Cruzar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cruzar means to cross, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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). Like every Spanish verb, cruzar 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 cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully". 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 z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is crucé and the present subjunctive yo form is cruce.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: cruzar
  • English: to cross
  • Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: cruzando
  • Past participle: cruzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cruzado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruzo | | tú | cruzas | | él/ella/Ud. | cruza | | nosotros/as | cruzamos | | vosotros/as | cruzáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | crucé | | tú | cruzaste | | él/ella/Ud. | cruzó | | nosotros/as | cruzamos | | vosotros/as | cruzasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruzaba | | tú | cruzabas | | él/ella/Ud. | cruzaba | | nosotros/as | cruzábamos | | vosotros/as | cruzabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruzaré | | tú | cruzarás | | él/ella/Ud. | cruzará | | nosotros/as | cruzaremos | | vosotros/as | cruzaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruzaría | | tú | cruzarías | | él/ella/Ud. | cruzaría | | nosotros/as | cruzaríamos | | vosotros/as | cruzaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruce | | tú | cruces | | él/ella/Ud. | cruce | | nosotros/as | crucemos | | vosotros/as | crucéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | crucen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cruzara | | tú | cruzaras | | él/ella/Ud. | cruzara | | nosotros/as | cruzáramos | | vosotros/as | cruzarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cruzaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cruza | | él/ella/Ud. | cruce | | nosotros/as | crucemos | | vosotros/as | cruzad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | crucen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cruces | | él/ella/Ud. | cruce | | nosotros/as | crucemos | | vosotros/as | crucéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | crucen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 cruzar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado — "I cross the street carefully".

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. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is crucé and the present subjunctive yo form is cruce. For cruzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo crucé la frontera por la noche — "Yesterday, I crossed the border at night".

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 cruzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo cruzaba los brazos con impaciencia — "As a child, I used to cross his arms impatiently".

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 cruzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo cruzaré el río en barca — "Tomorrow, I will cross the river by boat".

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 cruzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cruzaría la calle con cuidado si pudiera — "I would cross the street carefully 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 cruzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he cruzado la frontera por la noche — "Today, I have crossed the border at night".

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 cruzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había cruzado los brazos con impaciencia antes de salir — "I already had crossed his arms impatiently 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 cruzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré cruzado el río en barca — "By tomorrow, I will have crossed the river by boat".

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 cruzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría cruzado la calle con cuidado con más tiempo — "I would have crossed the street carefully with more time".

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. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is crucé and the present subjunctive yo form is cruce. For cruzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cruce la frontera por la noche — "I hope he crosses the border at night".

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 regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For cruzar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo cruzara los brazos con impaciencia, todo cambiaría — "If I crossed his arms impatiently, everything would change".

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 cruzar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Cruza el río en barca. — "Cross the river by boat.".

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 cruzar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No cruces la calle con cuidado. — "Do not cross the street carefully.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia — "Yesterday, I crossed his arms impatiently"
  4. Antes, nosotros cruzábamos el río en barca — "Before, we used to cross the river by boat"
  5. Mañana, tú cruzarás el puente de madera — "Tomorrow, you will cross the wooden bridge"
  6. Yo cruzaría la calle con cuidado si tuviera más tiempo — "I would cross the street carefully if I had more time"
  7. Él ha cruzado la frontera por la noche — "He has crossed the border at night"
  8. Espero que él cruce los brazos con impaciencia — "I hope he crosses his arms impatiently"
  9. Yo ya había cruzado el río en barca antes de salir — "I already had crossed the river by boat before leaving"
  10. Ellos cruzaban el puente de madera cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to cross the wooden bridge when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Ayer, yo cruzé los brazos con impaciencia. — Right: Ayer, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia. — The z of cruzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is crucé, never cruzé.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él cruza la frontera por la noche — Right: Espero que él cruce la frontera por la noche — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él cruce la frontera por la noche — not the indicative Espero que él cruza la frontera por la noche.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo cruzo los brazos con impaciencia — Right: Ayer, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo crucé los brazos con impaciencia.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo crucé el río en barca todos los días — Right: De niño, yo cruzaba el río en barca todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo cruzaba el río en barca todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo cruzo en la calle con cuidado. — Right: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado. — cruzar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo cruzo la calle con cuidado.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ la frontera por la noche — "He crossed the border at night" (preterite) A. cruzó B. crucé C. cruzaste D. cruzamos

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el río en barca — "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: Espero que él ______ la calle con cuidado — "I hope he crosses the street carefully" (present subjunctive) A. crucéis B. cruce C. cruces D. crucemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la frontera por la noche, todo cambiaría — "If I crossed the border at night, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. cruzara B. cruzaras C. cruzáramos D. cruzarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los brazos con impaciencia — "We have crossed his arms impatiently" (present perfect) A. he cruzado B. has cruzado C. ha cruzado D. hemos cruzado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el río en barca. — "Do not cross the river by boat." (negative imperative) A. cruce B. crucemos C. crucéis D. cruces

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

Answer key

  1. cruzo — The present form for yo is cruzo.
  2. cruzó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is cruzó.
  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. cruce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is cruce.
  7. cruzara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is cruzara.
  8. hemos cruzado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos cruzado.
  9. cruces — The negative imperative form is cruces.
  10. cruzando — The gerund of cruzar is cruzando: estoy cruzando. The participle cruzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cruzar mean in English?

cruzar means to cross. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. Apart from that change, it follows the regular endings.

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 I say "I cross" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo crucé la frontera por la noche — "Yesterday, I crossed the border at night". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo cruzaba los brazos con impaciencia — "As a child, I used to cross his arms impatiently". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he cruzado la frontera por la noche — "Today, I have crossed the border at night".

What is the difference between cruzar and atravesar?

Atravesar is the close cousin of cruzar and often implies going through something, such as atravesar un bosque. Cruza la calle is the natural choice for crossing a street. 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).

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