presta mucha atención
/pɾesta mut͡ʃa atenθjon/from spelling rules
To pay close attention in Spanish is to say presta mucha atención.
This phrase is used to instruct someone to listen or watch very carefully to ensure that no details are missed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from the verb prestar (to lend/provide), mucha (much/a lot of) and atención (attention).
Which one should you use?
While presta atención means to pay attention, adding mucha is the equivalent of adding 'close' or 'careful' to the English phrase to emphasize the intensity of the focus.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form presta mucha atención is the informal singular imperative (tú form). To address a group of people, use the plural form presten mucha atención.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾesta mutʃa atenθjon/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a teacher might say ojo (literally 'eye') instead of presta atención to warn a student to be careful or watch closely.
- In certain Latin American dialects, the phrase haz caso is often used to mean 'pay attention' or 'listen to what I am saying' in an informal way.
- The word atención shares a root with the English word 'tension', as both derive from the Latin 'tendere', meaning 'to stretch'.
Examples in context
- Presta mucha atención al profesor.Pay close attention to the professor.
- Pon mucha atención durante la conferenciaPay close attention during the conference
- Estate atento/a a cualquier cambioBe attentive to any changes
- Fíjate bien en lo que te estoy diciendoPay close attention to what I'm telling you
- Presta mucha atención a lo que dice el profesor.Pay close attention to what the teacher is saying.
- Presta mucha atención a las instrucciones.Pay close attention to the instructions.
- Si quieres entender el mapa, presta mucha atención.If you want to understand the map, pay close attention.
Example conversation
A teacher is explaining a difficult math problem to a student.
- MaríaJavier, presta mucha atención a este paso.Javier, pay close attention to this step.
- JavierEstá bien, María, lo estoy intentando.Okay, María, I am trying.
- MaríaEs un detalle muy importante.It is a very important detail.
- JavierEntendido, ahora lo veo claro.Understood, now I see it clearly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atención, CC BY-SA 4.0.
