dar por sentado
/ˌdaɾ poɾ senˈtado/
In Spanish, to take it for granted is expressed as dar por sentado.
The phrase is used when you assume something is true or will happen without questioning it. You may also encounter dar por hecho, which is often used when you assume a specific event or action is already a certainty or has already occurred.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb dar (to give), the preposition por (for/as) and the participle sentado (settled/seated). Literally, it means "to give for settled".
Which one should you use?
While dar por sentado focuses on assumption, dar por hecho is often used when one assumes an event or action is already a certainty or has already occurred.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective sentado must agree in gender with the object being taken for granted. Use dar por sentada if the object is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌdaɾ poɾ senˈtado/
Did you know?
- The word sentado in dar por sentado comes from the verb sentar, which means 'to seat'. This suggests a conceptual link between an idea being 'settled' and a person physically sitting down.
- In the phrase dar por sentado, the word por is a descendant of the Late Latin 'pōr', making it a 'doublet' of the word 'pro'.
Examples in context
- No debemos dar por supuesto el amor de nuestros seres queridosWe shouldn't take our loved one's love for granted.
- No valoras a tus amigos como deberíasYou don't value your friends as you should.
- No des por sentado que vendrá.Don't take it for granted that he will come.
- No debemos dar por sentado el éxito.We should not take success for granted.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dar por sentado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dar, por, sentado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
