zatvarati / zatvoriti (to close / shut) | Croatian Grammar

Zatvoriti / zatvarati ("to close / to shut") is the mirror image of otvoriti ("to open"): same i-class perfective, same -a- suffixed imperfective, same accusative object, same handy passive participle (zatvoren — "closed / shut"). It is also the perfect verb for nailing one of the trickiest reflexes of Croatian aspect: the negative imperative takes the imperfective. You tell someone Ne zatvaraj! ("Don't close it!"), never *Ne zatvori! — and once you understand why, you have grasped a rule that governs every prohibition in the language.

Aspect

The pair is zatvoriti (perfective — to close, the single completed act) and zatvarati (imperfective — to be closing, to close repeatedly/habitually). As with otvoriti, the perfective zatvoriti is the base and the imperfective is built by inserting -a- and lengthening the stem (zatvor-iti → zatvar-ati). Use the perfective for one finished closing (Zatvorio sam vrata — "I closed the door"); use the imperfective for an ongoing or repeated closing (Trgovina se zatvara u devet — "The shop closes at nine"). For aspect in commands specifically, see aspect in the imperative.

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The default for "I closed it / close it!" is the perfective zatvoriti — one decisive act. Two situations flip you to the imperfective zatvarati: a repeated/habitual closing (Zatvaram dućan svaku večer) and — the big one — a prohibition (Ne zatvaraj!).

Present tense

As always with a perfective, the present of zatvoriti does not mean a present-time event — it carries future/subordinate meaning (kad zatvorim — "when I close"). For "I am closing it now", you need the imperfective zatvarati.

Perfective zatvoriti — i-class, stem zatvor-:

Person	Form	Meaning (non-present)
ja	zatvorim	(when/that) I close
ti	zatvoriš	(when) you close
on/ona/ono	zatvori	(when) he/she/it closes
mi	zatvorimo	(when) we close
vi	zatvorite	(when) you close
oni/one/ona	zatvore	(when) they close

Imperfective zatvarati — a-class, stem zatvara-:

Person	Form	Meaning
ja	zatvaram	I am closing / I close (habitually)
ti	zatvaraš	you are closing
on/ona/ono	zatvara	he/she/it is closing
mi	zatvaramo	we are closing
vi	zatvarate	you are closing
oni/one/ona	zatvaraju	they are closing

Kiosk se zatvara u devet navečer.

The kiosk closes at nine in the evening. — habitual present, imperfective 'zatvara se'.

Polako zatvaram oči i pokušavam zaspati.

I'm slowly closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep. — action in progress, imperfective 'zatvaram'.

The l-participle

Both regular. Perfective zatvorio / zatvorila; imperfective zatvarao / zatvarala.

Gender / number	zatvoriti (pf)	zatvarati (impf)
masculine singular	zatvorio	zatvarao
feminine singular	zatvorila	zatvarala
neuter singular	zatvorilo	zatvaralo
masculine plural	zatvorili	zatvarali
feminine plural	zatvorile	zatvarale
neuter plural	zatvorila	zatvarala

Perfect tense (perfekt)

Clitic biti + l-participle. Perfective for the finished closing, imperfective for the process or habit.

Person	Masculine (pf)	Feminine (pf)
ja	zatvorio sam	zatvorila sam
ti	zatvorio si	zatvorila si
on / ona	zatvorio je	zatvorila je
mi	zatvorili smo	zatvorile smo
vi	zatvorili ste	zatvorile ste
oni / one	zatvorili su	zatvorile su

Jesi li zatvorio prozore prije nego što smo izašli?

Did you close the windows before we left? — single completed act, perfective.

Godinama su zatvarali tvornice u tom kraju.

For years they were closing down factories in that area. — repeated/ongoing, imperfective 'zatvarali'.

Future I (futur prvi)

The infinitive drops its -i before the clitic: zatvorit ću (pf), zatvarat ću (impf).

Person	Futur I (pf)
ja	zatvorit ću
ti	zatvorit ćeš
on/ona/ono	zatvorit će
mi	zatvorit ćemo
vi	zatvorit ćete
oni/one/ona	zatvorit će

Zatvorit ću trgovinu ranije danas.

I'll close the shop earlier today.

Imperative

This is the heart of the page. The positive command for a one-off closing uses the perfective: Zatvori vrata! ("Close the door!"). But the negative command — the prohibition — flips to the imperfective: Ne zatvaraj vrata! ("Don't close the door!"). The logic is deep: a prohibition tells someone not to engage in the activity at all, and "activity, as a process" is precisely what the imperfective names. Commanding the completion of an action you don't want to happen is incoherent, so Croatian uses the imperfective for nearly all prohibitions. See the negative imperative.

