Encerrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

encerrar means "to lock up" 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. Encerrar means to lock something or someone up: encerrar al perro en el jardín, encerrar las llaves en el cajón. With se it means to shut yourself in: encerrarse en su habitación. 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 encerrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the encerrar present tense page.

encerrar 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 encierro al perro en el jardín — "I lock up the dog in the garden"
  2. Mi amigo encierra las llaves en el cajón — "My friend locks up the keys in the drawer"
  3. Mañana, tú encerrarás al prisionero en su celda — "Tomorrow, you will lock up the prisoner in his cell"
  4. Yo encerraría el secreto en su corazón si pudiera — "I would lock up the secret in his heart 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 encerré al perro en el jardín — "Yesterday, I locked up the dog in the garden"
  2. Antes, nosotros encerrábamos las llaves en el cajón — "Before, we used to lock up the keys in the drawer"
  3. Él ha encerrado al prisionero en su celda — "He has locked up the prisoner in his cell"
  4. Yo ya había encerrado el secreto en su corazón antes de salir — "I already had locked up the secret in his heart 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 encierre al perro en el jardín — "I hope he locks up the dog in the garden"
  2. Si yo encerrara las llaves en el cajón, todo cambiaría — "If I locked up the keys in the drawer, everything would change"
  3. Encierra al prisionero en su celda. — "Lock up the prisoner in his cell."
  4. Yo habría encerrado el secreto en su corazón con más tiempo — "I would have locked up the secret in his heart with more time"

encerrar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use encerrar 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 encierro al perro en el jardín — "I lock up the dog in the garden"
  • Marcos: Él encierra las llaves en el cajón — "He locks up the keys in the drawer"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo encerré al prisionero en su celda — "Yesterday, I locked up the prisoner in his cell"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú encerrarás el secreto en su corazón — "Tomorrow, you will lock up the secret in his heart"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Encierra a los niños en la habitación. — "Lock up the children in the room."
  • Lucía: Él ha encerrado al perro en el jardín — "He has locked up the dog in the garden"
  • Marcos: Espero que él encierre las llaves en el cajón — "I hope he locks up the keys in the drawer"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo encerraba al prisionero en su celda — "Before, I used to lock up the prisoner in his cell"

Common mistakes with encerrar

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

✗ *Yo encerro el secreto en su corazón.

✓ Correct: Yo encierro el secreto en su corazón.

encerrar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is encierro, not encerro.

✗ *Espero que él encierra el secreto en su corazón

✓ Correct: Espero que él encierre el secreto en su corazón

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él encierre el secreto en su corazón — not the indicative Espero que él encierra el secreto en su corazón.

✗ *Ayer, yo encierro a los niños en la habitación

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo encerré a los niños en la habitación

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo encerré a los niños en la habitación.

✗ *De niño, yo encerré al perro en el jardín todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo encerraba al perro en el jardín todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo encerraba al perro en el jardín todos los días.

✗ *Yo encierro prisionero en su celda.

✓ Correct: Yo encierro al prisionero en su celda.

encerrar takes al before this complement: Yo encierro al prisionero en su celda. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: encerrar in use

Ten questions on encerrar — 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 ______ al perro en el jardín — "I lock up the dog in the garden" (present) A. encierras B. encierra C. encerramos D. encierro

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ las llaves en el cajón — "Yesterday, I locked up the keys in the drawer" (preterite) A. encerramos B. encerré C. encerraste D. encerró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ al prisionero en su celda — "Before, we used to lock up the prisoner in his cell" (imperfect) A. encerrabais B. encerrábamos C. encerraba D. encerrabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el secreto en su corazón — "Tomorrow, you will lock up the secret in his heart" (future) A. encerraremos B. encerrarás C. encerraré D. encerrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los niños en la habitación — "I would lock up the children in the room" (conditional) A. encerraría B. encerrarías C. encerraríamos D. encerraríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al perro en el jardín — "He has locked up the dog in the garden" (present perfect) A. ha encerrado B. he encerrado C. has encerrado D. hemos encerrado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las llaves en el cajón — "I hope he locks up the keys in the drawer" (present subjunctive) A. encierre B. encierres C. encerremos D. encerréis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ al prisionero en su celda. — "Lock up the prisoner in his cell." (affirmative imperative) A. encerrad B. encierra C. encierre D. encerremos

  9. Which is the gerund of encerrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. encerrando B. encerrado C. encierro D. encerré

  10. What does encerrar mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to lock up D. to keep, to put away

Answer key

  1. encierro — The present form for yo is encierro.
  2. encerré — The preterite form for yo is encerré.
  3. encerrábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is encerrábamos.
  4. encerrarás — The future form for tú is encerrarás.
  5. encerraría — The conditional form for yo is encerraría.
  6. ha encerrado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha encerrado.
  7. encierre — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is encierre.
  8. encierra — The affirmative imperative form is encierra.
  9. encerrando — The gerund of encerrar is encerrando: estoy encerrando. The participle encerrado is used with haber instead.
  10. to lock up — encerrar means to lock up.

Frequently asked questions

What does encerrar mean in English?

encerrar means to lock up. For example: Yo encierro al perro en el jardín — "I lock up the dog in the garden". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with encerrar?

encerrar takes al before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with encerrar.

Is encerrar regular?

No. encerrar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: encierro, encierras, encierra and encierran — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: encerramos, encerráis.

How do I practise encerrar?

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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