cerrar la puerta con llave
/θeraɾ la pweɾta kon ʝabe/from spelling rules
To lock the door in Spanish is cerrar la puerta con llave.
This phrase is used when you want to specify that a door is being fastened with a key to prevent it from being opened.
What does it mean word for word?
The addition of con llave to the phrase means "with key", which specifies that the door is being locked rather than just closed.
Which one should you use?
While cerrar la puerta means "to close the door", cerrar la puerta con llave specifically means "to lock the door".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people commonly use Cierra con llave, por favor. In some Latin American countries, you might hear Echa llave a la puerta, por favor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb cerrar is a stem-changing verb where the e changes to ie in many conjugated forms, such as él cierra la puerta con llave.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying only cerrar la puerta if you mean to lock the door. In Spanish, cerrar la puerta only means "to close the door".
Did you know?
- The Spanish word for key, llave, is a linguistic cousin to the English musical term 'clef'.
Examples in context
- Nunca olvidéis cerrar la puerta con llave.Never forget to lock the door.This example shows how to use the phrase to express a reminder never to forget the action.Tatoeba #568010 by Shishir, translation #561216 by kebukebu
- No te olvides de cerrar la puerta con llave.Don't forget to lock the door!This example shows an informal way to tell someone not to forget the action.Tatoeba #763532 by Shishir, translation #720519 by Malika
- Nos olvidamos de cerrar la puerta con llave.We forgot to lock the door.This example shows how to state that the action was forgotten in the past.Tatoeba #2516642 by Shishir, translation #2311173 by Hybrid
- Cierra con llave al salir, por favor.Lock the door when you leave, please.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía is leaving the house and Alejandro is staying inside.
- AlejandroLucía, ¿puedes cerrar la puerta con llave al salir?Lucía, can you lock the door when you leave?
- LucíaSí, no te preocupes, lo haré.Yes, don't worry, I will do it.
- AlejandroGracias, es que tengo miedo de que alguien entre.Thanks, it's just that I'm afraid someone might enter.
- LucíaTranquilo, voy a cerrar la puerta con llave ahora.Calm down, I'm going to lock the door now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cerrar, con, la, llave, puerta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
