Which one should you use?
Depending on the level of formality or the region, different forms are used. Pase la aspiradora por la alfombra is a formal way to say 'Pass the vacuum cleaner over the carpet', while Aspira la alfombra is an informal way to say 'Vacuum the carpet'. For a more colloquial expression, you can say Pásale la aspiradora a la alfombra, which translates to 'Give the carpet a vacuum'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you can say Aspire la moqueta to mean vacuum the carpet or rug. In some Latin American countries, an informal way to say this is Pásale la aspiradora al tapete.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say 'I vacuum the carpet', the verb pasar is conjugated to paso to form paso la aspiradora por la alfombra.
How do you pronounce it?
/pasaɾ la aspiɾadoɾa poɾ la alfombɾa/
Did you know?
- The word aspiradora shares a linguistic lineage with the English word 'inspire', as both stem from the Latin root for 'breathing'.
- Using pásale la aspiradora treats the carpet as if it were a person receiving a service, which is a common colloquial structure in Spanish.
- The term aspiradora is built from the verb aspirar and the suffix -dora, which literally identifies the machine as a 'thing that breathes in' or 'thing that sucks'.
Examples in context
- ¡Aspire la alfombra para mantenerla limpia!Vacuum the carpet to keep it clean!
- Aspire la alfombra todos los díasVacuum the carpet every day
- Pásale la aspiradora a la alfombra regularmenteRegularly vacuum the carpet
- Usa la aspiradora de mano para limpiar la alfombraUse the handheld vacuum to clean the carpet
- Pásale la aspiradora a la alfombra con la aspiradora de trineoVacuum the carpet with the canister vacuum cleaner
- ¿Puedes pasar la aspiradora por la alfombra, por favor?Can you vacuum the carpet, please?
- Tengo que pasar la aspiradora por la alfombra.I have to vacuum the carpet.
- Mañana voy a pasar la aspiradora por la alfombra.Tomorrow I am going to vacuum the carpet.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are discussing house chores in their living room.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿puedes pasar la aspiradora por la alfombra?Alejandro, can you vacuum the carpet?
- AlejandroSí, lo haré ahora mismo.Yes, I will do it right now.
- LucíaGracias, la sala está muy sucia.Thanks, the living room is very dirty.
- AlejandroNo hay problema, Lucía.No problem, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alfombra, aspiradora, la, pasar, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
