If you are learning Spanish as a second language, you are probably eager to learn as many useful verbs as you possibly can. While all verbs are important for everyday communication, some of them are more commonly used among native speakers than others. For instance, the word abrir, which is translated as ''to open'' in English, can be used to refer to actions such as ''to uncover,'' ''to cut,'' ''to start,'' ''to unlock,'' and ''to turn on.''
Besides being a very versatile word, it is a regular verb so there are no stem or spelling changes to watch out for in any of the tenses. Just remember you have to drop the -ir ending of the verb and add the ending that matches each subject.
| Yo | abro | Nosotros | abrimos |
| Tú | abres | Vosotros | abrís |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | abre | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | abren |
Example sentence:
El bar abre a las 10:00pm ¿Qué estamos haciendo aquí? Es muy temprano. -- The bar opens at 10:00pm. What are we doing here? It's too early.
| Yo | abría | Nosotros | abríamos |
| Tú | abrías | Vosotros | abríais |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | abría | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | abrían |
Example sentence:
Yo siempre abría las cortinas para que entrara la luz del sol todos los días. -- I used to open up the curtains to let the sun in every day.
| Yo | abrí | Nosotros | abrimos |
| Tú | abriste | Vosotros | abristeis |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | abrió | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | abrieron |
Example sentence:
Mi hermano abrió un negocio en la ciudad el mes pasado. -- My brother started a business in the city last month.
Notice how the conjugation for nosotros is similar in both the present and the preterite tense.
| Yo | abriré | Nosotros | abriremos |
| Tú | abrirás | Vosotros | abriréis |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | abrirá | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | abrirán |
Example sentence:
Mi hermana abrirá el agua caliente para darse una ducha. -- My sister will turn on the hot water to take a shower.
| Yo | abriría | Nosotros | abriríamos |
| Tú | abrirías | Vosotros | abriríais |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | abriría | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | abrirían |
Example sentence:
Yo le abriría la puerta si no fuera tan grosero con todos. -- I would open the door for him if he weren't so rude to everyone.
Yo siempre abro la puerta para dejar entrar al gato. -- I always open the door to let the cat in.
La costurera de mi mamá abrió un hoyo en mis pantalones. -- My mom's seamstress cut a hole in my pants.
Yo nunca sé como abrirme con las personas, soy muy reservado. -- I never know how to open up to people, I am very reserved.
¿Puedes abrir tu libro de biología en la página 25? -- Can you open your biology book on page 25?
Mi primo abrirá tierras para el cultivo el próximo mes. -- My cousin will be clearing lands for cultivation next month.
Mis sobrinos aman abrir los regalos de navidad antes de nochebuena. -- My nieces and nephews love opening Christmas gifts before Christmas Eve.
Why is abrir a good verb to learn? Simply because it is easy to conjugate, has several meanings, and is very useful in everyday conversation. So if you want to take your Spanish skills up a notch, this is a word you don't want to overlook.
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