Zurcir Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
zurcir means "to darn, to mend" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows zurcir in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of zurcir, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with zurcir
To darn
Zurcir means to darn. The sentences below all use it in that sense.
- Yo zurzo los calcetines — "I darn the socks"
- Él zurce la camisa — "He darns the shirt"
- Yo zurcí con aguja e hilo — "I darned with needle and thread"
- Yo zurcía los calcetines — "I used to darn the socks"
- Yo zurciré la camisa — "I will darn the shirt"
- Yo he zurcido con aguja e hilo — "I have darned with needle and thread"
To mend
Zurcir means to mend. The sentences below all use it in that sense.
- Él zurció con aguja e hilo — "He darned with needle and thread"
- Él zurcía los calcetines — "He used to darn the socks"
- Tú zurcirás la camisa — "You will darn the shirt"
- Yo zurciría con aguja e hilo — "I would darn with needle and thread"
- Yo había zurcido los calcetines — "I had darned the socks"
- Nosotros zurcimos la camisa — "We darn the shirt"
Zurcir in conversation
The two dialogues below show zurcir in natural conversation. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú zurces los calcetines? — "Do you darn the socks?"
- Sí, yo zurzo los calcetines cada día. — "Yes, I darn the socks every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú zurciste la camisa? — "And yesterday? Did you darn the shirt?"
- Sí, yo zurcí la camisa. — "Yes, I darned the shirt."
- Mañana, yo zurciré con aguja e hilo también. — "Tomorrow, I will darn with needle and thread too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros zurcís los calcetines? — "Do you darn the socks?"
- Sí, nosotros zurcimos los calcetines los fines de semana. — "Yes, We darn the socks at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos zurcen la camisa? — "And them? Do they darn the shirt?"
- Sí, ellos zurcen la camisa también. — "Yes, They darn the shirt too."
- Mañana nosotros zurciremos la camisa otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will darn the shirt again."
Useful phrases with zurcir
Four patterns you can use with zurcir in any conversation. The infinitive stays the same; only the first verb changes.
- Voy a zurcir los calcetines. — "I am going to darn the socks."
- Quiero zurcir la camisa. — "I want to darn the shirt."
- Me gusta zurcir con aguja e hilo. — "I like to darn with needle and thread."
- Acabo de zurcir los calcetines. — "I have just darned the socks."
Common mistakes with zurcir in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Ellos zurce los calcetines.
- Right: Ellos zurcen los calcetines.
- Why: Ellos needs the ellos form zurcen. The singular zurce belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Todos los días, yo zurcí.
- Right: Todos los días, yo zurzo.
- Why: Todos los días means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Yo soy zurcido la camisa.
- Right: Yo he zurcido la camisa.
- Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he zurcido, has zurcido, ha zurcido.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Ayer, yo zurzo.
- Right: Ayer, yo zurcí.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite (zurcí). The present (zurzo) is for habits and for now.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Espero que él zurce los calcetines.
- Right: Espero que él zurza los calcetines.
- Why: After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: zurza. The indicative form would be wrong here.
Quiz: zurcir in use
Ten questions on zurcir across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the I form of zurcir in the present tense?
- (a) habríamos zurcido
- (b) zurcí
- (c) zurzo
- (d) zurciera
Answer: (c) zurzo. The I form in the present is zurzo.
2. What is the he / she form of zurcir in the present tense?
- (a) zurciréis
- (b) zurce
- (c) zurcáis
- (d) zurcirán
Answer: (b) zurce. The he / she form in the present is zurce.
3. What is the he / she form of zurcir in the preterite tense?
- (a) zurzas
- (b) zurciré
- (c) zurció
- (d) zurcirás
Answer: (c) zurció. The he / she form in the preterite is zurció.
4. What is the I form of zurcir in the imperfect tense?
- (a) zurcía
- (b) zurcí
- (c) zurzan
- (d) habéis zurcido
Answer: (a) zurcía. The I form in the imperfect is zurcía.
5. What is the I form of zurcir in the future tense?
- (a) habré zurcido
- (b) zurciré
- (c) zurcieras
- (d) habéis zurcido
Answer: (b) zurciré. The I form in the future is zurciré.
6. What is the I form of zurcir in the present perfect tense?
- (a) habría zurcido
- (b) he zurcido
- (c) zurce
- (d) zurzan
Answer: (b) he zurcido. The I form in the present perfect is he zurcido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los calcetines.
- (a) zurzan
- (b) zurzas
- (c) zurcáis
- (d) zurza
Answer: (d) zurza. The he / she form in the present subjunctive is zurza.
8. What is the we form of zurcir in the present tense?
- (a) zurcirían
- (b) zurcimos
- (c) zurcían
- (d) habrán zurcido
Answer: (b) zurcimos. The we form in the present is zurcimos.
9. What is the I form of zurcir in the preterite tense?
- (a) habréis zurcido
- (b) zurcirías
- (c) zurcían
- (d) zurcí
Answer: (d) zurcí. The I form in the preterite is zurcí.
10. What is the they form of zurcir in the present tense?
- (a) zurza
- (b) zurciréis
- (c) hemos zurcido
- (d) zurcen
Answer: (d) zurcen. The they form in the present is zurcen.
Frequently asked questions about zurcir
Is zurcir regular?
Zurcir is a spelling-changing -ir (c → z before o/a) verb: zurzo, zurces, zurce. See the full conjugation of zurcir for every tense.
What is the past participle of zurcir?
The past participle is zurcido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he zurcido. The gerund is zurciendo, used with estar: estoy zurciendo.
How do I say “I darn” in the past?
For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo zurcí la camisa. For a habit in the past, use the imperfect: Yo zurcía con aguja e hilo.
How can I practise zurcir?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.