Cruzar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of cruzar — "to cross" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for cruzar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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). To see it in a real sentence: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully".
Present tense conjugation table: cruzar
Every person of cruzar in the present tense. The gerund is cruzando and the past participle is cruzado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cruzo |
| tú | cruzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cruza |
| nosotros/as | cruzamos |
| vosotros/as | cruzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzan |
How the present of cruzar is formed
The present of cruzar is built from the stem cruz- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | cruzo |
| tú | -as | cruzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | cruza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | cruzamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | cruzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | cruzan |
The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is crucé and the present subjunctive yo form is cruce.
The gerund of cruzar is cruzando and the past participle is cruzado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of cruzar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and cruzar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo cruzo la calle con cuidado" — "Every day, I cross the street carefully"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo cruza la frontera por la noche" — "My friend crosses the border at night"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo cruzo los brazos con impaciencia" — "Right now, I cross his arms impatiently"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros cruzamos el río en barca" — "Tomorrow, we cross the river by boat"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos cruzan el puente de madera" — "They cross the wooden bridge"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo crucé la calle con cuidado — "I crossed the street carefully"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú cruzas la frontera por la noche — "You cross the border at night"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú cruzabas la frontera por la noche — "You used to cross the border at night"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él cruza los brazos con impaciencia — "He crosses his arms impatiently"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él cruzará los brazos con impaciencia — "He will cross his arms impatiently"
Examples: cruzar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show cruzar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully"
- Tú cruzas la frontera por la noche — "You cross the border at night"
- Él cruza los brazos con impaciencia — "He crosses his arms impatiently"
- Nosotros cruzamos el río en barca — "We cross the river by boat"
- Vosotros cruzáis el puente de madera — "You cross the wooden bridge"
- Ellos cruzan la calle con cuidado — "They cross the street carefully"
- Yo cruzo la frontera por la noche — "I cross the border at night"
Common mistakes with cruzar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with cruzar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Ayer, yo cruzé la calle con cuidado.
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo crucé la calle con cuidado.
The z of cruzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is crucé, never cruzé.
✗ *Tú cruza la frontera por la noche.
✓ Correct: Tú cruzas la frontera por la noche.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes cruzas, él takes cruza.
✗ *Cada día, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo cruzo los brazos con impaciencia
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros cruzais el río en barca.
✓ Correct: Vosotros cruzáis el río en barca.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: cruzáis, not cruzais.
Quiz: cruzar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of cruzar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of cruzar for tú? A. cruzamos B. cruzas C. cruzo D. cruza
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully" (present) A. cruza B. cruzamos C. cruzo D. cruzas
Complete the sentence: Él ______ la frontera por la noche — "He crosses the border at night" (present) A. cruza B. cruzo C. cruzas D. cruzamos
Which is the correct present form of cruzar for nosotros? A. cruzamos B. cruzas C. cruza D. cruzan
Which sentence uses cruzar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo cruzaba los brazos con impaciencia B. Mi amigo cruzamos los brazos con impaciencia C. Mi amigo cruza los brazos con impaciencia D. Mi amigo cruzas los brazos con impaciencia
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el río en barca — "You cross the river by boat" (present) A. cruzáis B. cruzo C. cruzas D. cruza
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el puente de madera — "They cross the wooden bridge" (present) A. cruza B. cruzan C. cruzo D. cruzas
What is the gerund of cruzar? A. cruzado B. cruzo C. crucé D. cruzando
Answer key
- cruzas — The tú form in the present is cruzas.
- cruzo — The present form for yo is cruzo.
- cruza — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is cruza.
- cruzamos — The nosotros form in the present is cruzamos.
- Mi amigo cruza los brazos con impaciencia — Mi amigo cruza los brazos con impaciencia is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- cruzáis — The present form for vosotros/as is cruzáis.
- cruzan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is cruzan.
- cruzando — The gerund is cruzando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle cruzado.
Frequently asked questions
Is cruzar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense cruzar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of cruzar?
The gerund is cruzando and the past participle is cruzado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I cross" in the present tense?
Say cruzo. For example: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of cruzar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo crucé la calle con cuidado — "Yesterday, I crossed the street carefully". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of cruzar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- cruzar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.