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Conjugation Chart

“Abrir” (to open) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Abrir”

The preterite of abrir is used to express when you opened something at a specific moment in the past. For example, you might say “I opened the window this morning,” indicating a single, completed action.

This is a regular -ir verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘abr-‘ without any changes.

How to Use Abrir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of abrir describes completed acts of opening.

Opened: Indicates opening something specific, for example Abrí la ventana para que entrara aire fresco (I opened the window to let fresh air in). Also used for businesses, as in Abrieron una nueva tienda (They opened a new store).

Inaugurated/Started: Used for beginning operations or new ventures, for example Abrió su propio negocio el año pasado (He/she opened their own business last year).

Real Life Examples of Abrir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Abrí la puerta con la llave nueva. (I opened the door with the new key.)

¿Abriste las ventanas esta mañana? (Did you open the windows this morning?)

El alcalde abrió el nuevo parque. (The mayor opened the new park.)

Abrimos los regalos en Navidad. (We opened the presents on Christmas.)

Los niños abrieron sus mochilas. (The children opened their backpacks.)

Abrí una cuenta en el banco. (I opened an account at the bank.)

¿Por qué abriste la caja? (Why did you open the box?)

El museo abrió una nueva exhibición. (The museum opened a new exhibition.)

Abrimos el restaurante hace dos años. (We opened the restaurant two years ago.)

Los bomberos abrieron la puerta a la fuerza. (The firefighters forced open the door.)

Abrí el libro en la primera página. (I opened the book to the first page.)

¿Abriste el correo electrónico? (Did you open the email?)

La tienda abrió temprano hoy. (The store opened early today.)

Abrimos las cortinas para ver el amanecer. (We opened the curtains to see the sunrise.)

Los estudiantes abrieron sus cuadernos. (The students opened their notebooks.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Abrir (to open) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.