Cruzar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

cruzar means "to cross" 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. Cruzar takes a direct object: cruzar la calle, cruzar un río. It also appears in fixed expressions such as cruzar los brazos (to fold your arms) and cruzar la mirada (to exchange glances). 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 cruzar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the cruzar present tense page.

cruzar 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 cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully"
  2. Mi amigo cruza la frontera por la noche — "My friend crosses the border at night"
  3. Mañana, tú cruzarás los brazos con impaciencia — "Tomorrow, you will cross his arms impatiently"
  4. Yo cruzaría el río en barca si pudiera — "I would cross the river by boat 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 crucé la calle con cuidado — "Yesterday, I crossed the street carefully"
  2. Antes, nosotros cruzábamos la frontera por la noche — "Before, we used to cross the border at night"
  3. Él ha cruzado los brazos con impaciencia — "He has crossed his arms impatiently"
  4. Yo ya había cruzado el río en barca antes de salir — "I already had crossed the river by boat 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 cruce la calle con cuidado — "I hope he crosses the street carefully"
  2. Si yo cruzara la frontera por la noche, todo cambiaría — "If I crossed the border at night, everything would change"
  3. Cruza los brazos con impaciencia. — "Cross his arms impatiently."
  4. Yo habría cruzado el río en barca con más tiempo — "I would have crossed the river by boat with more time"

cruzar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use cruzar 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 cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully"
  • Marcos: Él cruza la frontera por la noche — "He crosses the border at night"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia — "Yesterday, I crossed his arms impatiently"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú cruzarás el río en barca — "Tomorrow, you will cross the river by boat"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Cruza el puente de madera. — "Cross the wooden bridge."
  • Lucía: Él ha cruzado la calle con cuidado — "He has crossed the street carefully"
  • Marcos: Espero que él cruce la frontera por la noche — "I hope he crosses the border at night"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo cruzaba los brazos con impaciencia — "Before, I used to cross his arms impatiently"

Common mistakes with cruzar

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

✗ *Ayer, yo cruzé el puente de madera.

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo crucé el puente de madera.

The z of cruzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is crucé, never cruzé.

✗ *Espero que él cruza el río en barca

✓ Correct: Espero que él cruce el río en barca

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él cruce el río en barca — not the indicative Espero que él cruza el río en barca.

✗ *Ayer, yo cruzo el puente de madera

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo crucé el puente de madera

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo crucé el puente de madera.

✗ *De niño, yo crucé la calle con cuidado todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo cruzaba la calle con cuidado todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo cruzaba la calle con cuidado todos los días.

✗ *Yo cruzo en los brazos con impaciencia.

✓ Correct: Yo cruzo los brazos con impaciencia.

cruzar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo cruzo los brazos con impaciencia.

Quiz: cruzar in use

Ten questions on cruzar — 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 calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully" (present) A. cruza B. cruzamos C. cruzo D. cruzas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la frontera por la noche — "Yesterday, I crossed the border at night" (preterite) A. cruzó B. cruzamos C. crucé D. cruzaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ los brazos con impaciencia — "Before, we used to cross his arms impatiently" (imperfect) A. cruzabais B. cruzábamos C. cruzaba D. cruzabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el río en barca — "Tomorrow, you will cross the river by boat" (future) A. cruzaré B. cruzará C. cruzaremos D. cruzarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el puente de madera — "I would cross the wooden bridge" (conditional) A. cruzarías B. cruzaríamos C. cruzaríais D. cruzaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la calle con cuidado — "He has crossed the street carefully" (present perfect) A. he cruzado B. has cruzado C. hemos cruzado D. ha cruzado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la frontera por la noche — "I hope he crosses the border at night" (present subjunctive) A. cruce B. cruces C. crucemos D. crucéis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ los brazos con impaciencia. — "Cross his arms impatiently." (affirmative imperative) A. cruzad B. cruza C. cruce D. crucemos

  9. Which is the gerund of cruzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. cruzado B. cruzo C. crucé D. cruzando

  10. What does cruzar mean in English? A. to draw B. to cross C. to cross, to go through D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. cruzo — The present form for yo is cruzo.
  2. crucé — The preterite form for yo is crucé.
  3. cruzábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is cruzábamos.
  4. cruzarás — The future form for tú is cruzarás.
  5. cruzaría — The conditional form for yo is cruzaría.
  6. ha cruzado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha cruzado.
  7. cruce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is cruce.
  8. cruza — The affirmative imperative form is cruza.
  9. cruzando — The gerund of cruzar is cruzando: estoy cruzando. The participle cruzado is used with haber instead.
  10. to cross — cruzar means to cross.

Frequently asked questions

What does cruzar mean in English?

cruzar means to cross. For example: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with cruzar?

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

Is cruzar regular?

Almost. cruzar is a spelling-changing -ar verb. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is crucé and the present subjunctive yo form is cruce.

How do I practise cruzar?

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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