Non-finite forms
Infinitivo and Gerundio
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | cercar | Dictionary form and base form for many compound structures. |
| Gerundio | cercando | Used with estar for progressive forms, for example estar cercando. |
Spanish verb conjugation
Cercar conjugation
cercar is a regular Spanish -AR verb meaning surround / fence in. In the present tense: yo cerco, tú cercas, él/ella cerca, nosotros cercamos, vosotros cercáis, ellos cercan. Full conjugation across 18 tenses below.
Rank #1421-ARRegular18 tense tables
At a glance
- Infinitive
- cercar
- Gerundio
- cercando
- Meaning
- surround / fence in
- Pattern
- Regular
- Difficulty
- Level 1
Conjugation tables
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Cercar across the MuyVerbs tense system
Study present continuous
Presente
Present
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cerco | Yo cerco el huerto con alambre fino.I surround the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cercas | Normalmente, tú cercas la caseta con cinta roja.You usually surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cerca | Hoy, la policía del barrio cerca la plaza desde temprano.Today, the neighborhood police surrounds the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cercamos | A veces, nosotros cercamos el corral antes de la lluvia.At times, we surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercáis | Ahora, vosotros cercáis la zona con vallas bajas.Right now, you all surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cercan | Casi siempre, los obreros de la obra cercan el solar con tablas nuevas.Most of the time, the workers on the site surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Pretérito Perfecto
Present Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | he cercado | Este año, yo he cercado el huerto con alambre fino.This year, I have surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | has cercado | Últimamente, tú has cercado la caseta con cinta roja.Lately, you have surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | ha cercado | En estos meses, la policía del barrio ha cercado la plaza desde temprano.In these months, the neighborhood police has surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | hemos cercado | Hasta ahora, nosotros hemos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia.So far, we have surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | habéis cercado | En lo que va de curso, vosotros habéis cercado la zona con vallas bajas.This term, you all have surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | han cercado | En este tiempo, los obreros de la obra han cercado el solar con tablas nuevas.During this time, the workers on the site have surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Pretérito Indefinido
Preterite
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cerqué | Ayer, yo cerqué el huerto con alambre fino.Yesterday, I surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cercaste | Hace un rato, tú cercaste la caseta con cinta roja.A little while ago, you surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | cercó | Esta mañana, la policía del barrio cercó la plaza desde temprano.This morning, the neighborhood police surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cercamos | Anoche, nosotros cercamos el corral antes de la lluvia.Last night, we surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercasteis | El sábado, vosotros cercasteis la zona con vallas bajas.On Saturday, you all surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cercaron | Hace poco, los obreros de la obra cercaron el solar con tablas nuevas.Not long ago, the workers on the site surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Pretérito Imperfecto
Imperfect
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cercaba | Antes, yo cercaba el huerto con alambre fino.Before, I used to surround the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cercabas | Por entonces, tú cercabas la caseta con cinta roja.Back then, you used to surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cercaba | En esa época, la policía del barrio cercaba la plaza desde temprano.At that time, the neighborhood police used to surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cercábamos | Cuando eso era normal, nosotros cercábamos el corral antes de la lluvia.When that was normal, we used to surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercabais | Hace años, vosotros cercabais la zona con vallas bajas.Years ago, you all used to surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cercaban | En aquellos días, los obreros de la obra cercaban el solar con tablas nuevas.In those days, the workers on the site used to surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto
Past Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | había cercado | Cuando llegaste, yo ya había cercado el huerto con alambre fino.When you arrived, I had already surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | habías cercado | Para entonces, tú ya habías cercado la caseta con cinta roja.By then, you had already surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | había cercado | Al volver, la policía del barrio ya había cercado la plaza desde temprano.When we came back, the neighborhood police had already surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | habíamos cercado | Antes de hablarlo, nosotros ya habíamos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia.Before talking it through, we had already surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | habíais cercado | Cuando mirasteis otra vez, vosotros ya habíais cercado la zona con vallas bajas.When you looked again, you all had already surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | habían cercado | Para ese momento, los obreros de la obra ya habían cercado el solar con tablas nuevas.By that moment, the workers on the site had already surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Pretérito Anterior
