Chirriar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb chirriar means to chirp, to squeak, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Chirriar means to chirp or to squeak, and it is the sound a door hinge, a wheel or a bird makes — a high, repeated noise that is hard to ignore. It is mostly used with things as the subject, such as a door, a bed or a wheel, and with birds and insects that chirp at dawn. Like every Spanish verb, chirriar 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 chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje, and in the preterite you say chirrié al amanecer en el jardín. 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: chirriar
  • English: to chirp, to squeak
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: chirriando
  • Past participle: chirriado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + chirriado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for chirriar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Chirriar is fully regular, and its subject is usually a thing, not a person: la puerta chirría, las ruedas chirrían.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for chirriar. 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 chirrío
tú chirrías
él/ella/Ud. chirría
nosotros/as chirriamos
vosotros/as chirriáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirrían

Preterite

Person Form
yo chirrié
tú chirriaste
él/ella/Ud. chirrió
nosotros/as chirriamos
vosotros/as chirriasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirriaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo chirriaba
tú chirriabas
él/ella/Ud. chirriaba
nosotros/as chirriábamos
vosotros/as chirriabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirriaban

Future

Person Form
yo chirriaré
tú chirriarás
él/ella/Ud. chirriará
nosotros/as chirriaremos
vosotros/as chirriaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirriarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo chirriaría
tú chirriarías
él/ella/Ud. chirriaría
nosotros/as chirriaríamos
vosotros/as chirriaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirriarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo chirríe
tú chirríes
él/ella/Ud. chirríe
nosotros/as chirriemos
vosotros/as chirriéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirríen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo chirriara
tú chirriaras
él/ella/Ud. chirriara
nosotros/as chirriáramos
vosotros/as chirriarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirriaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú chirría
él/ella/Ud. chirríe
nosotros/as chirriemos
vosotros/as chirriad
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirríen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú chirríes
él/ella/Ud. chirríe
nosotros/as chirriemos
vosotros/as chirriéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. chirríen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund chirriando with estar for the progressive: estoy chirriando
Past participle chirriado with haber for the perfect tenses: he chirriado

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 chirriar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For chirriar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, chirrié en el silencio de la noche. 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 chirriar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, chirriaba al amanecer en el jardín. 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 chirriar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, chirriaré desde ayer sin parar. 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 chirriar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Chirriaría al abrir la puerta del garaje 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 chirriar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he chirriado en el silencio de la noche. 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 chirriar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había chirriado al amanecer en el jardín 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 chirriar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré chirriado desde ayer sin parar. 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 chirriar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría chirriado al abrir la puerta del garaje 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 chirriar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él chirríe en el silencio de la noche. 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 chirriar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él chirriara al amanecer en el jardín, 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 chirriar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Chirría desde ayer sin parar! 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 chirriar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No chirríes al abrir la puerta del garaje. 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 chirriar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje. — I squeak when I open the garage door.
  2. Chirría en el silencio de la noche. — He/she squeaks in the silence of the night.
  3. Ayer, chirrié al amanecer en el jardín. — Yesterday, I squeaked at dawn in the garden.
  4. Antes, nosotros chirriábamos desde ayer sin parar. — Before, we used to squeak non-stop since yesterday.
  5. Mañana, tú chirriarás al abrir la puerta del garaje. — Tomorrow, you will squeak when I open the garage door.
  6. Yo chirriaría en el silencio de la noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would squeak in the silence of the night if I had more time.
  7. Él ha chirriado al amanecer en el jardín. — He has squeaked at dawn in the garden.
  8. Espero que él chirríe desde ayer sin parar. — I hope he squeaks non-stop since yesterday.
  9. Yo ya había chirriado al abrir la puerta del garaje antes de salir. — I had already squeaked when I open the garage door before leaving.
  10. Ellos chirriaban en el silencio de la noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to squeak in the silence of the night when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo chirría al abrir la puerta del garaje. — Right: Yo chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje. — The person matters: chirría is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is chirrío. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo chirrío en el silencio de la noche. — Right: Ayer yo chirrié en el silencio de la noche. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: chirrío is happening now, while chirrié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating chirriar and cantar as identical in every context. — Right: Chirriar means to chirp, to squeak, while cantar means to sing. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: chirriar fits sentences such as Chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje, while cantar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy chirriado en el silencio de la noche. — Right: Yo he chirriado en el silencio de la noche. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he chirriado, has chirriado, ha chirriado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo chirrié al amanecer en el jardín todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo chirriaba al amanecer en el jardín todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (chirriaba), not the preterite. The preterite (chirrié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al abrir la puerta del garaje. (present tense) A. chirrío B. chirrías C. chirría D. chirriamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el silencio de la noche. (preterite) A. chirrié B. chirriaste C. chirriaron D. chirrió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al amanecer en el jardín. (imperfect) A. chirriabas B. chirriaban C. chirriábamos D. chirriaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ desde ayer sin parar. (future) A. chirriaremos B. chirriarás C. chirriaré D. chirriará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al abrir la puerta del garaje si pudiera. (conditional) A. chirriaría B. chirriarías C. chirriarían D. chirrío

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el silencio de la noche. (present subjunctive) A. chirríes B. chirriemos C. chirrío D. chirríe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al amanecer en el jardín, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. chirriáramos B. chirrío C. chirriara D. chirriaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ desde ayer sin parar. (present perfect) A. han chirriado B. hemos chirriado C. he chirriado D. has chirriado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ al abrir la puerta del garaje! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. chirría B. chirríe C. chirriemos D. chirriad

  10. Which is the gerund of chirriar, used with estar for the progressive? A. chirriado B. chirrío C. chirrié D. chirriando

Answer key

  1. chirrío — The first-person present of chirriar is chirrío. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. chirrió — The third-person preterite of chirriar is chirrió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. chirriábamos — The nosotros imperfect of chirriar is chirriábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. chirriarás — The second-person future of chirriar is chirriarás.
  5. chirriaría — The first-person conditional of chirriar is chirriaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. chirríe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of chirriar is chirríe.
  7. chirriara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of chirriar is chirriara.
  8. hemos chirriado — The nosotros present perfect of chirriar is hemos chirriado: hemos + chirriado.
  9. chirría — The affirmative tú imperative of chirriar is chirría.
  10. chirriando — The gerund of chirriar is chirriando: estoy chirriando. The participle chirriado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does chirriar mean in English?

Chirriar means to chirp, to squeak. It is used in everyday situations such as Chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is chirriar regular or irregular?

Chirriar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including chirrío in the present and chirrié in the preterite.

What is the difference between chirriar and cantar?

Chirriar means to chirp, to squeak, while cantar means to sing. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use chirriar when you mean to chirp, to squeak, as in Chirrío al abrir la puerta del garaje, and use cantar for to sing. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I chirp” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo chirrié en el silencio de la noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo chirriaba al amanecer en el jardín. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he chirriado en el silencio de la noche.

How do I practise chirriar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the chirriar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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