Acercar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acercar means “to bring closer” 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. Acercar means to bring closer, and it is used for moving things near and for bringing people together: you bring a chair closer to the table, you bring two friends together, you bring a deadline forward. Without an object it can also mean to come closer, as in acercarse, its reflexive partner. 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 acercar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acercar present tense page.

acercar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with acercar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo acerco la silla a la mesa. — I bring the chair closer to the table.
  2. Él/Ella acerca el libro a mis ojos. — He brings the book closer to my eyes.
  3. Nosotros/as acercamos dos posturas en la negociación. — We bring two positions closer in the negotiation.
  4. Ellos/as acercan la fecha del examen. — They bring the exam date closer.

In the past

Four sentences with acercar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. — Yesterday, I brought two positions closer in the negotiation.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as acercábamos la fecha del examen. — Before, We used to bring the exam date closer.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella acercó la silla a la mesa. — Yesterday, He brought the chair closer to the table.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as acercaban el libro a mis ojos. — As children, They used to bring the book closer to my eyes.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with acercar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú acercarás la silla a la mesa. — Tomorrow, You will bring the chair closer to the table.
  2. Yo acercaría el libro a mis ojos. — I would bring the book closer to my eyes.
  3. Espero que él acerque dos posturas en la negociación. — I hope he brings two positions closer in the negotiation.
  4. Él/Ella ha acercado la fecha del examen. — He has brought the exam date closer.

acercar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú acercas la silla a la mesa mañana? — Are you going to bring the chair closer to the table tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo acerco la silla a la mesa todos los días. — Yes, I bring the chair closer to the table every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana acercarás el libro a mis ojos? — And tomorrow, will you bring the book closer to my eyes? Luis: Claro, mañana acercaré el libro a mis ojos sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will bring the book closer to my eyes without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo acercaré dos posturas en la negociación también. — Perfect. I will bring two positions closer in the negotiation too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. — Yesterday, I brought two positions closer in the negotiation. Ana: ¿Y antes acercabas la fecha del examen? — And before, did you use to bring the exam date closer? Luis: Sí, antes acercaba la fecha del examen todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to bring the exam date closer every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos acercaron la silla a la mesa? — And did your brothers brought the chair closer to the table? Luis: Sí, ellos acercaron la silla a la mesa por la tarde. — Yes, they brought the chair closer to the table in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acerca la silla a la mesa. — Right: Yo acerco la silla a la mesa. — The person matters: acerca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acerco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo acercé dos posturas en la negociación. — Right: Ayer, yo acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is acerqué, never acercé.
  3. Wrong: Treating acercar and aproximar as identical in every context. — Right: Acercar means to bring closer, while aproximar means to bring nearer. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acercar fits sentences such as Acerco la silla a la mesa, while aproximar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy acercado el libro a mis ojos. — Right: Yo he acercado el libro a mis ojos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acercado, has acercado, ha acercado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo acerqué dos posturas en la negociación todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acercaba dos posturas en la negociación todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acercaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acerqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on acercar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la fecha del examen. (present tense) A. acercan B. acerco C. acercas D. acerca

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la silla a la mesa. (preterite tense) A. acerqué B. acercaste C. acercó D. acercamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el libro a mis ojos. (imperfect tense) A. acercábamos B. acercabais C. acercabas D. acercaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ dos posturas en la negociación. (future tense) A. acercaremos B. acercará C. acercaré D. acercarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la fecha del examen. (conditional tense) A. acercaríamos B. acercaría C. acercarías D. acercaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la silla a la mesa. (present-perfect tense) A. has acercado B. ha acercado C. hemos acercado D. he acercado

  7. What does acercar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to bring closer D. to bring nearer

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. B. Yo acerca la silla a la mesa. C. Yo acerco la silla a la mesa. D. Él/Ella acerca el libro a mis ojos.

  9. Which is the gerund of acercar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acercando B. acercado C. acerco D. acerqué

  10. Which is the past participle of acercar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acercando B. acerco C. acerqué D. acercado

Answer key

  1. acercan — The correct form here is acercan.
  2. acercamos — The correct form here is acercamos.
  3. acercabas — The correct form here is acercabas.
  4. acercará — The correct form here is acercará.
  5. acercaríamos — The correct form here is acercaríamos.
  6. he acercado — The correct form here is he acercado.
  7. to bring closer — Acercar means to bring closer. Aproximar means to bring nearer, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo acerca la silla a la mesa. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo acerco la silla a la mesa.. The person matters: acerca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acerco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. acercando — The gerund of acercar is acercando: estoy acercando.
  10. acercado — The past participle of acercar is acercado: he acercado, has acercado, ha acercado.

Frequently asked questions

What does acercar mean?

Acercar means to bring closer. Acercar means to bring closer, and it is used for moving things near and for bringing people together: you bring a chair closer to the table, you bring two friends together, you bring a deadline forward. Without an object it can also mean to come closer, as in acercarse, its reflexive partner.

When do people use acercar most?

People use acercar most in everyday situations such as Yo acerco la silla a la mesa. and Ayer, Yo acerqué dos posturas en la negociación.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between acercar and aproximar?

Acercar means to bring closer, while aproximar means to bring nearer. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of acercar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of acercar as your reference, the acercar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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