Preterite Anterior
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hube cercado | Apenas yo hube cercado el huerto con alambre fino, todo cambió.As soon as I had surrounded the garden with thin wire, everything changed. |
| tú | hubiste cercado | En cuanto tú hubiste cercado la caseta con cinta roja, se notó.The moment you had surrounded the shed with red tape, it showed. |
| él | hubo cercado | No bien la policía del barrio hubo cercado la plaza desde temprano, hubo ruido.As soon as the neighborhood police had surrounded the square since early morning, there was trouble. |
| nosotros | hubimos cercado | Tan pronto como nosotros hubimos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia, seguimos adelante.Once we had surrounded the pen before the rain, we moved on. |
| vosotros | hubisteis cercado | Apenas vosotros hubisteis cercado la zona con vallas bajas, mirasteis el resultado.As soon as you all had surrounded the area with low barriers, you checked the result. |
| ellos | hubieron cercado | En cuanto los obreros de la obra hubieron cercado el solar con tablas nuevas, el ambiente cambió.The moment the workers on the site had surrounded the empty lot with new boards, the mood changed. |
Futuro
Future
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cercaré | Mañana, yo cercaré el huerto con alambre fino.Tomorrow, I will surround the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cercarás | Dentro de poco, tú cercarás la caseta con cinta roja.Soon, you will surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cercará | Esta tarde, la policía del barrio cercará la plaza desde temprano.This afternoon, the neighborhood police will surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cercaremos | La semana que viene, nosotros cercaremos el corral antes de la lluvia.Next week, we will surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercaréis | Pronto, vosotros cercaréis la zona con vallas bajas.Before long, you all will surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cercarán | Más adelante, los obreros de la obra cercarán el solar con tablas nuevas.Later on, the workers on the site will surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Futuro Perfecto
Future Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | habré cercado | Para entonces, yo ya habré cercado el huerto con alambre fino.By then, I will already have surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | habrás cercado | Antes del cierre, tú ya habrás cercado la caseta con cinta roja.Before closing time, you will already have surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | habrá cercado | Al final del día, la policía del barrio ya habrá cercado la plaza desde temprano.By the end of the day, the neighborhood police will already have surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | habremos cercado | Para mañana, nosotros ya habremos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia.By tomorrow, we will already have surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | habréis cercado | Antes de iros, vosotros ya habréis cercado la zona con vallas bajas.Before leaving, you all will already have surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | habrán cercado | Para esa hora, los obreros de la obra ya habrán cercado el solar con tablas nuevas.By that hour, the workers on the site will already have surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Condicional
Conditional
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cercaría | En un caso así, yo cercaría el huerto con alambre fino.In a case like that, I would surround the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cercarías | Con un poco más de tiempo, tú cercarías la caseta con cinta roja.With a little more time, you would surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cercaría | En esa situación, la policía del barrio cercaría la plaza desde temprano.In that situation, the neighborhood police would surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cercaríamos | Con ese panorama, nosotros cercaríamos el corral antes de la lluvia.With that outlook, we would surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercaríais | Llegado el caso, vosotros cercaríais la zona con vallas bajas.If it came to that, you all would surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cercarían | En un día así, los obreros de la obra cercarían el solar con tablas nuevas.On a day like that, the workers on the site would surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Condicional Perfecto
Conditional Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | habría cercado | En otro momento, yo habría cercado el huerto con alambre fino.At another moment, I would have surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | habrías cercado | Con un poco más de margen, tú habrías cercado la caseta con cinta roja.With a little more margin, you would have surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | habría cercado | A esas alturas, la policía del barrio habría cercado la plaza desde temprano.By then, the neighborhood police would have surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | habríamos cercado | Con ese giro, nosotros habríamos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia.With that turn, we would have surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | habríais cercado | Llegados ahí, vosotros habríais cercado la zona con vallas bajas.At that point, you all would have surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | habrían cercado | En ese punto, los obreros de la obra habrían cercado el solar con tablas nuevas.From there, the workers on the site would have surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Subjuntivo Presente
