Imperfective: закрива́ти — "to close / be closing (repeatedly or as a process)" Perfective: закри́ти — "to close, shut (once, completely)" Type: a suffix-derived aspect pair, mirror image of відкрива́ти / відкри́ти "to open"
закрива́ти / закри́ти is the all-purpose verb for closing everything that is not a door or a window: a book, a laptop, your eyes, a jar, a bottle, a bank account, a topic, a border, an app. It is the exact opposite of відкрива́ти / відкри́ти "to open," and the two share the same wide domain — abstractions and containers. For a hinged physical barrier — a door, a gate, a window, a shutter — Ukrainian switches to зачиня́ти / зачини́ти (covered separately). English "close" flattens this split, which is exactly why learners overuse закри́ти for a door; keeping the two pairs apart is one of the clearest tells of fluent Ukrainian. The good news for the conjugation: unlike зачини́ти, the perfective закри́ти has stable root stress throughout, with no mobile accent to track.
Present tense — закрива́ти (imperfective only)
Only the imperfective закрива́ти has a present tense. It is a regular first-conjugation -а- verb with j-glide endings, stress fixed on the -ва́- suffix throughout.
| Person | закрива́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | закрива́ю | I close / am closing |
| ти | закрива́єш | you close (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | закрива́є | he / she / it closes |
| ми | закрива́ємо | we close |
| ви | закрива́єте | you close (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | закрива́ють | they close |
The present means a repeated or habitual closing, or a closing in progress: a museum that closes at six, the way you always shut your eyes when you sneeze.
Я за́вжди закрива́ю но́утбук, коли́ відхо́джу від столу́.
I always close my laptop when I step away from the desk. — habitual present закрива́ю.
Магази́н закрива́є две́рі для покупці́в о деся́тій.
The shop closes its doors to customers at ten. — repeated/scheduled present закрива́є.
Past tense — закрива́в / закри́в
Both aspects take the gendered -в / -ла / -ло / -ли endings. The imperfective keeps stress on -ва́-; the perfective is root-stressed on закри́- throughout (закри́в, закри́ла, закри́ло, закри́ли).
| Gender / number | Perfective закри́ти | Imperfective закрива́ти |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | закри́в | закрива́в |
| feminine | закри́ла | закрива́ла |
| neuter | закри́ло | закрива́ло |
| plural | закри́ли | закрива́ли |
Вона́ ти́хо закри́ла кни́жку й засну́ла.
She quietly closed the book and fell asleep. — perfective past закри́ла, one finished act.
Він щове́чора закрива́в каса́ й здава́в ви́ручку.
Every evening he closed the till and handed in the takings. — imperfective past закрива́в, a routine.
Future tense — perfective закри́ти vs imperfective закрива́ти
The perfective закри́ти has no present; its conjugated forms are future. It is a first-conjugation -и- verb (closer to the -ю/-єш type, with the stem закри-) and is root-stressed throughout — закри́ю, закри́єш, закри́є… — no mobile stress. The imperfective builds both compound futures: analytic бу́ду + infinitive and synthetic -му.
| Person | Perfective simple future (закри́ти) | Imperfective analytic (бу́ду…) | Imperfective synthetic (-му) |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | закри́ю | бу́ду закрива́ти | закрива́тиму |
| ти | закри́єш | бу́деш закрива́ти | закрива́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | закри́є | бу́де закрива́ти | закрива́тиме |
| ми | закри́ємо | бу́демо закрива́ти | закрива́тимемо |
| ви | закри́єте | бу́дете закрива́ти | закрива́тимете |
| вони́ | закри́ють | бу́дуть закрива́ти | закрива́тимуть |
The perfective future names one definite result ("I'll close it / I'll have it closed"); the two imperfective futures describe a future habit or process ("I'll be closing / will keep closing"). Note that закри́ю is the future "I'll close," never a present — the perfective has no "I am closing."
Закри́й вікно́ в бра́узері, воно́ зжира́є всю па́м’ять.
Close that browser tab, it's eating all the memory. — perfective imperative; future stem закри-.
Я закри́ю раху́нок у ба́нку, як ті́льки пове́рну креди́т.
I'll close the bank account as soon as I pay off the loan. — perfective future закри́ю, one result.
Imperative — закри́й vs закрива́й
The perfective закри́й / закри́йте asks for one definite closing; the imperfective закрива́й / закрива́йте tells someone to close repeatedly or as a standing rule.
| Addressee | Perfective закри́ти | Imperfective закрива́ти |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | закри́й | закрива́й |
| ви (formal / plural) | закри́йте | закрива́йте |
| 3rd person (let him/them) | хай / неха́й закри́є | хай / неха́й закрива́є |
Закри́й о́чі й зага́дуй бажа́ння.
