Zurcir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb zurcir means to darn — it also means to mend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Zurcir is a spelling-changing -ir (c → z before o/a) verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It has a spelling change (c → z before o/a), which keeps the pronunciation of the stem the same when the ending changes. On this page you will find the full conjugation of zurcir in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo zurzo los calcetines — "I darn the socks" — and in the preterite you say Yo zurcí la camisa — "I darned the shirt". 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: zurcir
- English: to darn, to mend
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ir (c → z before o/a) verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: zurciendo
- Past participle: zurcido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + zurcido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for zurcir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for zurcir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Gerund: zurciendo · Past participle: zurcido
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurzo |
| tú | zurces |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurce |
| nosotros/as | zurcimos |
| vosotros/as | zurcís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurcí |
| tú | zurciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurció |
| nosotros/as | zurcimos |
| vosotros/as | zurcisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurcía |
| tú | zurcías |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurcía |
| nosotros/as | zurcíamos |
| vosotros/as | zurcíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurciré |
| tú | zurcirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurcirá |
| nosotros/as | zurciremos |
| vosotros/as | zurciréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurciría |
| tú | zurcirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurciría |
| nosotros/as | zurciríamos |
| vosotros/as | zurciríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he zurcido |
| tú | has zurcido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha zurcido |
| nosotros/as | hemos zurcido |
| vosotros/as | habéis zurcido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han zurcido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había zurcido |
| tú | habías zurcido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había zurcido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos zurcido |
| vosotros/as | habíais zurcido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían zurcido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré zurcido |
| tú | habrás zurcido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá zurcido |
| nosotros/as | habremos zurcido |
| vosotros/as | habréis zurcido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán zurcido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría zurcido |
| tú | habrías zurcido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría zurcido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos zurcido |
| vosotros/as | habríais zurcido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían zurcido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurza |
| tú | zurzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurza |
| nosotros/as | zurzamos |
| vosotros/as | zurcáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurzan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | zurciera |
| tú | zurcieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurciera |
| nosotros/as | zurciéramos |
| vosotros/as | zurcierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurcieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | zurce |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurza |
| nosotros/as | zurzamos |
| vosotros/as | zurcid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurzan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | zurzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | zurza |
| nosotros/as | zurzamos |
| vosotros/as | zurcáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | zurzan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | zurciendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy zurciendo |
| Past participle | zurcido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he zurcido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For zurcir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo zurzo la camisa — "I darn the shirt". Learn the present indicative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. Watch the yo form: it is zurzo, with c changing to z before o, while the other persons keep the plain stem.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For zurcir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo zurcí con aguja e hilo — "I darned with needle and thread". Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For zurcir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo zurcía los calcetines — "I used to darn the socks". Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For zurcir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo zurciré la camisa — "I will darn the shirt". Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For zurcir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo zurciría con aguja e hilo — "I would darn with needle and thread". Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. It connects the past with the present moment. For zurcir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he zurcido los calcetines — "I have darned the socks". Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For zurcir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había zurcido la camisa — "I had darned the shirt". Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For zurcir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré zurcido con aguja e hilo — "I will have darned with needle and thread". Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For zurcir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría zurcido los calcetines — "I would have darned the socks". Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For zurcir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él zurza la camisa — "I hope he darns the shirt". Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The subjunctive keeps the z spelling from the yo form: zurza, zurzas, zurza.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For zurcir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo zurciera con aguja e hilo, todo cambiaría — "If I darned with needle and thread, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For zurcir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Zurza los calcetines — "Let him darn the socks". Learn the imperative (affirmative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For zurcir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No zurzas la camisa — "Don't darn the shirt". Learn the imperative (negative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with zurcir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo zurzo con aguja e hilo — "I darn with needle and thread"
- Él zurce los calcetines — "He darns the socks"
- Yo zurcí la camisa — "I darned the shirt"
- Yo zurcía con aguja e hilo — "I used to darn with needle and thread"
- Tú zurcirás los calcetines — "You will darn the socks"
- Yo zurciría la camisa — "I would darn the shirt"
- Él ha zurcido con aguja e hilo — "He has darned with needle and thread"
- Espero que él zurza los calcetines — "I hope he darns the socks"
- Yo había zurcido la camisa — "I had darned the shirt"
- Ellos zurcían con aguja e hilo — "They used to darn with needle and thread"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos zurce los calcetines — Right: Ellos zurcen los calcetines — Ellos needs the ellos form zurcen. The singular zurce belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo zurzo — Right: Ayer, yo zurcí — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to zurcí.
- Wrong: De niño, yo zurcí todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo zurcía — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (zurcía), not the preterite. The preterite (zurcí) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy zurcido la camisa. — Right: Yo he zurcido la camisa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he zurcido, has zurcido, ha zurcido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él zurce los calcetines. — Right: Espero que él zurza los calcetines. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: zurza. The indicative zurce is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on zurcir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los calcetines. (present tense) A. zurcimos B. habrías zurcido C. zurzo D. habríamos zurcido
Complete the sentence: Él ___ los calcetines. (preterite) A. zurzo B. zurce C. zurció D. zurzan
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los calcetines. (imperfect) A. había zurcido B. zurcieron C. zurcí D. zurcíamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ los calcetines. (future) A. zurcierais B. habían zurcido C. zurcirás D. zurciéramos
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ los calcetines. (conditional) A. zurciría B. zurcíais C. zurcimos D. ha zurcido
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los calcetines. (present subjunctive) A. zurcid B. habré zurcido C. zurza D. ha zurcido
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los calcetines, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. zurcieron B. zurciera C. zurza D. habrá zurcido
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los calcetines. (present perfect) A. hemos zurcido B. habréis zurcido C. zurcías D. zurciste
Complete the command: No ___ los calcetines. (negative imperative, tú) A. zurcáis B. zurza C. zurzas D. zurzan
Which is the gerund of zurcir, used with estar for the progressive? A. zurciendo B. zurcía C. zurcí D. zurzo
Answer key
- zurzo — The yo present tense of zurcir is zurzo.
- zurció — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of zurcir is zurció.
- zurcíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of zurcir is zurcíamos.
- zurcirás — The tú future of zurcir is zurcirás.
- zurciría — The yo conditional of zurcir is zurciría.
- zurza — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of zurcir is zurza.
- zurciera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of zurcir is zurciera.
- hemos zurcido — The nosotros/as present perfect of zurcir is hemos zurcido.
- zurzas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: zurzas.
- zurciendo — The gerund of zurcir is zurciendo: estoy zurciendo. The participle zurcido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does zurcir mean in English?
Zurcir means to darn, to mend. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo zurzo los calcetines. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is zurcir regular?
Mostly. Zurcir follows the regular -ir endings, but it has a spelling change (c → z before o/a). The tables on this page show every form, so you can see exactly where the spelling changes.
What is the gerund and the past participle of zurcir?
The gerund is zurciendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy zurciendo. The past participle is zurcido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he zurcido.
How do I say “I darn” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo zurcí la camisa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo zurcía con aguja e hilo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he zurcido los calcetines.
How do I practise zurcir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the zurcir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Zurcir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for zurcir.
- Zurcir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for zurcir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Sofreír conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with zurcir.
- Dimitir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with zurcir.
- Sacudir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with zurcir.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.