Present Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cerque | Es mejor que yo cerque el huerto con alambre fino.It is better that I surround the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | cerques | Hace falta que tú cerques la caseta con cinta roja.It is necessary that you surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cerque | Conviene que la policía del barrio cerque la plaza desde temprano.It is wise that the neighborhood police surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cerquemos | Importa que nosotros cerquemos el corral antes de la lluvia.It matters that we surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cerquéis | Puede ser útil que vosotros cerquéis la zona con vallas bajas.It may help if you all surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cerquen | Es posible que los obreros de la obra cerquen el solar con tablas nuevas.It is possible that the workers on the site surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Subjuntivo Pretérito Perfecto
Present Perfect Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | haya cercado | Ojalá yo haya cercado el huerto con alambre fino.Hopefully I have surrounded the garden with thin wire. |
| tú | hayas cercado | Puede que tú ya hayas cercado la caseta con cinta roja.Maybe you already have surrounded the shed with red tape. |
| él | haya cercado | Tal vez la policía del barrio haya cercado la plaza desde temprano.Perhaps the neighborhood police has surrounded the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | hayamos cercado | Quizá nosotros ya hayamos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia.Maybe we already have surrounded the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | hayáis cercado | Es probable que vosotros hayáis cercado la zona con vallas bajas.It is likely that you all have surrounded the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | hayan cercado | Puede ser que los obreros de la obra ya hayan cercado el solar con tablas nuevas.It may be that the workers on the site already have surrounded the empty lot with new boards. |
Subjuntivo Pretérito Imperfecto
Imperfect Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cercara | Si yo cercara el huerto con alambre fino, se notaría enseguida.If I surrounded the garden with thin wire, it would show right away. |
| tú | cercaras | Si tú cercaras la caseta con cinta roja, costaría ocultarlo.If you surrounded the shed with red tape, it would be hard to hide. |
| él | cercara | Si la policía del barrio cercara la plaza desde temprano, daría mucho que hablar.If the neighborhood police surrounded the square since early morning, it would give people plenty to talk about. |
| nosotros | cercáramos | Si nosotros cercáramos el corral antes de la lluvia, todo iría por otro lado.If we surrounded the pen before the rain, everything would go another way. |
| vosotros | cercarais | Si vosotros cercarais la zona con vallas bajas, cambiaría el ambiente.If you all surrounded the area with low barriers, the mood would change. |
| ellos | cercaran | Si los obreros de la obra cercaran el solar con tablas nuevas, la escena sería otra.If the workers on the site surrounded the empty lot with new boards, the whole scene would be different. |
Subjuntivo Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto
Past Perfect Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera cercado | Si yo hubiera cercado el huerto con alambre fino, aún se recordaría.If I had surrounded the garden with thin wire, it would still be remembered. |
| tú | hubieras cercado | Si tú hubieras cercado la caseta con cinta roja, eso habría dejado marca.If you had surrounded the shed with red tape, that would have left a mark. |
| él | hubiera cercado | Si la policía del barrio hubiera cercado la plaza desde temprano, todavía se hablaría de eso.If the neighborhood police had surrounded the square since early morning, people would still be talking about it. |
| nosotros | hubiéramos cercado | Si nosotros hubiéramos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia, el día habría seguido otro rumbo.If we had surrounded the pen before the rain, the day would have gone another way. |
| vosotros | hubierais cercado | Si vosotros hubierais cercado la zona con vallas bajas, el cambio se habría notado antes.If you all had surrounded the area with low barriers, the change would have shown earlier. |
| ellos | hubieran cercado | Si los obreros de la obra hubieran cercado el solar con tablas nuevas, nada habría quedado igual.If the workers on the site had surrounded the empty lot with new boards, nothing would have stayed the same. |
Subjuntivo Futuro
Future Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | cercare | Si yo cercare el huerto con alambre fino, se notará enseguida.If I surround the garden with thin wire, it will show right away. |
| tú | cercares | Si tú cercares la caseta con cinta roja, costará ignorarlo.If you surround the shed with red tape, it will be hard to ignore. |
| él | cercare | Si la policía del barrio cercare la plaza desde temprano, dará mucho que hablar.If the neighborhood police surrounds the square since early morning, it will give people plenty to talk about. |
| nosotros | cercáremos | Si nosotros cercáremos el corral antes de la lluvia, todo irá por otro camino.If we surround the pen before the rain, everything will go another way. |
| vosotros | cercareis | Si vosotros cercareis la zona con vallas bajas, el ambiente cambiará rápido.If you all surround the area with low barriers, the mood will change fast. |
