The Present Tense of Cerrar is used to describe actions happening right now or habitual actions, for example: Cierro la puerta antes de salir. (I close the door before leaving.)

Cerrar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes in certain conjugations. For the present tense, the e changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cerrar (to close) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Cerrar generally means to close or shut something, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To close or shut something, for example, Yo cierro la puerta. (I close the door.)

Figurative meaning: To end or conclude something, for example, Cerramos el trato. (We close the deal.)

Colloquial meaning: To stop talking or shut up, often used rudely, for example, ¡Cierra la boca! (Shut your mouth!)

Idiomatic meaning: To agree or reach an agreement, for example, Cerramos en $500. (We agreed on $500.)

Slang meaning: To flirt or hit on someone, for example, Juan cierra a todas las chicas. (Juan hits on all the girls.)

Examples

Examples of Cerrar in the Present Tense

Yo cierro la puerta cuando salgo de casa. (I close the door when I leave the house.)

¿Cierras la ventana por la noche? (Do you close the window at night?)

Ella cierra su computadora cuando termina de trabajar. (She closes her computer when she finishes working.)

Cerramos el restaurante a las 10 p.m. todos los días. (We close the restaurant at 10 p.m. every day.)

Los empleados cierran la tienda después de la última venta. (The employees close the store after the last sale.)

Antes de salir, cierro todas las luces y aparatos eléctricos. (Before leaving, I turn off all the lights and electrical appliances.)

¿Por qué cierras los ojos cuando rezas? (Why do you close your eyes when you pray?)

Mi mamá cierra las cortinas al anochecer. (My mom closes the curtains at dusk.)

Cerramos el negocio los domingos para descansar. (We close the business on Sundays to rest.)

Los niños cierran sus libros cuando suena la campana. (The children close their books when the bell rings.)

Siempre cierro mi sesión en las redes sociales por seguridad. (I always log out of social media for security reasons.)

¿Cierras la aplicación cuando terminas de usarla? (Do you close the app when you’re done using it?)

El portero cierra el edificio a las 10 p.m. (The doorman closes the building at 10 p.m.)

Cerramos el trato con un apretón de manos. (We seal the deal with a handshake.)

Los manifestantes cierran la calle principal en protesta. (The protesters are blocking the main street in protest.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cerrar (to close) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.