escalera
stairs
Reviewed by: David WestfallCofounder
The steps you climb, whether built into a building or carried around
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
visual
Escalera means stairs and is literally a "thing for climbing." It's also related to the English word escalator, which are just mechanical stairs.
escalera
staircase, stairway, stairs
The set of steps within a building that take you from one floor to another.
La escalera del edificio es de mármolThe building's staircase is made of marble
Subimos por la escalera hasta el tercer pisoWe went up the stairway to the third floor
ladder
A portable ladder you lean against a wall and climb.
Necesito una escalera para cambiar el focoI need a ladder to change the light bulb
El pintor subió a la escalera con mucho cuidadoThe painter climbed the ladder very carefully
straight, run (cards)
In card games, an escalera is a hand of cards in ascending order, like 5, 6, 7, 8. Each card is one step above the last.
Gané la mano con una escaleraI won the hand with a straight
Le faltaba una carta para completar la escaleraHe was one card short of completing the run
escaleras
stairs (everyday usage)
Literally "stairs" in the plural, which is how people usually say it out loud. English does the same thing when it says "the stairs" instead of "the staircase."
Bajé las escaleras corriendoI ran down the stairs
Hay que subir las escaleras porque el ascensor no funcionaWe have to take the stairs because the elevator isn't working
escalera mecánica
escalator
The moving stairs in a mall or a metro station. Literally a mechanical staircase, so the steps do the climbing for you.
Tomamos la escalera mecánica hasta la segunda plantaWe took the escalator up to the second floor
La escalera mecánica del centro comercial lleva días descompuestaThe escalator at the mall has been broken for days
escalera de mano
ladder, stepladder
The explicit way to name a ladder, literally a staircase of hand, since it's the one you carry around by hand.
Trae la escalera de mano para alcanzar el techoBring the ladder to reach the ceiling
Guardamos la escalera de mano en el garajeWe keep the stepladder in the garage
escalera de caracol
spiral staircase
Stairs that wind around a center instead of running straight. Literally a snail staircase, since the steps curl like a snail's shell.
La torre tiene una escalera de caracol de piedraThe tower has a stone spiral staircase
Me mareo cada vez que bajo la escalera de caracolI get dizzy every time I go down the spiral staircase