Breakdown of Agárrate a la barandilla al bajar las escaleras, por favor.
por favor
please
a
to
al
when
la escalera
the staircase
Questions & Answers about Agárrate a la barandilla al bajar las escaleras, por favor.
Why is it agárrate and not just agarra?
Because this verb is being used as agarrarse a = to hold on to something.
- agarrar = to grab, seize
- agarrarse a = to hold on to, grab onto
So agárrate means hold on or more literally grab yourself onto.
If you said just agarra la barandilla, that would mean grab the handrail. That is possible, but agárrate a la barandilla sounds more like hold on to the handrail for support.
What kind of verb form is agárrate?
It is an affirmative tú command with a reflexive pronoun attached.
The steps are:
- infinitive: agarrarse
- tú command of agarrar: agarra
- add the reflexive pronoun te to the end: agárrate
So this is the informal singular command, used when speaking to one person you would address as tú.
Why is the pronoun attached at the end in agárrate?