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Deja el bolso en el sofá y cierra la puerta, por favor.

Deja el bolso en el sofá y cierra la puerta, por favor.
Leave the bag on the sofa and close the door, please.
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Questions & Answers about Deja el bolso en el sofá y cierra la puerta, por favor.

Why does it say Deja and cierra—what form is that?

They’re affirmative informal commands (the tú imperative):

  • dejar → deja (leave / put)
  • cerrar → cierra (close)
    In Spain, you use these when speaking to one person you address as tú (a friend, family member, child, etc.).
How would I say it more formally (to usted)?

Use usted commands:

  • Deje el bolso en el sofá y cierre la puerta, por favor.
    Deje and cierre are the formal imperative forms.
What if I’m speaking to more than one person in Spain (plural “you”)?

In Spain, plural informal is vosotros:

  • Dejad el bolso en el sofá y cerrad la puerta, por favor.
    Plural formal is ustedes:
  • Dejen el bolso en el sofá y cierren la puerta, por favor.
Why is it en el sofá and not sobre el sofá?

en is commonly used for “in/on/at” depending on context, and Spanish often uses en where English would pick a more specific preposition.

  • Deja el bolso en el sofá = leave/put the bag on the sofa (normal phrasing).
    If you want to emphasize “on top of,” sobre is possible: Deja el bolso sobre el sofá, but it can sound more deliberate/precise than needed.
Is dejar here “leave” or “put”? Which is more natural?

In this context, dejar often means “leave/put (something) somewhere”. English tends to prefer “put” if you’re instructing someone to place it, but Spanish very naturally uses dejar for that idea.

Why does cierra change from cerrar? What’s happening with the vowel?

cerrar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie) in many present-tense forms and in the tú command:

  • cerrar → cierra
    That’s why it isn’t cerra.
Why is por favor at the end? Can it go elsewhere?

Yes, it’s flexible. All of these are fine:

  • Deja el bolso en el sofá y cierra la puerta, por favor.
  • Por favor, deja el bolso en el sofá y cierra la puerta.
  • Deja el bolso en el sofá, por favor, y cierra la puerta.
    Putting it at the end often feels natural and polite.
Do I need the subject tú (like tú deja)? Why isn’t it there?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb form already shows who it is. Adding tú is possible but typically only for emphasis/contrast (and it sounds marked):

  • Tú deja el bolso… (as in “You, leave it…”)
Why is it el bolso and not un bolso?

el refers to a specific, known bag (the one you have / we’re talking about). un bolso would mean “a bag” in a more general, nonspecific sense.

What’s the difference between bolso and bolsa?

Often (though usage varies):

  • bolso = a handbag/purse or a bag with some structure (also used broadly for “bag”)
  • bolsa = a bag/sack, often like a shopping bag or plastic bag
    In everyday Spain Spanish, bolso commonly refers to a handbag.
Why is it la puerta? Is the gender just something I have to memorize?

Yes—puerta is feminine, so it takes la. Noun gender is largely lexical (you learn it with the word). A helpful clue: nouns ending in -a are often feminine (with exceptions).

Is sofá always masculine? And why does it have an accent?

sofá is masculine: el sofá.
The accent marks the stress: so-FÁ. Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would push stress earlier, so the written accent ensures the correct pronunciation.

Could I replace y with something else to sound more natural?

y (“and”) is perfectly natural. You could also use sequencing words like:

  • Luego / después: Deja el bolso en el sofá y luego cierra la puerta.
    But they’re optional; the original is already idiomatic.
Is this sentence a bit too direct? How do I soften it?

It’s a normal polite request because of por favor, but you can soften more with:

  • ¿Puedes…?: ¿Puedes dejar el bolso en el sofá y cerrar la puerta, por favor?
  • ¿Podrías…? (more polite): ¿Podrías dejar el bolso en el sofá y cerrar la puerta, por favor?
    Or add cuando puedas (“when you can”): …y cierra la puerta cuando puedas.
How would it change if it were negative (“don’t leave… / don’t close…”)?

Negative commands use a different form (present subjunctive):

  • No dejes el bolso en el sofá y no cierres la puerta.
    (Or more naturally: No dejes el bolso en el sofá y no cierres la puerta, por favor.)