dio por sentado
/djo poɾ sentado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "took for granted" can be translated into Spanish as dio por sentado.
The phrase is used to describe the act of assuming something is true or will happen without verifying it or questioning it. If you want to follow the phrase with a clause (a subject and a verb), you must use the conjunction que after it, forming dar por sentado que.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase dio por sentado translates to "gave it for seated" or "gave it as settled".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, you may encounter the alternative expression tomar por sentado.
How does it change in a sentence?
The expression is based on the infinitive dar por sentado. To use it in a sentence, you must conjugate the verb dar to match your subject. For example, doy por sentado means "I take for granted" and dieron por sentado means "they took for granted".
Did you know?
- While dar por sentado is the traditional idiom, the variation tomar por sentado is a calque, meaning it was created by translating the English 'take for granted' word for word into Spanish.
- Spanish uses the verb dar 'to give' where English uses 'take'. This reflects a linguistic pattern where Spanish views the assumption as something being granted or assigned a status.
- While English uses the word 'granted' to mean 'conceded', the Spanish sentado refers specifically to the physical act of sitting down. In this context, it implies that a matter has been 'seated' or fixed in place, making it unshakeable.
Examples in context
- Damian dio por sentado que siempre tendría un trabajo estable.Damian took for granted that he would always have a stable job.
- La riqueza natural de la región no debe ser dada por sentada.The natural wealth of the region should not be taken for granted.
- Ella nunca supo valorar lo que tenía hasta que lo perdió.She never knew how to appreciate what she had until she lost it.
- Pensé que siempre estaríamos juntos, pero él dio por hecho nuestro amor.I thought we would always be together, but he took our love for granted.
- No des por hecho que siempre estaré aquí para ti.Don't assume that I will always be here for you.
- Juan tiende a tomar por sentado el esfuerzo de sus compañeros.Juan tends to take his colleagues' effort for granted.
- No deberías tomar por sentado el apoyo de tus amigos más cercanos.You shouldn't take the support of your closest friends for granted.
- Dio por sentado que vendrías.He took for granted that you would come.
- Él dio por sentado que yo vendría.He took for granted that I would come.
- No lo dio por sentado, pero prefirió preguntar.He didn't take it for granted, but he preferred to ask.
- Ella dio por sentado que el examen sería fácil.She took for granted that the exam would be easy.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing a misunderstanding about a meeting.
- ElenaNo sabía que la reunión era hoy.I didn't know the meeting was today.
- JavierTú dio por sentado que yo te avisaría.You took for granted that I would notify you.
- ElenaLo siento, Javier, fue mi error.I'm sorry, Javier, it was my mistake.
- JavierNo pasa nada, Elena, podemos reprogramarla.It's okay, Elena, we can reschedule it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
