Which one should you use?
You can use more emphatic informal variations to mean 'no one cares at all': a nadie le importa un comino, a nadie le importa un pepino or a nadie le importa un bledo.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the variation a nadie le importa un rábano is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
This phrase uses the indirect object pronoun le because the verb importar functions similarly to gustar. In this structure, the thing being cared about acts as the subject and the person is the indirect object. Because of this, if the thing that is not being cared about is plural, you must change the verb to the third person plural form, a nadie le importan.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying nadie le importa. In Spanish, the preposition a is required at the beginning of the phrase when the indirect object is a person or an indefinite pronoun like nadie.
Did you know?
- The word nadie originates from the Latin word nātī, meaning 'born people'. It evolved from phrases like 'no born people did it' into a single word for 'no one'.
- To express total indifference, Spanish speakers use small vegetables as metaphors. Phrases like a nadie le importa un comino or un pepino literally mean nobody cares a 'cumin seed' or a 'cucumber'.
Examples in context
- Tú a nadie le importas.No one cares about you.This sentence is useful for showing how to say no one cares about a specific person.Tatoeba #10600430 by ecorralest101, translation #8921680 by CK
- Ya a nadie le importa eso.No one cares about that anymore.This sentence is useful for showing how to say no one cares about a specific thing anymore.Tatoeba #1939878 by marcelostockle, translation #1937712 by CK
- A nadie le importa lo que piense Tom.No one cares what Tom thinks.This sentence is useful for showing how to say no one cares about someone's opinions.Tatoeba #5939768 by arh, translation #5939650 by CK
- En esta organización, nadie se preocupa por los problemas del personal.In this organization, no one cares about the staff's problems.
- A nadie le importa que hayas trabajado toda la noche en este proyecto.No one cares that you worked all night on this project.
- Me cancelaron el concierto, pero a nadie le importa un comino.The concert got canceled, but no one cares at all.
- Puedo contar chistes interesantes, pero a nadie le importa un pepino.I can tell interesting jokes, but no one cares at all.
- Hice un gran esfuerzo para organizarlo todo, pero a nadie le importa un bledo.I made a great effort to organize everything, but nobody cares at all.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a celebrity scandal at a cafe.
- MaríaA nadie le importa su vida privada.No one cares about his private life.
- AlejandroTienes razón, María.You're right, María.
- MaríaEs un tema aburrido.It's a boring topic.
- AlejandroA nadie le importa realmente.No one really cares.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, le, nadie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
