concéntrate en la tarea
/konθentɾate en la taɾea/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase 'stay on task' is expressed as concéntrate en la tarea.
The phrase is used to instruct someone to continue focusing on the work that needs to be done without getting distracted. You might also hear the natural alternative no te distraigas to achieve the same communicative goal of telling someone to stay on task.
Which one should you use?
The infinitive concentrarse en la tarea is used to express the general concept of staying on task. When giving a direct command, you choose between the informal concéntrate en la tarea and the polite concéntrese en la tarea depending on your relationship with the person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form concéntrate en la tarea uses the informal 'tú' imperative. Use concéntrese en la tarea to use the formal or respectful form. The infinitive concentrarse en la tarea is used to describe the general action of staying on task.
How do you pronounce it?
/konθentɾate en la taɾea/
Did you know?
- The word tarea is a linguistic fossil from the Arabic root meaning 'to throw', implying that a task is something 'cast' upon you.
- The verb concentrarse is reflexive, meaning the speaker is literally telling the person to 'concentrate themselves' on the task.
- A teacher in a Latin American classroom might simply shout ¡A la tarea! to command students to stop talking and start working immediately.
Examples in context
- Por favor, manténganse enfocados en el proyecto actualPlease stay focused on the current project
- Oye, no te distraigas, tenemos que terminar estoHey, don't get distracted, we need to finish this
- No me voy a desviar del propósito, quiero obtener una buena calificaciónI won't deviate from the purpose, I want to get a good grade
- Concéntrate en la tarea para terminar pronto.Stay on task to finish soon.
- Por favor, concéntrate en la tarea y no hables.Please, stay on task and don't talk.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are studying together in a library.
- JavierSofía, concéntrate en la tarea, por favor.Sofía, stay on task, please.
- SofíaLo siento, Javier, me distraje con el móvil.I'm sorry, Javier, I got distracted by my phone.
- JavierNo hay problema, solo sigamos trabajando.No problem, let's just keep working.
- SofíaTienes razón, volvamos a lo que estábamos haciendo.You're right, let's get back to what we were doing.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, la, tarea, CC BY-SA 4.0.
