Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about La puerta está cerrada.
Why is está used instead of es in this sentence?
In Spanish, estar is used to describe a temporary state or condition—here, the temporary condition of the door being closed. Using es would imply a more permanent or defining characteristic, which usually wouldn’t make sense for a door simply being closed at one moment in time.
Why do we say cerrada rather than cerrado?
The adjective in Spanish needs to match the gender and number of the noun. Puerta is a feminine singular noun, so cerrado (masculine) changes to cerrada (feminine) to agree properly.
Is cerrada an adjective, or is it a past participle acting like an adjective?
Cerrada can be seen as the past participle of the verb cerrar (to close), but in this sentence, it functions as an adjective describing the state of the door. This usage is very common in Spanish to express conditions or states (e.g., La ventana está abierta, El libro está perdido).
Could you also say La puerta se cerró to mean something similar?
La puerta se cerró would place more emphasis on the action of the door becoming closed (like saying "The door got closed" or "The door closed itself"). La puerta está cerrada focuses on the resulting state—“The door is closed.” Both sentences are correct but convey slightly different aspects: one about the action of closing, the other about the state of being closed.
Do I need to repeat La puerta if it’s already clear what I’m talking about?
In Spanish, once the context is clear, you can often drop the subject if you want. You could just say Está cerrada, and most native speakers would understand you’re talking about “the door.” But if you want to be explicit or introduce the subject, La puerta está cerrada is perfectly fine.
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
You've reached your AI usage limit
Sign up to increase your limit.