Spanish Phrase
El museo cierra los lunes.
Meaning
The sentence means “The museum is closed on Mondays.” It tells the listener that the museum does not open on that day of the week, using the simple present to describe a regular schedule.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re giving or asking about opening hours, especially while traveling, planning a visit, or helping a friend understand a museum’s timetable.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Elmuseocierraloslunes
Definite article (El)
El is the masculine singular definite article, used before masculine nouns like museo.
Noun (museo)
Museo is a masculine singular noun meaning 'museum'.
Verb (cierra)
Cierra is the third‑person singular present of cerrar (to close). It expresses a habitual action in a schedule.
Plural article (los)
Los is the masculine plural definite article, used before plural nouns such as lunes.
Day of the week (lunes)
Lunes means 'Monday'. In Spanish, days of the week are not capitalised.
🗨In Conversation
¿Cuándo está abierto el museo?
When is the museum open?
El museo cierra los lunes.
The museum is closed on Mondays.
✕Common Mistakes
El museo cerrado los lunes.
‘Cerrado’ is an adjective (closed) and needs a form of ‘estar’ – e.g., ‘El museo está cerrado los lunes.’ Using ‘cerrado’ alone is ungrammatical here.
El museo está cerrando los lunes.
‘Cerrando’ is the gerund (closing) and does not express a regular schedule. Use ‘cierra’ for habitual actions.
↔Alternatives
El museo está cerrado los lunes.
The museum is closed on Mondays.
El museo no abre los lunes.
The museum does not open on Mondays.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries museums (and other cultural venues) often close on Mondays to perform cleaning, maintenance, or staff training. However, some museums may have a different day off, so it’s always good to double‑check the specific schedule for the place you plan to visit.