| ellos | cercaren | Si los obreros de la obra cercaren el solar con tablas nuevas, la escena será distinta.If the workers on the site surround the empty lot with new boards, the whole scene will be different. |
Subjuntivo Futuro Perfecto
Future Perfect Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiere cercado | Cuando yo hubiere cercado el huerto con alambre fino, ya se notará.When I have surrounded the garden with thin wire, it will already show. |
| tú | hubieres cercado | En cuanto tú hubieres cercado la caseta con cinta roja, será difícil no verlo.As soon as you have surrounded the shed with red tape, it will be hard not to see. |
| él | hubiere cercado | Cuando la policía del barrio hubiere cercado la plaza desde temprano, se verá de inmediato.When the neighborhood police has surrounded the square since early morning, it will show at once. |
| nosotros | hubiéremos cercado | Si para entonces nosotros hubiéremos cercado el corral antes de la lluvia, todo irá de otra manera.If by then we have surrounded the pen before the rain, everything will move differently. |
| vosotros | hubiereis cercado | Cuando vosotros hubiereis cercado la zona con vallas bajas, el ambiente sonará distinto.When you all have surrounded the area with low barriers, the mood will sound different. |
| ellos | hubieren cercado | En cuanto los obreros de la obra hubieren cercado el solar con tablas nuevas, el cambio quedará claro.As soon as the workers on the site have surrounded the empty lot with new boards, the change will be clear. |
Imperativo Afirmativo
Affirmative Imperative
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | - | - |
| tú | cerca | cerca la caseta con cinta roja.Surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | cerque | Que la policía del barrio cerque la plaza desde temprano.Let the neighborhood police Surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | cerquemos | cerquemos el corral antes de la lluvia.Surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | cercad | cercad la zona con vallas bajas.Surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | cerquen | Que los obreros de la obra cerquen el solar con tablas nuevas.Let the workers on the site Surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Imperativo Negativo
Negative Imperative
| Pronoun | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| yo | - | - |
| tú | no cerques | No no cerques la caseta con cinta roja.Do not surround the shed with red tape. |
| él | no cerque | Que la policía del barrio no no cerque la plaza desde temprano.Let the neighborhood police not surround the square since early morning. |
| nosotros | no cerquemos | No no cerquemos el corral antes de la lluvia.Let us not surround the pen before the rain. |
| vosotros | no cerquéis | No no cerquéis la zona con vallas bajas.Do not surround the area with low barriers. |
| ellos | no cerquen | Que los obreros de la obra no no cerquen el solar con tablas nuevas.Let the workers on the site not surround the empty lot with new boards. |
Free web drill
Practice cercar
1 / 1
Presente•yo
Yo ___ el huerto con alambre fino.
I surround the garden with thin wire.
Need grammar help?How to form Presente
Use Presente for facts, habits, current states, and regular actions.
Formation
- 1Remove the infinitive ending: -ar, -er, or -ir.
- 2Add the present endings for the subject.
- 3Watch high-frequency irregulars like ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer, and decir.
Pattern
-ar: o, as, a, amos, áis, an-er: o, es, e, emos, éis, en-ir: o, es, e, imos, ís, en
Examples
hablar -> yo hablocomer -> él comevivir -> vosotros vivís
Presente is the base system. Master the endings first, then handle irregular yo forms and stem changes.
Grammar to master with cercar
Related Spanish grammar topics
Concepts that come up every time you conjugate cercar. Each is a short, focused guide.
Common questions
Cercar conjugation — frequently asked
Short, direct answers to what learners search most about cercar.
- What does 'cercar' mean in English?
- In Spanish, 'cercar' means to surround / fence in. It is a regular -AR verb used across all 18 standard Spanish tenses.
- Is cercar an irregular verb in Spanish?
- Cercar is a regular -AR verb. Its endings follow the standard pattern in every tense without stem or root changes.
- How do you conjugate cercar in the present tense?
- Present tense (Presente) of cercar: yo cerco, tú cercas, él/ella/usted cerca, nosotros cercamos, vosotros cercáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cercan.
- How do you conjugate cercar in the preterite?
- Preterite (Pretérito Indefinido) of cercar: yo cerqué, tú cercaste, él/ella/usted cercó, nosotros cercamos, vosotros cercasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cercaron. This tense expresses completed past actions at a defined point in time.
- What is the imperfect tense of cercar?
- Imperfect (Pretérito Imperfecto) of cercar: yo cercaba, tú cercabas, él/ella/usted cercaba, nosotros cercábamos, vosotros cercabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes cercaban. The imperfect describes past habits, ongoing actions, and background states.
- What is the past participle of cercar?
- The past participle of cercar is 'cercado'. It is used to form compound tenses with the auxiliary verb haber — for example, 'he cercado' (I have surround / fence ined), 'has cercado', 'ha cercado'.
- What is the gerundio (present participle) of cercar?
- The gerundio of cercar is 'cercando'. It pairs with estar to form the present continuous (estoy cercando) and other progressive tenses, indicating an action in progress.
Related verbs
Continue with verbs that share the same ending and difficulty band.