Acercar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb acercar means to bring closer, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, acercar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say acerco la silla a la mesa, and in the preterite you say acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: acercar
- English: to bring closer
- Verb type: spelling-changing verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: acercando
- Past participle: acercado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acercado)
- Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acercar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is acerqué and the subjunctive is acerque — never acercé.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acercar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acerco |
| tú | acercas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acerca |
| nosotros/as | acercamos |
| vosotros/as | acercáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acerqué |
| tú | acercaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | acercó |
| nosotros/as | acercamos |
| vosotros/as | acercasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acercaba |
| tú | acercabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acercaba |
| nosotros/as | acercábamos |
| vosotros/as | acercabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acercaré |
| tú | acercarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | acercará |
| nosotros/as | acercaremos |
| vosotros/as | acercaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acercaría |
| tú | acercarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | acercaría |
| nosotros/as | acercaríamos |
| vosotros/as | acercaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he acercado |
| tú | has acercado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha acercado |
| nosotros/as | hemos acercado |
| vosotros/as | habéis acercado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han acercado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había acercado |
| tú | habías acercado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había acercado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos acercado |
| vosotros/as | habíais acercado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían acercado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré acercado |
| tú | habrás acercado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá acercado |
| nosotros/as | habremos acercado |
| vosotros/as | habréis acercado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán acercado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría acercado |
| tú | habrías acercado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría acercado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos acercado |
| vosotros/as | habríais acercado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían acercado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acerque |
| tú | acerques |
| él/ella/Ud. | acerque |
| nosotros/as | acerquemos |
| vosotros/as | acerquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acerquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acercara |
| tú | acercaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | acercara |
| nosotros/as | acercáramos |
| vosotros/as | acercarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acercaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acerca |
| él/ella/Ud. | acerque |
| nosotros/as | acerquemos |
| vosotros/as | acercad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acerquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acerques |
| él/ella/Ud. | acerque |
| nosotros/as | acerquemos |
| vosotros/as | acerquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acerquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | acercando | with estar for the progressive: estoy acercando |
| Past participle | acercado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he acercado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acerco la silla a la mesa. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is acerqué, never acercé. For acercar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, acerqué el libro a mis ojos. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, acercaba dos posturas en la negociación. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, acercaré la fecha del examen. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Acercaría la silla a la mesa si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acercado el libro a mis ojos. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acercado dos posturas en la negociación antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acercado la fecha del examen. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acercado la silla a la mesa con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acerque el libro a mis ojos. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acercara dos posturas en la negociación, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡acerca la fecha del examen! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acercar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acerques la silla a la mesa. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with acercar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Acerco la silla a la mesa. — I bring the chair closer to the table.
- Acerca el libro a mis ojos. — He/she brings the book closer to my eyes.
- Ayer, acerqué dos posturas en la negociación. — Yesterday, I brought two positions closer in the negotiation.
- Antes, nosotros acercábamos la fecha del examen. — Before, we used to bring the exam date closer.
- Mañana, tú acercarás la silla a la mesa. — Tomorrow, you will bring the chair closer to the table.
- Yo acercaría el libro a mis ojos si tuviera más tiempo. — I would bring the book closer to my eyes if I had more time.
- Él ha acercado dos posturas en la negociación. — He has brought two positions closer in the negotiation.
- Espero que él acerque la fecha del examen. — I hope he brings the exam date closer.
- Yo ya había acercado la silla a la mesa antes de salir. — I had already brought the chair closer to the table before leaving.
- Ellos acercaban el libro a mis ojos cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to bring the book closer to my eyes when they were young.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla a la mesa. (present tense) A. acerco B. acercas C. acerca D. acercamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el libro a mis ojos. (preterite) A. acerqué B. acercaste C. acercaron D. acercó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ dos posturas en la negociación. (imperfect) A. acercabas B. acercaban C. acercábamos D. acercaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la fecha del examen. (future) A. acercaremos B. acercarás C. acercaré D. acercará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla a la mesa si pudiera. (conditional) A. acercaría B. acercarías C. acercarían D. acerco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el libro a mis ojos. (present subjunctive) A. acerques B. acerquemos C. acerco D. acerque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ dos posturas en la negociación, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. acercáramos B. acerco C. acercara D. acercaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la fecha del examen. (present perfect) A. han acercado B. hemos acercado C. he acercado D. has acercado
Complete the command: ¡___ la silla a la mesa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acerca B. acerque C. acerquemos D. acercad
Which is the gerund of acercar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acercado B. acerco C. acerqué D. acercando
Answer key
- acerco — The first-person present of acercar is acerco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- acercó — The third-person preterite of acercar is acercó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- acercábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acercar is acercábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- acercarás — The second-person future of acercar is acercarás.
- acercaría — The first-person conditional of acercar is acercaría, the form for what would happen.
- acerque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acercar is acerque.
- acercara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acercar is acercara.
- hemos acercado — The nosotros present perfect of acercar is hemos acercado: hemos + acercado.
- acerca — The affirmative tú imperative of acercar is acerca.
- acercando — The gerund of acercar is acercando: estoy acercando. The participle acercado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does acercar mean in English?
Acercar means to bring closer. It is used in everyday situations such as Acerco la silla a la mesa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is acercar regular or irregular?
Acercar is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is acerqué. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -ar verbs.
What is the difference between acercar and aproximar?
Acercar means to bring closer, while aproximar means to bring nearer. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acercar when you mean to bring closer, as in Acerco la silla a la mesa, and use aproximar for to bring nearer. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I bring closer” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo acerqué el libro a mis ojos. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo acercaba dos posturas en la negociación. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acercado el libro a mis ojos.
How do I practise acercar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acercar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Acercar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for acercar.
- Acercar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for acercar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Accionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acercar.
- Aclarar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acercar.
- Acompañar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acercar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.