Close the door vs. Lock the door.
What is the correct way to say "Lock the door"? "Cierra la puerta" is just "Close the door", right? I've always said "Cierra la puerta con llave." but is there a better way to say it and still be clear that you want the door locked and not just closed? Does that sound like a normal thing for Spanish speaker to say? Thanks.
7 Answers
Hi Alba,
I have also seen the following used for "lock the door"
echar llave a
acerrojar
cerrar con candado/pestillo
echar el cerrojo a
Asegurar con cerradura/pasador/pestillo
Cerrojos
Candados
Pestillos
Pasadores
Cerraduras
Alba, you always amaze me with how great your questions are.
I agree that "cerrar con llave" is the traditional way of saying "to lock". I have also seen "cerrar con candado" for "to lock with a padlock". Also - "guardar bajo llave" for "to lock something up". (Although I am positive that you know these also, because your Spanish is great!)
On the other hand, there are so many varieties of Spanish (!) and something might be understood in the right context without any mention of "llaves" or "candados".
I am curious as to what other people will say...
"tranca la puerta"
No se entiende en España.
Cierra con llave, echa la llave....no usamos puerta, como queda claro
¿Has cerrado con llave? ¿Has echado la llave?
An alternative to "cerrar con llave" is "tranca la puerta". To me, that implies not only closing, but also locking.
I noticed that the SD dictionary says "cerrarse" for lock but that doesn't seem to clear to me. Does the addition of a pronoun make "close" "lock"? How would that work and be clear?
I have also heard, "Cierra la puerta con seguro." I think it's pretty normal to say that or "Cierra la puerta con llave." That would be the most common way to specify the door being locked as opposed to just closed.
I never heard any alternative to "cerrar con llave" for a definite "lock the door" so I too would love to find an idiomatic/coloquial version.
