Abrochar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abrochar means “to button up, to fasten” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Abrochar means to button up or to fasten, to close a shirt, a coat or a seat belt with buttons or a clasp. It is a household and clothing verb, fully regular, and its opposite is desabrochar. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of abrochar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abrochar present tense page.

abrochar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo abrocho la camisa antes de salir. — “I button up the shirt before going out.”
  2. Él abrocha el abrigo por el frío. — “He buttons up the coat because of the cold.”
  3. Nosotros abrochamos el cinturón de seguridad. — “We button up the seat belt.”
  4. Ellos abrochan la chaqueta del uniforme. — “They button up the uniform jacket.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo abroché el abrigo por el frío. — “Yesterday, I buttoned up the coat because of the cold.”
  2. Antes, nosotros abrochábamos el cinturón de seguridad. — “Before, we used to button up the seat belt.”
  3. Él abrochó la chaqueta del uniforme. — “He buttoned up the uniform jacket.”
  4. Yo ya había abrochado la camisa antes de salir antes de salir. — “I had already buttoned up the shirt before going out before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú abrocharás la camisa antes de salir. — “Tomorrow, you will button up the shirt before going out.”
  2. Yo abrocharía el abrigo por el frío si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would button up the coat because of the cold if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha abrochado el cinturón de seguridad. — “He has buttoned up the seat belt.”
  4. Espero que él abroche la chaqueta del uniforme. — “I hope he buttons up the uniform jacket.”

abrochar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use abrochar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo abrocho la camisa antes de salir. — “I button up the shirt before going out.”
  • Bea: Él abrocha el abrigo por el frío. — “He buttons up the coat because of the cold.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo abroché el abrigo por el frío. — “Yesterday, I buttoned up the coat because of the cold.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú abrocharás la camisa antes de salir. — “Tomorrow, you will button up the shirt before going out.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros abrochamos el cinturón de seguridad. — “We button up the seat belt.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros abrochábamos el cinturón de seguridad. — “Before, we used to button up the seat belt.”
  • Luis: Yo abrocharía el abrigo por el frío si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would button up the coat because of the cold if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él abroche la chaqueta del uniforme. — “I hope he buttons up the uniform jacket.”

A short scene with abrochar

A short scene shows how abrochar works across the day. In the morning: Abrocho la camisa antes de salir. In the afternoon: Abrocha el abrigo por el frío. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, abroché el cinturón de seguridad. And tomorrow: Mañana, abrocharé la chaqueta del uniforme. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how abrochar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with abrochar

The errors learners actually make with abrochar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo abrocha la camisa antes de salir.

✓ Correct: Yo abrocho la camisa antes de salir.

The person matters: abrocha is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abrocho. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo abrocho el abrigo por el frío.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo abroché el abrigo por el frío.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: abrocho is happening now, while abroché is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating abrochar and cerrar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Abrochar means to button up, to fasten, while cerrar means to close.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abrochar fits sentences such as Abrocho la camisa antes de salir, while cerrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy abrochado el abrigo por el frío.

✓ Correct: Yo he abrochado el abrigo por el frío.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abrochado, has abrochado, ha abrochado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo abroché el cinturón de seguridad todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo abrochaba el cinturón de seguridad todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abrochaba), not the preterite. The preterite (abroché) is for one finished action.

Quiz: abrochar in use

Ten questions on abrochar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el abrigo por el frío. — “He/she buttons up the coat because of the cold.”

  • a) abrocha
  • b) abrocho
  • c) abrochas
  • d) abrochamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el cinturón de seguridad. — “Yesterday, I buttoned up the seat belt.”

  • a) abrochaste
  • b) abrochó
  • c) abrocharon
  • d) abroché

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la chaqueta del uniforme cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to button up the uniform jacket when they were young.”

  • a) abrochabas
  • b) abrochábamos
  • c) abrochaban
  • d) abrochaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la camisa antes de salir. — “Tomorrow, we will button up the shirt before going out.”

  • a) abrocharán
  • b) abrocharemos
  • c) abrocharé
  • d) abrocharás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el abrigo por el frío si pudiera. — “He would button up the coat because of the cold if he could.”

  • a) abrocharía
  • b) abrocharías
  • c) abrocharíamos
  • d) abrocho

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el cinturón de seguridad. — “I have buttoned up the seat belt.”

  • a) has abrochado
  • b) ha abrochado
  • c) han abrochado
  • d) he abrochado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la chaqueta del uniforme. — “I hope you button up the uniform jacket.”

  • a) abrochemos
  • b) abrocho
  • c) abroches
  • d) abroche

8. Which is the past participle of abrochar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) abroché
  • b) abrochado
  • c) abrochando
  • d) abrocho

9. What does abrochar mean in English?

  • a) to button up, to fasten
  • b) to close
  • c) to absorb
  • d) to carry, to haul

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él abrocha el abrigo por el frío.
  • b) Él abrocho el abrigo por el frío.
  • c) Nosotros abrocha el cinturón de seguridad.
  • d) Yo abrocha la camisa antes de salir.

Answer key

  1. a) abrocha — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: abrocha.

  2. d) abroché — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: abroché, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) abrochaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: abrochaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) abrocharemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: abrocharemos.

  5. a) abrocharía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: abrocharía.

  6. d) he abrochado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he abrochado, haber + abrochado.

  7. c) abroches — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is abroches.

  8. b) abrochado — The past participle is abrochado: he abrochado, has abrochado, ha abrochado. The gerund abrochando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to button up, to fasten — abrochar means to button up, to fasten. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él abrocha el abrigo por el frío. — Él abrocha el abrigo por el frío. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use abrochar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Abrocho la camisa antes de salir and Abrocha el abrigo por el frío. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between abrochar and cerrar?

Abrochar means “to button up, to fasten”, while cerrar means “to close”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use abrochar when you mean “to button up, to fasten” and cerrar when you mean “to close”.

Which tense do I need most with abrochar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use abrochar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is abrochar formal or informal?

Abrochar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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