Ceñir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb ceñir means to gird, to encircle, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, ceñir 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 Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: ceñir
  • English: to gird, to encircle
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: ciñiendo
  • Past participle: ceñido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ceñido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ceñir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ceñir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ciño | | tú | ciñes | | él/ella/Ud. | ciñe | | nosotros/as | ceñimos | | vosotros/as | ceñís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ceñí | | tú | ceñiste | | él/ella/Ud. | ciñió | | nosotros/as | ceñimos | | vosotros/as | ceñisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ceñía | | tú | ceñías | | él/ella/Ud. | ceñía | | nosotros/as | ceñíamos | | vosotros/as | ceñíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ceñían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ceñiré | | tú | ceñirás | | él/ella/Ud. | ceñirá | | nosotros/as | ceñiremos | | vosotros/as | ceñiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ceñirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ceñiría | | tú | ceñirías | | él/ella/Ud. | ceñiría | | nosotros/as | ceñiríamos | | vosotros/as | ceñiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ceñirían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he ceñido | | tú | has ceñido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha ceñido | | nosotros/as | hemos ceñido | | vosotros/as | habéis ceñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ceñido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había ceñido | | tú | habías ceñido | | él/ella/Ud. | había ceñido | | nosotros/as | habíamos ceñido | | vosotros/as | habíais ceñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ceñido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré ceñido | | tú | habrás ceñido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá ceñido | | nosotros/as | habremos ceñido | | vosotros/as | habréis ceñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ceñido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría ceñido | | tú | habrías ceñido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría ceñido | | nosotros/as | habríamos ceñido | | vosotros/as | habríais ceñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ceñido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ciña | | tú | ciñas | | él/ella/Ud. | ciña | | nosotros/as | ciñamos | | vosotros/as | ciñáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ciñiera | | tú | ciñieras | | él/ella/Ud. | ciñiera | | nosotros/as | ciñiéramos | | vosotros/as | ciñierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | ciñe | | él/ella/Ud. | ciña | | nosotros/as | ciñamos | | vosotros/as | ceñid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | ciñas | | él/ella/Ud. | ciña | | nosotros/as | ciñamos | | vosotros/as | ciñáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ciñan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund ciñiendo with estar for the progressive: está ciñiendo
Past participle ceñido with haber for the perfect tenses: he ceñido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For ceñir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón — "I encircle his waist with a belt".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: ciñió, ciñieron. The gerund changes too: ciñiendo. For ceñir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo ceñí la corona a su cabeza — "Yesterday, I encircled the crown on his head".

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 ceñir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo ceñía el vestido a su cuerpo — "As a child, I used to encircle the dress to her body".

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 ceñir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo ceñiré la ciudad con una muralla — "Tomorrow, I will encircle the city with a wall".

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 ceñir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ceñiría la cintura con un cinturón si pudiera — "I would encircle his waist with a belt if I could".

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 ceñir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he ceñido la corona a su cabeza — "Today, I have encircled the crown on his head".

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 ceñir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había ceñido el vestido a su cuerpo antes de salir — "I already had encircled the dress to her body before leaving".

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 ceñir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré ceñido la ciudad con una muralla — "By tomorrow, I will have encircled the city with a wall".

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 ceñir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría ceñido la cintura con un cinturón con más tiempo — "I would have encircled his waist with a belt with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For ceñir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ciña la corona a su cabeza — "I hope he encircles the crown on his head".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For ceñir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo ciñiera el vestido a su cuerpo, todo cambiaría — "If I encircled the dress to her body, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For ceñir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Ciñe la ciudad con una muralla. — "Encircle the city with a wall.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For ceñir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No ciñas la cintura con un cinturón. — "Do not encircle his waist with a belt.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with ceñir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo ceñí el vestido a su cuerpo — "Yesterday, I encircled the dress to her body"
  4. Antes, nosotros ceñíamos la ciudad con una muralla — "Before, we used to encircle the city with a wall"
  5. Mañana, tú ceñirás el anillo a su dedo — "Tomorrow, you will encircle the ring on her finger"
  6. Yo ceñiría la cintura con un cinturón si tuviera más tiempo — "I would encircle his waist with a belt if I had more time"
  7. Él ha ceñido la corona a su cabeza — "He has encircled the crown on his head"
  8. Espero que él ciña el vestido a su cuerpo — "I hope he encircles the dress to her body"
  9. Yo ya había ceñido la ciudad con una muralla antes de salir — "I already had encircled the city with a wall before leaving"
  10. Ellos ceñían el anillo a su dedo cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to encircle the ring on her finger when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ceño la corona a su cabeza. — Right: Yo ciño la corona a su cabeza. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él ciñe la corona a su cabeza — Right: Espero que él ciña la corona a su cabeza — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él ciña la corona a su cabeza — not the indicative Espero que él ciñe la corona a su cabeza.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo ciño el vestido a su cuerpo — Right: Ayer, yo ceñí el vestido a su cuerpo — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ceñí el vestido a su cuerpo.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo ceñí la ciudad con una muralla todos los días — Right: De niño, yo ceñía la ciudad con una muralla todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ceñía la ciudad con una muralla todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo ciño en la cintura con un cinturón. — Right: Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón. — ceñir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo ciño la cintura con un cinturón.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ceñir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ la corona a su cabeza — "He encircled the crown on his head" (preterite) A. ceñiste B. ceñimos C. ciñió D. ceñí

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la ciudad con una muralla — "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: Espero que él ______ la cintura con un cinturón — "I hope he encircles his waist with a belt" (present subjunctive) A. ciñáis B. ciña C. ciñas D. ciñamos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la corona a su cabeza, todo cambiaría — "If I encircled the crown on his head, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. ciñiéramos B. ciñierais C. ciñiera D. ciñieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el vestido a su cuerpo — "We have encircled the dress to her body" (present perfect) A. has ceñido B. ha ceñido C. hemos ceñido D. he ceñido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la ciudad con una muralla. — "Do not encircle the city with a wall." (negative imperative) A. ciñáis B. ciñas C. ciña D. ciñamos

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

Answer key

  1. ciño — The present form for yo is ciño.
  2. ciñió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is ciñió.
  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. ciña — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is ciña.
  7. ciñiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is ciñiera.
  8. hemos ceñido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos ceñido.
  9. ciñas — The negative imperative form is ciñas.
  10. ciñiendo — The gerund of ceñir is ciñiendo: estoy ciñiendo. The participle ceñido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does ceñir mean in English?

ceñir means to gird, to encircle. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of ceñir?

The gerund is ciñiendo and the past participle is ceñido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I encircle" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo ceñí la corona a su cabeza — "Yesterday, I encircled the crown on his head". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo ceñía el vestido a su cuerpo — "As a child, I used to encircle the dress to her body". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he ceñido la corona a su cabeza — "Today, I have encircled the crown on his head".

What is the difference between ceñir and rodear?

Rodear is to surround something. Ceñir is to fit tightly around it, like a belt around a waist or a dress around a body. 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.

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