Cierre, por favor
/ˈθjere poɾ faˈboɾ/word by word
The English phrase "close, please" is translated into Spanish as Cierre, por favor.
Which one should you use?
The form Cierre is the formal imperative used to show respect to a stranger, an elder or a person in a professional setting, whereas Cierra is the informal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperative form Cierra is used instead of Cierre when speaking to someone you know well or who is younger than you. The form Cierren is used when you are asking more than one person to close something.
Did you know?
- The phrase por favor is so common that it is often used as a filler or an exclamation of disbelief, much like 'come on' in English, rather than just a polite request.
- The Spanish word cerrar comes from the Latin sera, which referred to a bolt or a door bar used to lock a house.
- In Spanish, cerrar is used for both 'closing' a door and 'closing' a business for the day, but it can also mean 'to shut up' in certain slang contexts.
Examples in context
- Señor, ¿puede cerrar la puerta, por favor?Sir, can you close the door, please?
- ¿Podría cerrar la ventana, por favor?Could you close the window, please?
Example conversation
Mateo is asking Sofía to close the door of the office.
- MateoSofía, cierre, por favor, la puerta.Sofía, close the door, please.
- SofíaClaro, Mateo. Lo hago ahora.Of course, Mateo. I'll do it now.
- MateoMuchas gracias.Thank you very much.
- SofíaDe nada.You're welcome.
