a little withdrawn at first.
💡 Grammar Points
Using 'Ser'
When describing personality, you use the verb 'ser' (to be) because being reserved is usually a permanent, defining trait of that person.
Someone who is cerrado might be considered narrow-minded or unwilling to accept new ideas.
cerrado(adjective)
narrow-minded
?ideas, attitude
,stubborn
?unwilling to change
dense
?slow to understand
📝 In Action
Es inútil discutir con él; es muy cerrado en sus creencias.
C1It's useless to argue with him; he is very narrow-minded in his beliefs.
Cuando le explico matemáticas, se pone muy cerrado y no lo capta.
C2When I explain math to him, he gets very dense/oblivious and doesn't get it.
⭐ Usage Tips
Intensifiers
You often hear 'tan cerrado' or 'muy cerrado' to emphasize the degree of stubbornness or lack of understanding.
As a past participle, cerrado describes an action that has been completed, such as a box that is now closed.
📝 In Action
Hemos cerrado el negocio por hoy.
A2We have closed the business for today.
Ella ya había cerrado la caja fuerte antes de que llegáramos.
B1She had already closed the safe before we arrived.
💡 Grammar Points
Forming Perfect Tenses
To talk about actions that finished in the past but relate to the present (like 'I have closed'), you use the helper verb 'haber' followed by this form ('cerrado'). Note that 'cerrado' itself never changes form here, regardless of who did the closing.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Changing the Participle Form
Mistake: "Hemos cerradas las ventanas."
Correction: Hemos cerrado las ventanas. When used with 'haber' to form a tense, the participle ('cerrado') is 'invariable' (it always stays the same).
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: cerrado
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'cerrado' to describe a personality trait?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'cerrado' irregular?
The base verb, 'cerrar,' is an irregular verb because it changes its vowel in the middle when conjugated (e.g., 'yo cierro' instead of 'yo cerro'). However, its past participle form, 'cerrado,' is regular and easy to form.
What is the feminine form of 'cerrado'?
The feminine singular form is 'cerrada,' used when describing feminine nouns, like 'la puerta cerrada' (the closed door).