Why Abrir Is More Than "To Open"
Abrir opens doors, shops, bank accounts, and even conversations. It has one irregular form you must know: abierto, "open". Spanish also likes to say that things open themselves with se, as in no se abre, "it won't open".
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will handle shops, doors, forms, and feelings without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: ¿Puedo abrir…? — "Can I open…?"
Asking before opening a window or a door is a basic courtesy in Spanish, and this question is the way to do it. For the plain request, use the command: abre for tú, abra for usted. For more with poder, see [Poder] Chunks.
- ¿Puedo abrir la ventana? — Can I open the window?
- ¿Me abres la puerta, por favor? — Could you open the door for me, please?
- Abra la boca, por favor. — Open your mouth, please.
Chunk to learn:
¿Puedo abrir + [window / door / this]? / ¿Me abres + [thing]?
Pattern 2: ¿A qué hora abren? — "What time do they open?"
Spanish uses the plural abren for shops and offices, meaning "they", the staff. Use it for opening times, and pair it with cierran for closing.
- ¿A qué hora abren los domingos? — What time do they open on Sundays?
- Abren a las nueve y cierran a las ocho. — They open at nine and close at eight.
- La tienda abre tarde hoy. — The store opens late today.
Chunk to learn:
¿A qué hora abren / cierran? / Abren a las + [time]
Pattern 3: ¿Está abierto? — "Is it open?"
Use estar abierto for the state: something is open right now. Use estar cerrado for the opposite. It is the quick question to ask at a shop door or on the phone. It uses estar, not ser, because being open is a state.
- ¿Está abierto todavía? — Is it still open?
- El museo está abierto hasta las seis. — The museum is open until six.
- Dejé la puerta abierta. — I left the door open.
Chunk to learn:
¿Está abierto? / Estar abierto hasta las + [time]
Pattern 4: Abrir una cuenta — "To open an account"
Abrir also starts things: accounts, businesses, files, and apps. It is the verb of beginnings in banks, offices, and online forms.
- Quiero abrir una cuenta. — I want to open an account.
- Van a abrir un restaurante. — They are going to open a restaurant.
- Abre el archivo y mira. — Open the file and take a look.
Chunk to learn:
Abrir + [una cuenta / un negocio / un archivo]
Pattern 5: No se abre — "It won't open"
When things refuse to work, Spanish says they do not open themselves. The reflexive se makes the thing the subject, which sounds natural for jars, doors, and screens. For more on se patterns, see Reflexive Verbs Chunks.
- La puerta no se abre. — The door won't open.
- No se abre el archivo. — The file won't open.
- Se abrió sola. — It opened by itself.
Chunk to learn:
[Thing] no se abre / Se abrió sola
Pattern 6: Abrirse con alguien — "To open up to someone"
With abrirse you can open up emotionally. It is the chunk for friendships, therapy talk, and honest conversations. The related abrir los ojos means to wake up to reality.
- Me cuesta abrirme con la gente. — It's hard for me to open up to people.
- Se abrió conmigo anoche. — He opened up to me last night.
- Tienes que abrir los ojos. — You have to wake up and see it.
Chunk to learn:
Abrirse con + [person] / Abrir los ojos
Abrir vs. Cerrar
Cerrar is the mirror verb, and almost every chunk above has a twin: ¿A qué hora cierran?, Está cerrado, No se cierra. Learn the pair together. For another everyday verb, see [Usar] Chunks.
Start with ¿a qué hora abren? and ¿está abierto?. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.