Introduction
Abrir means “to open”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Abrir is the verb for opening doors, windows, boxes and books. The thing opened is the direct object, with no preposition. Abrir also describes opening a shop or a business for the day. It is how shopkeepers talk about their hours. This page shows abrir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo abro la ventana por la mañana.” — I open the window in the morning.
Abrir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how abrir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use abrir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo abro la ventana por la mañana.” — I open the window in the morning.
“¿Tú abres la puerta?” — Do you open the door?
“La tienda abre a las nueve.” — The shop opens at nine.
“Nosotros abrimos una cuenta nueva.” — We open a new account.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show abrir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo abrí la ventana por la mañana.” — Yesterday I opened the window in the morning. (preterite)
“La tienda abría a las nueve todos los días.” — The shop used to open at nine every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of abrir stays the same.
“Nosotros abriremos una cuenta nueva mañana.” — We will open a new account tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has abierto ya la puerta?” — Have you opened the door yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros abrís las ventanas.” — You open the windows.
“Ellos abren el libro por la primera página.” — They open the book at the first page.
“Yo abro el regalo con cuidado.” — I open the present carefully.
“Mi padre abre la puerta del garaje.” — My father opens the garage door.
Abrir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how abrir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú abres la puerta?” — Do you open the door?
Pedro: “Sí, yo abro la ventana por la mañana.” — Yes, I open the window in the morning.
Marta: “Nosotros abrimos una cuenta nueva.” — We open a new account.
Pedro: “Y ellos abren el libro por la primera página.” — And they open the book at the first page.
Marta: “Vosotros abrís las ventanas.” — You open the windows.
Pedro: “Sí, y la tienda abre a las nueve.” — Yes, and the shop opens at nine.
A short paragraph
Marta abre la ventana por la mañana, y la tienda abre a las nueve. Nosotros abrimos una cuenta nueva, y ellos abren el libro por la primera página. Yo abro el regalo con cuidado, y mi padre abre la puerta del garaje. Abrir is part of every morning, because opening a window, opening a shop and opening a present are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with abrir
These are the errors learners actually make with abrir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo abro la ventana con la llave.” Right: “Yo abro la ventana.” Why: Abrir takes a direct object with no preposition: abro la ventana. The key belongs to a different structure: 'Abro la puerta con la llave' is correct, because con describes the tool, but the window itself needs no preposition.
Wrong: “Ellos abre el libro.” Right: “Ellos abren el libro.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form abren. The singular abre belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as la tienda.
Wrong: “Yo abro la ventana ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo abrí la ventana.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to abrí, with an accent on the í.
Wrong: “Nosotros abres una cuenta.” Right: “Nosotros abrimos una cuenta.” Why: Nosotros needs abrimos. The tú form abres belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos abro todos los días.” Right: “Ellos abren todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form abren, not the yo form abro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: abrir in use
Ten questions on abrir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ las ventanas.” (You open the windows.)
- (a) abres
- (b) abrís
- (c) abro
Answer: abrís — The vosotros/as form of abrir in the present tense is abrís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el libro por la primera página.” (They open the book at the first page.)
- (a) abren
- (b) abro
- (c) abres
Answer: abren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of abrir in the present tense is abren.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la ventana por la mañana.” (Yesterday I opened the window in the morning.)
- (a) abriste
- (b) abrió
- (c) abrí
Answer: abrí — In the preterite, the yo form of abrir is abrí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “La tienda ______ a las nueve todos los días.” (The shop used to open at nine every day.)
- (a) abrías
- (b) abría
- (c) abría
Answer: abría — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of abrir is abría.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ una cuenta nueva mañana.” (We will open a new account tomorrow.)
- (a) abriremos
- (b) abriré
- (c) abrirás
Answer: abriremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of abrir is abriremos.
6. What does abrir mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to open
Answer: to open — Abrir means “to open”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo abro la ventana.
- (b) Yo abro la ventana con la llave.
- (c) Ellos abre el libro.
Answer: Yo abro la ventana. — “Yo abro la ventana.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I open the present carefully.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo abren el regalo con cuidado.
- (b) Yo abro el regalo con cuidado.
- (c) Mi padre abre la puerta del garaje.
Answer: Yo abro el regalo con cuidado. — “Yo abro el regalo con cuidado.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of abrir in the present tense?
- (a) abro
- (b) abres
- (c) abrimos
Answer: abrimos — The nosotros form is abrimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo abrí la ventana por la mañana.
- (b) Nosotros abriremos una cuenta nueva mañana.
- (c) Yo abro la ventana por la mañana.
Answer: Yo abro la ventana por la mañana. — “Yo abro la ventana por la mañana.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I open the window' in Spanish?
Say 'Abro la ventana'. The window follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Abro la ventana por la mañana'.
How do you say 'The shop opens at nine' in Spanish?
Say 'La tienda abre a las nueve'. The shop is the subject, and the time takes the preposition a. For closing: 'La tienda cierra a las nueve'.
What is the opposite of abrir?
Cerrar, to close. The two verbs are a pair: 'Abro la ventana por la mañana y la cierro por la noche' means I open the window in the morning and I close it at night.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of abrir — every tense of abrir in one place.
- Abrir in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on abrir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of abrir until they are automatic.