Person	Positive (pf, do it once)	Negative (impf, prohibition)
ti	zatvori	ne zatvaraj
mi	zatvorimo	ne zatvarajmo
vi	zatvorite	ne zatvarajte

Zatvori vrata, propuh je!

Close the door, there's a draught! — one-off positive command, perfective 'zatvori'.

Ne zatvaraj prozor, treba nam svježeg zraka.

Don't close the window, we need some fresh air. — prohibition, imperfective 'ne zatvaraj'.

Conditional I (kondicional prvi)

bih-clitics + l-participle.

Person	Form (masc., pf)
ja	zatvorio bih
ti	zatvorio bi
on/ona/ono	zatvorio/zatvorila/zatvorilo bi
mi	zatvorili bismo
vi	zatvorili biste
oni/one/ona	zatvorili bi

Zatvorio bih balkon, ali zapelo je.

I'd close the balcony door, but it's stuck.

Other forms

Passive participle: zatvoren, zatvorena, zatvoreno ("closed / shut / locked up"). Like otvoren, it does double duty: the resultant state (Trgovina je zatvorena — "The shop is closed") and the eventive passive (Granica je zatvorena prošli tjedan — "The border was closed last week"). It also means "locked up / imprisoned" (Bio je zatvoren tri godine) and, of people, "reserved / introverted" (zatvorena osoba). See the passive participle.
Present verbal adverb (imperfective): zatvarajući ("[while] closing"), for written simultaneous action.

Žao mi je, kuhinja je već zatvorena.

I'm sorry, the kitchen is already closed. — resultant-state 'zatvorena'.

Zatvarajući za sobom vrata, tiho je izašla.

Closing the door behind her, she quietly went out. — verbal adverb 'zatvarajući'.

Key uses and government

1. zatvoriti + accusative — the direct object

Both members are transitive, taking a direct object in the accusative: what you close. See the accusative direct object.

Zatvori prozor i navuci zavjese.

Close the window and draw the curtains. — accusative 'prozor'.

Zatvorili su cestu zbog radova.

They closed the road because of roadworks. — accusative 'cestu'.

2. zatvoriti se — to close (intransitively) / to withdraw

With the reflexive se the verb becomes intransitive (the thing shuts by itself, or a business closes down) or, of a person, "to withdraw / shut down emotionally". See reflexive verbs.

Vrata su se sama zatvorila na propuhu.

The door shut by itself in the draught. — reflexive, intransitive 'zatvorila su se'.

Nakon svađe potpuno se zatvorila u sebe.

After the argument she completely withdrew into herself. — figurative reflexive.

3. Figurative closings

Zatvoriti extends naturally: zatvoriti račun ("close an account"), zatvoriti raspravu ("close a discussion"), zatvoriti oči pred nečim ("turn a blind eye to something").

Banka mu je zatvorila račun bez objašnjenja.

The bank closed his account without explanation. — figurative, accusative 'račun'.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ne zatvori vrata!

Aspect error — prohibitions take the imperfective: 'Ne zatvaraj vrata!'

✅ Ne zatvaraj vrata!

Don't close the door!

❌ Sad zatvorim prozor.

The perfective present isn't a real present; for 'I'm closing it now' use the imperfective 'zatvaram'.

✅ Sad zatvaram prozor.

I'm closing the window now.

❌ Restoran je zatvoren do ponedjeljka. — said of a feminine noun like 'trgovina'

Agreement — the participle must match the noun's gender: feminine 'trgovina' → 'zatvorena'.

✅ Trgovina je zatvorena do ponedjeljka.

The shop is closed until Monday.

❌ Zatvoriću prozor čim dođem.

The future clitic is a separate word; the infinitive drops '-i': 'zatvorit ću'.

✅ Zatvorit ću prozor čim dođem.

I'll close the window as soon as I arrive.

❌ Trgovina zatvori u devet.

For a daily habit use the imperfective reflexive 'zatvara se'; the perfective present can't carry habitual present meaning here.

✅ Trgovina se zatvara u devet.

The shop closes at nine.

Key Takeaways

The pair is zatvoriti (perfective, single act) / zatvarati (imperfective, process or habit); built by the -a- suffix.
It governs the accusative (what you close); add se for the intransitive "close by itself" or the figurative "withdraw".
The positive command is perfective (Zatvori!), but the prohibition is imperfective (Ne zatvaraj!) — the key takeaway of the page.
The passive participle zatvoren(a/o) means "closed/shut", also "imprisoned" and, of people, "reserved".
It is the exact mirror of otvoriti; learn the two as a pair.

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