me importa
/me impoɾta/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'I care' is translated into Spanish as me importa.
me importa is used to express that something is important to you or that you feel concern about it. The related form Me importas is an informal way to say 'You matter to me' or 'I care about you'. If you want to express emotional support or show that you are there for someone, you can use the informal phrase Estoy contigo ('I am with you').
How does it change in a sentence?
If the thing you care about is plural, you must use the plural form me importan ('they matter to me'). To say 'I don't care', place the negation no before the pronoun: no me importa.
How do you pronounce it?
/me impoɾta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using yo cuido to express that you care about something emotionally. In Spanish, yo cuido actually means 'I take care of' in a physical or practical sense.
Did you know?
- The verb importar has a double meaning in Spanish. While it expresses caring, it is also the standard word for 'to import' goods from another country.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying no me importa can sound significantly harsher or more aggressive than 'I don't care' does in English.
- If you want to say 'I don't care' with a sense of total indifference or 'who cares', speakers often use the phrase qué me importa as a rhetorical question.
Examples in context
- ¡Como si me importara!Like I care!This example shows how to use me importa in a sarcastic or dismissive way.Tatoeba #4482174 by cueyayotl, translation #2017744 by halfb1t
- Ni lo sé ni me importa.I don't know, nor do I care.This sentence uses me importa to express indifference toward both knowledge and concern.Tatoeba #544073 by Shishir, translation #33482 by CM
- No me importa quién eres, me importa lo que hagas.I don't care who you are, I care about what you do.This sentence contrasts what is not important with what does matter using me importa.Tatoeba #1624800 by marcelostockle, translation #1624834 by marcelostockle
- Me importa su bienestar.I care about your well-being.
- Me preocupo por su salud.I care about your health.
- Estoy atento/a a tus necesidades.I am attentive to your needs.
- Me importas mucho.You matter a lot to me.
- Me preocupo mucho por ti.I worry about you a lot.
- Lo siento mucho, me importas y me preocupo por ti.I'm really sorry, you matter to me, and I worry about you.
- ¿Quieres que te ayude? Estoy contigo y me importas mucho.Do you want me to help you? I'm with you, and you matter a lot to me.
- Comprendo cómo te sientes, me preocupas y estoy atento/a a tus necesidades.I understand how you feel, I worry about you, and I'm attentive to your needs.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about a new job offer.
- SofíaMateo, ¿te importa el salario de este puesto?Mateo, do you care about the salary of this position?
- MateoNo, no me importa el dinero ahora.No, the money doesn't matter to me right now.
- SofíaEs bueno que te importe más la experiencia.It is good that the experience matters more to you.
- MateoSí, para mí es lo más importante.Yes, it is the most important thing to me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
