Introduction
Cerrar means “to close”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Cerrar is the verb for closing doors, windows, boxes and books. The thing closed is the direct object, with no preposition. Cerrar also describes closing a shop or a business for the day. It is how shopkeepers talk about their hours. This page shows cerrar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo cierro la ventana por la noche.” — I close the window at night.
Cerrar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how cerrar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use cerrar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo cierro la ventana por la noche.” — I close the window at night.
“¿Tú cierras la puerta?” — Do you close the door?
“La tienda cierra a las nueve.” — The shop closes at nine.
“Nosotros cerramos el trato hoy.” — We close the deal today.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show cerrar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo cerré la ventana por la noche.” — Yesterday I closed the window at night. (preterite)
“La tienda cerraba a las nueve todos los días.” — The shop used to close at nine every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of cerrar stays the same.
“Nosotros cerraremos el trato mañana.” — We will close the deal tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has cerrado ya la puerta?” — Have you closed the door yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros cerráis las ventanas.” — You close the windows.
“Ellos cierran el libro.” — They close the book.
“Yo cierro con llave por la noche.” — I lock up at night.
“Mi padre cierra la puerta del garaje.” — My father closes the garage door.
Cerrar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how cerrar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú cierras la puerta?” — Do you close the door?
Luis: “Sí, yo cierro la ventana por la noche.” — Yes, I close the window at night.
Ana: “Nosotros cerramos el trato hoy.” — We close the deal today.
Luis: “Y ellos cierran el libro.” — And they close the book.
Ana: “Vosotros cerráis las ventanas.” — You close the windows.
Luis: “Sí, y la tienda cierra a las nueve.” — Yes, and the shop closes at nine.
A short paragraph
Ana cierra la ventana por la noche, y la tienda cierra a las nueve. Nosotros cerramos el trato hoy, y ellos cierran el libro. Yo cierro con llave por la noche, y mi padre cierra la puerta del garaje. Cerrar is part of every evening, because closing a window, closing a shop and closing a deal are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with cerrar
These are the errors learners actually make with cerrar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo cerramos la ventana.” Right: “Yo cierro la ventana.” Why: The yo form is cierro, with the e → ie change, not cerramos. The change appears in yo, tú, él and ellos, while nosotros and vosotros keep the e: cerramos, cerráis.
Wrong: “Nosotros cierran el trato.” Right: “Nosotros cerramos el trato.” Why: Nosotros keeps the unchanged stem: cerramos, not cierran. The stem change never applies to nosotros or vosotros.
Wrong: “Yo cierro la ventana ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo cerré la ventana.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to cerré.
Wrong: “Ellos cierra el libro.” Right: “Ellos cierran el libro.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form cierran. The singular cierra belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as la tienda.
Wrong: “Ellos cierro todos los días.” Right: “Ellos cierran todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form cierran, not the yo form cierro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: cerrar in use
Ten questions on cerrar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ las ventanas.” (You close the windows.)
- (a) cierras
- (b) cerráis
- (c) cierro
Answer: cerráis — The vosotros/as form of cerrar in the present tense is cerráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el libro.” (They close the book.)
- (a) cierran
- (b) cierro
- (c) cierras
Answer: cierran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of cerrar in the present tense is cierran.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la ventana por la noche.” (Yesterday I closed the window at night.)
- (a) cerraste
- (b) cerró
- (c) cerré
Answer: cerré — In the preterite, the yo form of cerrar is cerré.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “La tienda ______ a las nueve todos los días.” (The shop used to close at nine every day.)
- (a) cerrabas
- (b) cerraba
- (c) cerraba
Answer: cerraba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of cerrar is cerraba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ el trato mañana.” (We will close the deal tomorrow.)
- (a) cerraremos
- (b) cerraré
- (c) cerrarás
Answer: cerraremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of cerrar is cerraremos.
6. What does cerrar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to close
Answer: to close — Cerrar means “to close”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo cierro la ventana.
- (b) Yo cerramos la ventana.
- (c) Nosotros cierran el trato.
Answer: Yo cierro la ventana. — “Yo cierro la ventana.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I lock up at night.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo cierran con llave por la noche.
- (b) Yo cierro con llave por la noche.
- (c) Mi padre cierra la puerta del garaje.
Answer: Yo cierro con llave por la noche. — “Yo cierro con llave por la noche.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of cerrar in the present tense?
- (a) cierro
- (b) cierras
- (c) cerramos
Answer: cerramos — The nosotros form is cerramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo cerré la ventana por la noche.
- (b) Nosotros cerraremos el trato mañana.
- (c) Yo cierro la ventana por la noche.
Answer: Yo cierro la ventana por la noche. — “Yo cierro la ventana por la noche.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I close the window' in Spanish?
Say 'Cierro la ventana'. The window follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Cierro la ventana por la noche'.
How do you say 'The shop closes at nine' in Spanish?
Say 'La tienda cierra a las nueve'. The shop is the subject, and the time takes the preposition a.
Can cerrar mean 'to lock'?
Yes, in context. 'Cierro con llave' means I lock up, and 'Cierra la puerta con llave' means lock the door. The phrase with llave is how Spanish expresses locking.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of cerrar — every tense of cerrar in one place.
- Cerrar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on cerrar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of cerrar until they are automatic.