Close the window
Formal version for 'usted'. Use this with elders, bosses, or people you don't know to show respect.
A polite question meaning 'Can you close the window?'. It's softer and less direct than a command.
Plural command for 'ustedes'. Use this when speaking to two or more people in Latin America.
I'm cold. Close the window, please.
Sir, can you close the window? There is a lot of noise.
Kids, close the window before you leave.
Close the window, it's starting to rain.
The phrase 'Cierra la ventana' is understood everywhere. The main variations involve formal/informal address and plural forms.
To speak to a group of friends (plural, informal), you would use 'vosotros': 'Cerrad la ventana'.
The 'vos' form is used instead of 'tú'. The command is 'Cerrá la ventana' (with the accent on the 'a').
The standard Latin American forms 'Cierra la ventana' (tú), 'Cierre la ventana' (usted), and 'Cierren la ventana' (ustedes) are used without significant variation.
Saying 'Cerca la ventana'. — 'Cerca' means 'close' as in 'near'. The verb 'to close' is 'cerrar'. The correct command is 'Cierra la ventana'.
Pronouncing 'ventana' with an English 'v' sound. — In Spanish, the 'v' and 'b' letters are pronounced the same, like an English 'b'. Say 'ben-TAH-nah', not 'vayn-TAH-nah'.
Mixing formal and informal, e.g., '¿Puedes cerrar la ventana, señor?' — This mixes the informal 'puedes' (for 'tú') with the formal address 'señor'. You must be consistent. Use the formal version: '¿Puede cerrar la ventana, señor?'
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