Spanish Phrase
¿Les abro la puerta a desconocidos?
Meaning
The speaker is asking whether they should open the door for people they do not know. It can be a genuine question about courtesy or a rhetorical way to express caution about strangers.
When to use
Use this question when you see someone at the door you don’t recognize and you want to confirm if you should let them in, or when you’re discussing the etiquette of opening doors for strangers.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Lesabrolapuertaadesconocidos?
Indirect object pronoun (les)
‘Les’ replaces ‘a ellos/ellas’, indicating to whom the action is directed. It must agree in number with the indirect object.
Verb conjugation (abro)
‘Abro’ is the first‑person singular present of ‘abrir’, meaning ‘I open’.
Direct object + article (la puerta)
‘La puerta’ is the direct object; the definite article ‘la’ is required because ‘puerta’ is a specific thing.
Prepositional phrase (a desconocidos)
The preposition ‘a’ introduces the indirect object when it is a noun phrase; it can appear together with the pronoun ‘les’ for emphasis.
Redundant indirect object
Using both ‘les’ and ‘a desconocidos’ is grammatically correct and adds clarity, especially in spoken Spanish.
🗨In Conversation
¿Les abro la puerta a desconocidos?
Should I open the door for strangers?
Depende. Si parece que están perdidos, sí; si no te sientes seguro, mejor no.
It depends. If they look lost, yes; if you don’t feel safe, better not.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Los abro la puerta a desconocidos?
‘Los’ is a direct‑object pronoun; the sentence needs an indirect‑object pronoun, so ‘les’ is correct.
¿Les abro la puerta a los desconocidos?
The article ‘los’ is unnecessary because the preposition ‘a’ already marks the indirect object; you can say ‘a desconocidos’ or keep the pronoun ‘les’ for emphasis.
¿Abro la puerta a desconocidos?
Without the pronoun ‘les’, the sentence is still understandable but loses the emphasis that the action is directed toward them.
↔Alternatives
¿Abro la puerta a extraños?
Do I open the door for strangers?
¿Debería abrir la puerta a desconocidos?
Should I open the door to unknown people?
¿Les dejo pasar a los desconocidos?
Do I let the strangers pass?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries it is considered polite to hold the door for someone, even if you don’t know them. However, safety concerns are growing, so people often ask “¿Les abro la puerta a desconocidos?” as a way to balance courtesy with caution. Note that “desconocidos” sounds a bit more formal than “extraños”, which is more colloquial.