cierra los ojos
/θjera los oxos/from spelling rules
To say "close your eyes" in Spanish, you say cierra los ojos.
This phrase is used as a request or a command to shut your eyelids so that you cannot see.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, cierra los ojos translates to "close the eyes" because Spanish uses definite articles instead of possessive adjectives when referring to body parts in this context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase cierra los ojos uses the informal imperative cierra (the tú form). To address someone formally, you change cierra to cierre.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say cierra tus ojos by using the possessive adjective tus. Instead, use the definite article los to refer to body parts.
Did you know?
- The word ojos comes from the Latin 'oculus', which is the root of the English word 'ocular'. This connection makes the relationship between the two languages much more visible once you look at the anatomy of the words.
- If you are telling someone to close their eyes for a surprise, you might use the phrase tápate los ojos, which literally means 'cover your eyes'.
- While 'cierra los ojos' is a literal command, if someone tells you to 'cerrar los ojos' in a metaphorical sense, they might be suggesting you ignore a harsh reality or 'blind yourself' to a situation.
Examples in context
- Cierra los ojos, por favor.Close your eyes, please.This example shows how to add a polite request to the phrase cierra los ojos.Tatoeba #561990 by Shishir, translation #323787 by CK
- Siéntate y cierra los ojos.Sit down and close your eyes.This sentence uses cierra los ojos as part of a sequence of instructions.Tatoeba #3083634 by Shishir, translation #2901005 by Hybrid
- Abre la boca y cierra los ojos.Open your mouth and close your eyes.This sentence demonstrates using cierra los ojos alongside another command.Tatoeba #1003275 by hayastan, translation #240557 by CK
- Cierre los ojos y respire profundamente antes de continuar.Close your eyes and take a deep breath before continuing.
- Por favor, cierre los ojos y confíe en mí.Please, close your eyes and trust me.
- Cierra los ojos y disfruta del sorprendente regalo.Close your eyes and enjoy the amazing gift.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía is giving Javier a surprise gift.
- SofíaCierra los ojos, Javier.Close your eyes, Javier.
- Javier¿Qué me vas a dar, Sofía?What are you going to give me, Sofía?
- SofíaSolo cierra los ojos y espera.Just close your eyes and wait.
- JavierEstá bien, los cierro.Okay, I'm closing them.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