Close your eyes and make a wish. — perfective imperative закри́й, one act.
Закрива́йте кри́шку щора́зу, бо ка́ва ви́дихається.
Close the lid every time, or the coffee goes stale. — imperfective imperative закрива́йте, a standing rule.
Participles, the -но form, and the reflexive
| Form | закри́ти / закрива́ти |
|---|---|
| passive past participle (pf.) | закри́тий "closed, shut" |
| impersonal -но/-то form (pf.) | закри́то "(it is / was) closed" |
| reflexive (intransitive) | закрива́тися / закри́тися "to close (by itself)" |
| imperfective verbal adverb | закрива́ючи "(while) closing" |
The -то impersonal Закри́то is the standard "Closed" sign on a shop, a road or an account — it states the result without naming an agent. The participle закри́тий is the everyday adjective: закри́та кни́жка "a closed book," закри́тий по́каз "a closed (private) screening," закри́те мо́ре "a landlocked sea." The reflexive закри́тися makes the verb intransitive — the thing closes by itself — and also yields the figurative закри́тися в собі́ "to close in on oneself, withdraw."
На две́рях кав’я́рні вже вися́ла табли́чка «Закри́то».
A 'Closed' sign was already hanging on the café door. — the -то impersonal Закри́то on a sign.
Кри́шка ноутбу́ка закри́лася сама́, і екра́н зга́с.
The laptop lid closed by itself and the screen went dark. — reflexive закри́лася, intransitive, no agent.
Key uses & case government
закри́ти / закрива́ти is transitive: it takes a direct object in the accusative — закри́ти кни́жку, о́чі, раху́нок, кра́мницю, кордо́н, ві́кна (in the browser). When the thing closes by itself, switch to the reflexive закри́тися with no object.
Закри́й, будь ла́ска, кра́н — вода́ ллє́ться даре́мно.
Turn off the tap, please — the water's running for nothing. — accusative object кра́н.
Че́рез ремо́нт ву́лицю закри́то для тра́нспорту до кінця́ ти́жня.
Because of repairs, the street is closed to traffic until the end of the week. — -то impersonal + закри́ти + accusative ву́лицю.
Common Mistakes
❌ Закри́й две́рі, тут хо́лодно.
Verb-choice error — for a physical door use зачини́ти, not закри́ти (which is for books, eyes, containers, accounts): Зачини́ две́рі, тут хо́лодно.
✅ Зачини́ две́рі, тут хо́лодно.
Close the door, it's cold in here.
❌ Магази́н уже́ закри́в.
Missing reflexive — when the thing closes by itself (intransitive), add -ся: Магази́н уже́ закри́вся. Without -ся the verb demands a direct object.
✅ Магази́н уже́ закри́вся.
The shop has already closed.
❌ Я бу́ду закри́ти раху́нок за́втра.
The auxiliary бу́ду takes an IMPERFECTIVE infinitive; the perfective закри́ти forms its own future: Я закри́ю раху́нок (one act) or Я бу́ду закрива́ти раху́нок (process).
✅ Я закри́ю раху́нок за́втра.
I'll close the account tomorrow.
❌ Учо́ра я ці́лий ве́чір закри́в вкла́дки.
Aspect error — 'kept closing all evening' is a process, so use the IMPERFECTIVE: Учо́ра я ці́лий ве́чір закрива́в вкла́дки. The perfective закри́в names one act, which clashes with ці́лий ве́чір.
✅ Учо́ра я ці́лий ве́чір закрива́в вкла́дки.
Yesterday I kept closing tabs all evening.
❌ Я закрию́ о́чі.
Stress error — закри́ти is root-stressed throughout: it is закри́ю, not *закрию́. (Unlike зачиню́, there is NO stress shift to the ending here.)
✅ Я закри́ю о́чі.
I'll close my eyes.
Key Takeaways
- Domain: закрива́ти / закри́ти is for books, eyes, containers, accounts, borders, apps — the mirror of відкрива́ти / відкри́ти. For physical doors and windows use зачиня́ти / зачини́ти.
- Stable stress: the perfective is root-stressed everywhere — закри́ю, закри́єш, закри́в, закри́й — with no mobile accent (contrast зачиню́ / зачи́ниш).
- Perfective future: the conjugated закри́ти forms ARE the future (закри́ю = "I'll close"); the perfective has no present.
- Reflexive: add -ся when the thing closes by itself (две́рі закри́лися, я закри́вся в собі́).
- Sign form: Закри́то "Closed" — the -то impersonal; participle закри́тий.
- Government: transitive, accusative object (закри́ти кни́жку); reflexive закри́тися is intransitive.
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