es ist mir wichtig
To say "I care" in German, you say es ist mir wichtig.
The phrase is used to express that something is important to you or that you feel concern for it. It is often used in conversations to express personal values or priorities. For example, you might say Das ist mir wichtig to mean "That is important to me".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "it is to me important".
Which one should you use?
While English uses a verb ("to care") to express this sentiment, German uses the adjective wichtig (important) to achieve the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase es ist mir wichtig, the word mir is the dative case of ich (I), which indicates that the importance is directed toward the speaker. To express the opposite, "I don't care" (in the sense that it is not important to you), you add nicht before wichtig to say es ist mir nicht wichtig.
Did you know?
- The word wichtig is actually a measurement of weight. It is derived from the verb wiegen, meaning 'to weigh', and shares the same root as the English word 'weight'.
- The word wichtig is closely related to the German word schwerwiegend, which describes something 'serious' or 'grave'.
- If you want to sound more formal or sophisticated while expressing importance, you can use the synonym gewichtig instead of wichtig.
Examples in context
- Es ist mir wichtig, gesund zu leben.It is important to me to live healthily.
- Es ist mir wichtig, dass du glücklich bist.It is important to me that you are happy.
- Es ist mir wichtig, pünktlich zu sein.It is important to me to be punctual.
Example conversation
Lukas and Julia are discussing their plans for the weekend.
- LukasWollen wir heute Abend ins Kino gehen?Do you want to go to the cinema tonight?
- JuliaNein, ich bin sehr müde.No, I am very tired.
- LukasEs ist mir wichtig, dass wir Zeit zusammen verbringen.It is important to me that we spend time together.
- JuliaIch verstehe, aber lass uns morgen etwas machen.I understand, but let's do something tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, mir, wichtig, CC BY-SA 4.0.
