Ceñir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ceñir means "to gird, to encircle" 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. Ceñir means to gird or to fit closely around something: ceñir la cintura con un cinturón, ceñir el vestido a su cuerpo. It is a formal, slightly literary verb, and ceñirse a means to stick to a topic. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 ceñir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ceñir present tense page.

ceñir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt"
  2. Mi amigo ciñe la corona a su cabeza — "My friend encircles the crown on his head"
  3. Mañana, tú ceñirás el vestido a su cuerpo — "Tomorrow, you will encircle the dress to her body"
  4. Yo ceñiría la ciudad con una muralla si pudiera — "I would encircle the city with a wall if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo ceñí la cintura con un cinturón — "Yesterday, I encircled his waist with a belt"
  2. Antes, nosotros ceñíamos la corona a su cabeza — "Before, we used to encircle the crown on his head"
  3. Él ha ceñido el vestido a su cuerpo — "He has encircled the dress to her body"
  4. Yo ya había ceñido la ciudad con una muralla antes de salir — "I already had encircled the city with a wall before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él ciña la cintura con un cinturón — "I hope he encircles his waist with a belt"
  2. Si yo ciñiera la corona a su cabeza, todo cambiaría — "If I encircled the crown on his head, everything would change"
  3. Ciñe el vestido a su cuerpo. — "Encircle the dress to her body."
  4. Yo habría ceñido la ciudad con una muralla con más tiempo — "I would have encircled the city with a wall with more time"

ceñir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use ceñir 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt"
  • Marcos: Él ciñe la corona a su cabeza — "He encircles the crown on his head"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo ceñí el vestido a su cuerpo — "Yesterday, I encircled the dress to her body"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú ceñirás la ciudad con una muralla — "Tomorrow, you will encircle the city with a wall"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Ciñe el anillo a su dedo. — "Encircle the ring on her finger."
  • Lucía: Él ha ceñido la cintura con un cinturón — "He has encircled his waist with a belt"
  • Marcos: Espero que él ciña la corona a su cabeza — "I hope he encircles the crown on his head"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo ceñía el vestido a su cuerpo — "Before, I used to encircle the dress to her body"

Common mistakes with ceñir

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

✗ *Yo ceño la ciudad con una muralla.

✓ Correct: Yo ciño la ciudad con una muralla.

ceñir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is ciño, not ceño.

✗ *Espero que él ciñe la ciudad con una muralla

✓ Correct: Espero que él ciña la ciudad con una muralla

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él ciña la ciudad con una muralla — not the indicative Espero que él ciñe la ciudad con una muralla.

✗ *Ayer, yo ciño el anillo a su dedo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo ceñí el anillo a su dedo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ceñí el anillo a su dedo.

✗ *De niño, yo ceñí la cintura con un cinturón todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo ceñía la cintura con un cinturón todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ceñía la cintura con un cinturón todos los días.

✗ *Yo ciño en el vestido a su cuerpo.

✓ Correct: Yo ciño el vestido a su cuerpo.

ceñir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo ciño el vestido a su cuerpo.

Quiz: ceñir in use

Ten questions on ceñir — 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: Yo ______ la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt" (present) A. ceñimos B. ciño C. ciñes D. ciñe

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la corona a su cabeza — "Yesterday, I encircled the crown on his head" (preterite) A. ceñí B. ceñiste C. ciñió D. ceñimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el vestido a su cuerpo — "Before, we used to encircle the dress to her body" (imperfect) A. ceñía B. ceñías C. ceñíais D. ceñíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la ciudad con una muralla — "Tomorrow, you will encircle the city with a wall" (future) A. ceñiremos B. ceñirás C. ceñiré D. ceñirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el anillo a su dedo — "I would encircle the ring on her finger" (conditional) A. ceñiríamos B. ceñiríais C. ceñiría D. ceñirías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la cintura con un cinturón — "He has encircled his waist with a belt" (present perfect) A. he ceñido B. has ceñido C. hemos ceñido D. ha ceñido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la corona a su cabeza — "I hope he encircles the crown on his head" (present subjunctive) A. ciñamos B. ciñáis C. ciña D. ciñas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el vestido a su cuerpo. — "Encircle the dress to her body." (affirmative imperative) A. ciña B. ciñamos C. ceñid D. ciñe

  9. Which is the gerund of ceñir, used with estar for the progressive? A. ciño B. ceñí C. ciñiendo D. ceñido

  10. What does ceñir mean in English? A. to gird B. to surround C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. ciño — The present form for yo is ciño.
  2. ceñí — The preterite form for yo is ceñí.
  3. ceñíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is ceñíamos.
  4. ceñirás — The future form for tú is ceñirás.
  5. ceñiría — The conditional form for yo is ceñiría.
  6. ha ceñido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha ceñido.
  7. ciña — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is ciña.
  8. ciñe — The affirmative imperative form is ciñe.
  9. ciñiendo — The gerund of ceñir is ciñiendo: estoy ciñiendo. The participle ceñido is used with haber instead.
  10. to gird — ceñir means to gird.

Frequently asked questions

What does ceñir mean in English?

ceñir means to gird, to encircle. For example: Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with ceñir?

ceñir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is ceñir regular?

No. ceñir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: ciño, ciñes, ciñe and ciñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: ceñimos, ceñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: ciñió, ciñieron, and the gerund is ciñiendo.

How do I practise ceñir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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