la puerta está cerrada con llave
/la pweɾta esta θerada kon ʝabe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "the door is locked" is expressed in Spanish as la puerta está cerrada con llave.
This phrase is used to indicate that a door cannot be opened because it has been secured with a key. You can also use the idiomatic expression la puerta tiene el cerrojo echado to say a door is securely locked or bolted.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase con llave literally means "with key", which is how Spanish expresses that something is locked.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between being closed and being locked. Use la puerta está cerrada con llave specifically to indicate a locked door, whereas la puerta está cerrada only means the door is closed but not necessarily locked.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you may hear La puerta está con llave to express that the door is locked with a key. In Spain, the phrase La puerta está cerrada a cal y canto is used to mean the door is tightly closed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective cerrada must be in its feminine form to agree with the feminine noun la puerta.
Did you know?
- The word llave is used not only for door keys but also to describe a 'wrench' in a toolkit, as both tools function by gripping or turning a mechanism.
- The Spanish word llave shares a common ancestor with the English word 'clef' used in music. Both originate from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'key', linking a physical door key to a musical key.
- While cerrar means 'to shut', it is also used in the abstract expression cerrar el círculo to describe the act of closing a circle.
Examples in context
- Por favor, asegúrese de que la puerta está cerrada con llave.Please make sure that the door is locked.This sentence is useful for practicing how to say that the door is locked.Tatoeba #984776 by inmachan, translation #318235 by CK
- Disculpe, la puerta está cerrada con llave. ¿Tiene usted una llave?Excuse me, the door is locked with a key. Do you have one?
- No puedo entrar al edificio. La puerta está trabada. ¿Sabes si alguien tiene la llave?I can't get into the building. The door is locked or stuck. Do you know if someone has the key?
- Revisa si la puerta está cerrada con llave.Check if the door is locked.
- No puedo entrar porque la puerta está cerrada con llave.I cannot enter because the door is locked.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are arriving at their apartment.
- ElenaMateo, ¿tienes la llave?Mateo, do you have the key?
- MateoSí, pero la puerta está cerrada con llave.Yes, but the door is locked.
- ElenaUsa tu llave para abrirla ahora.Use your key to open it now.
- MateoYa está, ya podemos entrar.There we go, we can enter now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries con, la, llave, puerta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
