Escaleras vs. escalera

Question

I apologize in advance for being tedious, but this is one of those nit-picky things I can't let go. I thought that "escalera" is "stairs/staircase". However, I'm seeing it used in the plural, "escaleras". Is one form preferred over the other. Am I wrong to use "escalera" to mean "stairs"?

Answer 1

I am finding that the meaning is the same,the difference is only in how you make the statement "foot of the stairs" escalera. "climbs stairs "escaleras"

I hope a native speaker comes in with a better answer for both of us.

Answer 2

No, you're not wrong. This is a case where you can't go directly from one word in English to one word in Spanish. In this case you can mix it up and still come out just fine. Singular or plural will get the job done.

Yes, I feel safe that any reasonable listener will understand what I'm trying to say with either usage. - lkelly, Feb 27, 2011

Answer 3

Hi... Escalera is usually a ladder. Escaleras refers to a set of stairs. But I have heard people say:

No tomes el ascensor, vete por la escalera.

or

No tomes el ascensor, toma las escaleras.

Both mean stairs in these cases.

True .when i go for the ladder it is 'voy por la escalera" - pacofinkler, Feb 27, 2011

Thank you. Now I can add "ladder" to my vocabulary as well. - lkelly, Feb 27, 2011