cierra
/syé-rrah/
closes
When used as a verb conjugation, "cierra" means "He/She/It closes" or "You (formal) close."
cierra(Verb)
closes
?He, She, It, or You (formal) closes
,shuts
?He, She, It, or You (formal) shuts
📝 In Action
La oficina cierra a las cinco y media todos los días.
A1The office closes at five thirty every day.
Él siempre cierra los ojos para concentrarse.
A1He always closes his eyes to concentrate.
¿A qué hora cierra usted la tienda?
A2What time do you (formal) close the store?
💡 Grammar Points
Stem-Change Rule
The vowel 'e' in the verb's root changes to 'ie' in most forms of the present tense (like 'cierro,' 'cierras,' 'cierra'), but NOT in the 'nosotros' or 'vosotros' forms ('cerramos,' 'cerráis').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Stem Change
Mistake: "La tienda cerra a las nueve."
Correction: La tienda cierra a las nueve. Remember that 'e' changes to 'ie' when the stress falls on it.
⭐ Usage Tips
Use with Reflexive Verbs
To talk about ending an era or a job, Spanish often uses 'se cierra' (it closes itself): 'Se cierra un capítulo en mi vida' (A chapter in my life closes).
As a familiar command (tú), "¡Cierra!" means "Close!"
cierra(Verb)
Close!
?Familiar command (Tú)
,Shut!
?Familiar command (Tú)
📝 In Action
¡Cierra la boca cuando comes!
A1Close your mouth when you eat!
Cierra la caja fuerte antes de irte, por favor.
A2Close the safe before you go, please.
💡 Grammar Points
Affirmative Commands
This command form ('cierra') is used when you are giving a positive instruction to a friend (tú). Notice it looks exactly like the 'él/ella' present tense form!
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Positive and Negative Commands
Mistake: "No cierra la puerta. (Using indicative for negative command)"
Correction: No cierres la puerta. (The negative command is different and requires a special verb form ending in -es.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Adding Respect
To make the command more polite or formal, change 'cierra' to 'cierre' (the Usted form), and always add 'por favor'.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: cierra
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'cierra' as a direct command?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
¿Por qué 'cierra' y no 'cerra'?
'Cierra' is an irregular verb. In Spanish, many verbs change their internal vowel sound in the present tense (this is called a stem change). The 'e' in 'cerrar' becomes 'ie' when it's stressed, which is the case in the 'cierra' form.
When should I use 'cierra' versus 'cierre'?
Use 'cierra' when talking about what 'he, she, or it' does, or when giving a familiar command to a friend ('tú'). Use 'cierre' when talking about what 'you (formal)' do, or when giving a formal command ('usted').