cierra la puerta
/θjera la pweɾta/from spelling rules
To say "shut the door" in Spanish, use cierra la puerta.
This phrase is used as a request or a command to close a door.
Which one should you use?
The form cierra la puerta is the informal imperative, while cierre la puerta is the formal version used for politeness. If you are commanding more than one person, use cierren la puerta. The infinitive cerrar la puerta refers to the concept of "to shut the door" rather than serving as a direct command.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on who you are addressing: use cierre la puerta for a single person in a formal context and cierren la puerta when giving the command to a group of people. To express the action itself as an infinitive, use cerrar la puerta.
How do you pronounce it?
/θjera la pweɾta/
When do people say it?
In Spain, it is common to add por favor to the end of the phrase, making it Cierra la puerta, por favor.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying cerrar la puerta can be used metaphorically to mean 'ending a relationship' or 'cutting off a possibility' for someone.
- The word puerta shares a common ancestor with the English word 'port'. Both come from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to carry' or 'a passage'.
- If you want someone to close a door with a heavy slam, you might say da un portazo, which uses a noun derived from the same root as puerta.
Examples in context
- Cierra la puerta firmemente.Shut the door tight.This sentence shows how to use cierra la puerta to tell someone to shut the door tightly.Tatoeba #5544168 by albrusgher, translation #63389 by CM
- Cierra la puerta con cuidado.Shut the door quietly.This sentence shows how to use cierra la puerta to tell someone to shut the door quietly.Tatoeba #5544189 by albrusgher, translation #3410842 by CK
- Cierra la puerta rápidamente.Shut the door quickly.This sentence shows how to use cierra la puerta to tell someone to shut the door quickly.Tatoeba #5544193 by albrusgher, translation #3410849 by CK
- Cierre la puerta, por favor.Please shut the door.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are in the living room and it is getting cold.
- SofíaMateo, cierra la puerta, por favor.Mateo, shut the door, please.
- MateoEstá bien, Sofía.Okay, Sofía.
- SofíaHay mucho ruido afuera.It is very noisy outside.
- MateoYa la cerré.I already shut it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, puerta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
