Introduction
Abrir means «to open». Abrir means to open: a door, a window, a book, a shop. It is regular in almost every tense, with one famous exception: its past participle is irregular, abierto, not abrido. That one form appears in every perfect tense, so it is worth memorising. It is a irregular -ir verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of abrir in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo abro la puerta todos los días.» — I open the door every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | abrir |
| English | to open |
| Verb type | Irregular -ir verb |
| Gerund | abriendo |
| Past participle | abierto |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: abriendo · Past participle: abierto
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abro |
| tú | abres |
| él/ella/Ud. | abre |
| nosotros/as | abrimos |
| vosotros/as | abrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abren |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For abrir, the yo form is abro, as in «Yo abro» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrí |
| tú | abriste |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrió |
| nosotros/as | abrimos |
| vosotros/as | abristeis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo abrí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abría |
| tú | abrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | abría |
| nosotros/as | abríamos |
| vosotros/as | abríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo abría» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abriré |
| tú | abrirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrirá |
| nosotros/as | abriremos |
| vosotros/as | abriréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrirán |
The future tense states what will happen. For abrir the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo abriré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abriría |
| tú | abrirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | abriría |
| nosotros/as | abriríamos |
| vosotros/as | abriríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrirían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo abriría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he abierto |
| tú | has abierto |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha abierto |
| nosotros/as | hemos abierto |
| vosotros/as | habéis abierto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han abierto |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he abierto». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred. This is one of the tenses where abrir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había abierto |
| tú | habías abierto |
| él/ella/Ud. | había abierto |
| nosotros/as | habíamos abierto |
| vosotros/as | habíais abierto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían abierto |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había abierto». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place. This is one of the tenses where abrir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré abierto |
| tú | habrás abierto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá abierto |
| nosotros/as | habremos abierto |
| vosotros/as | habréis abierto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán abierto |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré abierto» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing. This is one of the tenses where abrir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría abierto |
| tú | habrías abierto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría abierto |
| nosotros/as | habríamos abierto |
| vosotros/as | habríais abierto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían abierto |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría abierto si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances. This is one of the tenses where abrir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abra |
| tú | abras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abra |
| nosotros/as | abramos |
| vosotros/as | abráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abran |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él abra». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abriera |
| tú | abrieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abriera |
| nosotros/as | abriéramos |
| vosotros/as | abrierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él abriera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abre |
| él/ella/Ud. | abra |
| nosotros/as | abramos |
| vosotros/as | abrid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abran |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Abre!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abra |
| nosotros/as | abramos |
| vosotros/as | abráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abran |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No abras!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo abro la puerta todos los días. — I open the door every day.
- Mi hermana abre la puerta mucho. — My sister opens the door a lot.
- Ayer yo abrí la puerta por la tarde. — Yesterday I opened the door in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo abría la puerta muchas veces. — As a child, I used to open the door often.
- Mañana yo abriré la puerta sin falta. — Tomorrow I will open the door without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo abriría la puerta ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would open the door right now.
- Hoy yo he abierto la ventana dos veces. — Today I have opened the window twice.
- Espero que él abra la puerta pronto. — I hope he opens the door soon.
- ¡Abre la puerta, por favor! — Open the door, please!
- Ahora mismo estoy abriendo la puerta. — Right now I am opening the door.
Common mistakes
1. Writing abrido as the past participle
Wrong: abrido
Right: abierto
The past participle of abrir is irregular: abierto, not abrido. It appears in every perfect tense (he abierto, había abierto), so memorise it as a separate word.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo abría la puerta.
Right: Ayer yo abrí la puerta.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, abrí. The imperfect abría describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Abro a la puerta.
Right: Abro la puerta.
Abrir takes a direct object with no preposition: abrir la puerta, abrir la ventana.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú abres la puerta.
Right: Espero que tú abras la puerta.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: abras, not the indicative abres. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No abre la puerta.
Right: No abras la puerta.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no abras. The affirmative abre can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of abrir in the present tense?
- (a) abre
- (b) abres
- (c) abrimos
- (d) abro
2. What is the él/ella form of abrir in the preterite?
- (a) abrimos
- (b) abriste
- (c) abrió
- (d) abrí
3. What is the nosotros form of abrir in the imperfect?
- (a) abría
- (b) abríamos
- (c) abrías
4. What is the tú form of abrir in the future tense?
- (a) abriremos
- (b) abrirá
- (c) abrirás
- (d) abriré
5. What is the ellos form of abrir in the conditional?
- (a) abriría
- (b) abrirían
- (c) abrirías
6. What is the yo form of abrir in the present perfect?
- (a) ha abierto
- (b) has abierto
- (c) he abierto
- (d) hemos abierto
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of abrir?
- (a) abra
- (b) abramos
- (c) abras
8. What is the nosotros form of abrir in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) abriera
- (b) abriéramos
- (c) abrieras
9. What is the gerund of abrir?
- (a) abierto
- (b) abriendo
- (c) abrir
- (d) abro
10. What is the past participle of abrir?
- (a) abierto
- (b) abriendo
- (c) abrir
- (d) abrí
Answer key
1. (d) abro — In the present, the yo form of abrir is abro. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) abrió — In the preterite, the el form of abrir is abrió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) abríamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of abrir is abríamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) abrirás — In the future, the tu form of abrir is abrirás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) abrirían — In the conditional, the ellos form of abrir is abrirían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he abierto — In the present perfect, the yo form of abrir is he abierto. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) abras — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of abrir is abras. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) abriéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of abrir is abriéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) abriendo — The gerund of abrir is abriendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy abriendo».
10. (a) abierto — The past participle of abrir is abierto. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he abierto».
Frequently asked questions
Is abrir regular or irregular?
No — abrir is irregular. The tenses that break the regular pattern are: past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect. Learn those forms as a set, and use the regular pattern for the rest.
What are the gerund and past participle of abrir?
The gerund is abriendo and the past participle is abierto. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy abriendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he abierto»).
What is the difference between abrir and cerrar?
Abrir and cerrar are often confused. Cerrar is to close; abrir is to open — the pair that operates every door.
How do I say «I open» in Spanish?
Say «Yo abro». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with abrir?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (abrí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (abría) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: abrir-preterite-tense
- More examples and a quiz: abrir-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Full list of irregular verbs: spanish-irregular-verbs
- Related verb: cerrar
- Related verb: usar
- Related verb: limpiar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz