Why Importar Is More Than "To Import"
Importar literally means "to import", but in everyday speech it means "to matter". It works like gustar: the thing that matters is the subject, and the person affected takes an indirect pronoun (me, te, le, nos, les). That is why you hear no me importa all the time.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will say what matters, and what does not, without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: No importa — "It doesn't matter"
The quick, reassuring reply when someone apologizes or hesitates. Add de verdad or en serio to stress that you are not bothered.
- No importa. — It doesn't matter.
- No importa, de verdad. — It doesn't matter, really.
- No importa si llegas tarde. — It doesn't matter if you arrive late.
Chunk to learn:
No importa / No importa si + [indicative]
Pattern 2: ¿Te importa si…? — "Do you mind if…?"
The polite way to ask permission when you might disturb someone. Use te with tú and le with usted. After si use the present indicative, and after que use the subjunctive. For more, see Subjunctive Chunks.
- ¿Te importa si abro la ventana? — Do you mind if I open the window?
- ¿Le importa que me siente aquí? — Do you mind if I sit here?
- ¿Les importa si nos unimos? — Do you mind if we join you?
Chunk to learn:
¿Te importa si + [present]? / ¿Le importa que + [subjunctive]?
Pattern 3: Me importa un comino — "I couldn't care less"
A colorful idiom for not caring at all. The small thing (a cumin seed, a pepper, a cucumber) shows how little something matters. Use it with friends, not in a formal setting.
- Me importa un comino. — I couldn't care less.
- Me importa un pepino lo que digan. — I don't care a bit what they say.
- Le importa un bledo todo. — He couldn't care less about anything.
Chunk to learn:
Me importa un comino / un pepino / un bledo
Pattern 4: Lo que importa es… — "What matters is…"
The chunk for stating priorities. Use it to reassure someone, to give advice, and to wrap up an argument.
- Lo que importa es que estás bien. — What matters is that you are okay.
- Lo importante es no rendirse. — The important thing is not to give up.
- Lo que más me importa es mi familia. — What matters most to me is my family.
Chunk to learn:
Lo que importa es + [que / infinitive] / Lo que más me importa
Pattern 5: Me importas — "You matter to me"
With a person as the subject, importar becomes emotional. Me importas says you matter to me, and no le importo a nadie says no one cares about me. It is a heartfelt chunk for friends and family.
- Me importas mucho. — You matter a lot to me.
- Tú me importas más que el dinero. — You matter more to me than money.
- Siento que no le importo a nadie. — I feel like I don't matter to anyone.
Chunk to learn:
Me importas (mucho) / Le importo a + [person]
Pattern 6: Importar as "to import"
The literal meaning is still very useful. It covers goods, files, and data, and its twin exportar covers the opposite. The adjective importado describes imported goods.
- Importamos vino de Chile. — We import wine from Chile.
- Los productos importados son más caros. — Imported products are more expensive.
- ¿Cómo importo este archivo? — How do I import this file?
Chunk to learn:
Importar + [thing] + de + [place] / Productos importados
Importar vs. Molestar
¿Te molesta si…? is a close alternative to ¿te importa si…? for "do you mind", but it feels slightly more about annoyance than concern. Both are polite and both work the same way as gustar. For another verb that takes an indirect pronoun, see [Funcionar] Chunks.
Start with no importa and ¿te importa si…?. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.