Cerrar imperfect conjugation
Cerrar in the imperfect: cerraba, cerrabas, cerraba, cerrábamos, cerrabais, cerraban.
- to close; to shut; to lock
- stem-changing (e→ie)
- Participle: cerrado
- Gerund: cerrando
Imperfect imperfecto
| yo | cerraba |
|---|---|
| tú | cerrabas |
| él/ella/usted | cerraba |
| nosotros | cerrábamos |
| vosotros | cerrabais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | cerraban |
How to use cerrar in the imperfect
The imperfect is regular: cerraba, cerrabas, cerraba, cerrábamos, cerraban. Use it for habits in the past (opening hours, routines) and for background: Cerraba la tienda cuando entró un cliente. It is also common when describing how things used to be compared with now, such as shorter opening hours. Remember that the imperfect has no stem change, because the stress falls on the ending: cerraba, not *cierraba*.
Examples
Cerraba la tienda cuando entró un cliente de última hora.
I was closing the store when a last-minute customer came in.
Mi padre siempre cerraba todas las ventanas antes de dormir.
My father always closed all the windows before going to bed.
Antes las tiendas cerraban al mediodía.
Stores used to close at midday.
Quick check: cerrar in the imperfect
More cerrar tenses
- All cerrar tenses
- Cerrar present
- Cerrar preterite
- Cerrar future
- Cerrar conditional
- Cerrar present subjunctive
- Cerrar affirmative commands
Other verbs in the imperfect
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