A Stuck Door | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At a stuck door, two adults try to open it and decide to fix the loose handle before anyone gets stuck..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use A Stuck Door to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

La puerta está atascada.

lah PWEHR-tah es-TAH ah-tahs-KAH-dah. The door is stuck.
B

Intenta tirar de la manija.

een-TEHN-tah tee-RAHR deh lah mah-NEE-hah. Try pulling the handle.
A

Tiré de la manija, pero la puerta sigue cerrada.

tee-REH deh lah mah-NEE-hah, PEH-roh lah PWEHR-tah SEE-gheh seh-RRAH-dah. I pulled it, but it stays closed.
B

Empuja despacio cerca del borde.

ehm-POO-hah deh-SPAH-syoh SEHR-kah dehl BOR-deh. Push near the edge slowly.
A

Se abrió un poco.

seh ah-BRYOH oon POH-koh. It opened a little.
B

La manija está floja.

lah mah-NEE-hah es-TAH FLOH-hah. The handle feels loose.
A

¿Deberíamos dejar de usar esta puerta?

deh-beh-RYAH-mohs deh-HAHR deh oo-SAHR EH-stah PWEHR-tah? Should we stop using this door?
B

Podemos arreglar la manija antes de que alguien se quede atrapado otra vez.

poh-DEH-mohs ah-rreh-GLAHR lah mah-NEE-hah AHN-tehs deh keh ahl-GYEHN seh KEH-deh ah-trah-PAH-doh OH-trah BEHS. We can fix the handle before anyone gets stuck again.

Word by Word

La La means “the” here and introduces the noun in La puerta. It is used before a specific noun, as in La puerta está atascada.
puerta Puerta means “door” in La puerta está atascada. The phrase La puerta refers to the particular door the speakers are trying to open.
está Está means “is” here and describes the door’s current state in La puerta está atascada. It is used with a description of a temporary condition, such as atascada.
atascada Atascada means “stuck” and describes the door in La puerta está atascada. It presents the door as unable to open normally in this situation.
Intenta Intenta tells one person to try something. In Intenta tirar de la manija, it is followed by the action tirar de la manija.
tirar Tirar means “pull” in Intenta tirar de la manija. The infinitive follows Intenta and names the action to try.
de De is part of the expression tirar de la manija, which means to pull the handle. Here it links tirar with the thing being pulled.
manija Manija means “handle” in tirar de la manija and refers to the door handle. The same word appears again when the speakers discuss fixing it.
Tiré Tiré means “I pulled” in Tiré de la manija. It describes the speaker’s completed action and is used with de la manija for the thing pulled.
pero Pero means “but” and contrasts Tiré de la manija with the result that the door remains closed. It links two parts of the same statement.
sigue Sigue means “stays” or “continues” in la puerta sigue cerrada. Together with cerrada, it says that the door remains in the closed state.
cerrada Cerrada means “closed” and describes the door in la puerta sigue cerrada. With sigue, it describes a state that has not changed.
Empuja Empuja tells one person to push. In Empuja despacio cerca del borde, it gives the action and is followed by how and where to do it.
despacio Despacio means “slowly” and tells the listener how to push in Empuja despacio. It can be placed after an action to describe its manner.
cerca Cerca means “near” in cerca del borde. It introduces a location and is completed here by del borde.
del Del means “of the” in cerca del borde. It is the form used to connect cerca with the specific location el borde.
borde Borde means “edge” in cerca del borde. The phrase identifies the part of the door area near which the listener should push.
Se Se is not translated by itself here; it is part of the exact forms Se abrió and se quede atrapado. In Se abrió, it presents the door as opening, while in se quede atrapado it helps express someone becoming or remaining trapped.
abrió Abrió means “opened” in Se abrió un poco. Together, Se abrió un poco says that the door opened slightly.
un Un means “a” in un poco. Together, un poco expresses a small amount.
poco Poco means “little” in un poco and describes the small amount that the door opened. The expression un poco can modify the extent of an action.
floja Floja means “loose” and describes the handle in La manija está floja. It indicates that the handle is not firmly attached or firm.
Deberíamos Deberíamos asks whether the speakers ought to do something in Deberíamos dejar de usar esta puerta. It is followed by an infinitive to suggest or consider an action together.
dejar Dejar means “stop” in dejar de usar. In this construction, dejar combines with de and an infinitive to express stopping that action.
usar Usar means “use” in dejar de usar esta puerta. It names the action that the speakers are considering stopping.
esta Esta means “this” and specifies the door in esta puerta. It is used directly before the noun it identifies.
Podemos Podemos means “we can” in Podemos arreglar la manija. It is followed by an infinitive to state an action that the speakers are able or willing to do.
arreglar Arreglar means “fix” in Podemos arreglar la manija. The infinitive follows Podemos and names the proposed repair action.
antes Antes means “before” in antes de que alguien se quede atrapado. Together with de que, it introduces the event that should not happen first.
que Que completes the connector antes de que in antes de que alguien se quede atrapado. It introduces the clause describing the possible later event.
alguien Alguien means “someone” or “anyone” in antes de que alguien se quede atrapado. It is the person who could become trapped.
quede Quede is part of se quede atrapado and describes someone coming to be or remaining in the trapped state. In this dialogue, it appears in the clause introduced by antes de que.
atrapado Atrapado means “trapped” in se quede atrapado. It describes the state that someone might enter or remain in if the door causes the problem again.
otra Otra contributes the idea of another occurrence in otra vez. Together, otra vez means “again,” referring to the possibility of the problem happening one more time.
vez Vez means “time” or “occurrence” in otra vez. The full expression otra vez means “again” and refers to a repeated event.

Grammar Points

deberíamos + infinitivo

Deberíamos arreglar la puerta.

deh-beh-RYAH-mohs ah-rreh-GLAHR lah PWEHR-tah.

We should fix the door.

Deberíamos expresses a suggestion or recommendation and is followed by an infinitive.

antes de que + subjuntivo

Antes de que alguien se quede atrapado otra vez.

AHN-tehs deh keh ahl-GYEHN seh KEH-deh ah-trah-PAH-doh OH-trah BEHS.

Before someone gets stuck again.

Antes de que introduces an anticipated event and requires the subjunctive: se quede.

Spanish Vocabulary

atascada adj
ah-tahs-KAH-dah stuck

La puerta está atascada.

cerrada adj
seh-RRAH-dah closed

La puerta sigue cerrada.

despacio adv
deh-SPAH-syoh slowly

Empuja despacio cerca del borde.

empuja verb
ehm-POO-hah push

Empuja despacio cerca del borde.

está verb
es-TAH is

La puerta está atascada.

intenta verb
een-TEHN-tah try

Intenta tirar de la manija.

manija noun
mah-NEE-hah handle

Intenta tirar de la manija.

pero conj
PEH-roh but

Tiré de la manija, pero la puerta sigue cerrada.

puerta noun
PWEHR-tah door

La puerta está atascada.

sigue verb
SEE-gheh stays; continues

La puerta sigue cerrada.

tirar de phrase
tee-RAHR deh to pull

Intenta tirar de la manija.

tiré verb
tee-REH I pulled

Tiré de la manija, pero la puerta sigue cerrada.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The door is stuck.

Show AnswerLa puerta está atascada.

Try pulling the handle.

Show AnswerIntenta tirar de la manija.

Push near the edge slowly.

Show AnswerEmpuja despacio cerca del borde.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

stuck

Show Answeratascada

stays; continues

Show Answersigue

try

Show Answerintenta

I pulled

Show Answertiré