cubrir

Cubrir is a Spanish verb meaning to place something over another to protect, enclose, or conceal it. It can also mean to provide or assume coverage, such as paying or meeting expenses; to include or span, as in covering topics or a range; or to substitute for someone, as in covering a shift. The reflexive form cubrirse is also common, meaning to cover oneself or to be covered by something.

Conjugation and forms: Cubrir is irregular in several tenses. In the present indicative the forms are: yo cubro, tú cubres, él cubre, nosotros cubrimos, vosotros cubrís, ellos cubren. The preterite is cubrí, cubriste, cubrió, cubrimos, cubristeis, cubrieron. The past participle is cubierto, used with haber to form perfect tenses (he cubierto, hemos cubierto). The gerund is cubriendo. The present subjunctive is cubra, cubras, cubra, cubramos, cubráis, cubran; the imperfect subjunctive forms include cubriera (or cubriese). The future is cubré, cubrirás, cubrirá, cubriremos, cubriréis, cubrirán.

Common uses: Physical covering or wrapping, as in Cubrí la mesa con un mantel. To cover costs or expenses: La empresa cubre los gastos de viaje. To cover a distance or time: El ciclista cubrió veinte kilómetros en una hora. To cover topics or a beat: El libro cubre varios temas; El periodista cubrió el evento. To substitute for someone: Ella cubrirá el turno de noche.

Etymology: The verb derives from Latin operire (to cover), via Old Spanish forms such as cubrir/cubrir, with the modern form cubr- emerging in Spanish.