Introduction
Learning Spanish grammar can be challenging, especially when dealing with verbs that work differently from English. One of the most confusing aspects for English speakers is understanding interest verbs, also known as gustar-like verbs. These verbs have a unique structure that reverses the typical subject-object relationship found in English sentences. Among the most important of these verbs are importar and interesar, which are essential for expressing what matters to you and what interests you in Spanish. This article will break down these verbs in detail, showing you how to use them correctly in conversation and writing.
What Are Interest Verbs?
Interest verbs are a special category of Spanish verbs that function differently from most other verbs. In English, we typically structure sentences with the subject performing an action on an object. For example, we say I like chocolate, where I is the subject and chocolate is the object. However, in Spanish, interest verbs flip this structure around. The thing that causes the interest or emotion becomes the subject of the sentence, while the person experiencing that interest becomes an indirect object.
This reversal is crucial to understanding how interest verbs work in Spanish. Instead of saying I like chocolate directly, Spanish speakers say something more like Chocolate is pleasing to me. This grammatical structure might seem awkward at first, but it becomes natural with practice and is actually quite common in Spanish.
Understanding Importar: What Matters to You
Importar is one of the most commonly used interest verbs in Spanish, and it literally means to matter or to be important. When you use importar, you are expressing what is important or what matters to you. The structure follows the interest verb pattern, where the thing that matters becomes the grammatical subject.
The Basic Structure of Importar
The fundamental structure of importar is:
Indirect object pronoun + importar + subject (the thing that matters)
For example:
Me importa la educacion. (Education matters to me.)
Te importan los deportes. (Sports matter to you.)
Le importa el dinero. (Money matters to him/her.)
Nos importa la familia. (Family matters to us.)
Os importan los estudios. (Studies matter to you all.)
Les importa la salud. (Health matters to them.)
Notice that the verb importar changes to agree with the subject (the thing that matters), not with the indirect object pronoun. If the subject is singular, you use importa. If the subject is plural, you use importan.
Indirect Object Pronouns with Importar
The indirect object pronouns used with importar are:
me (to me)
te (to you, informal)
le (to him/her/you formal)
nos (to us)
os (to you all, Spain)
les (to them/you all)
These pronouns are essential because they indicate who the thing matters to. Without them, the sentence would be incomplete and unclear.
Real-World Examples of Importar
Let’s look at some practical examples of importar in use:
No me importa lo que piensen los otros. (I don’t care what others think.) – Here, what others think is the subject, and it doesn’t matter to me.
Le importa mucho terminar el proyecto a tiempo. (Finishing the project on time matters to him/her a lot.) – The action of finishing the project is what matters.
Nos importan nuestros amigos mas que cualquier cosa. (Our friends matter to us more than anything.) – Friends are the subject here, and they are important to us.
A ellos no les importa el resultado final. (The final result doesn’t matter to them.) – Notice the use of a ellos to emphasize who we’re talking about.
Understanding Interesar: What Interests You
Interesar follows the exact same grammatical structure as importar, but it expresses what interests or fascinates someone rather than what matters to them. The verb literally means to interest or to be interesting.
The Basic Structure of Interesar
The structure of interesar is identical to importar:
Indirect object pronoun + interesar + subject (the thing that interests)
For example:
Me interesa la historia. (History interests me.)
Te interesa el arte. (Art interests you.)
Le interesa aprender idiomas. (Learning languages interests him/her.)
Nos interesa el cine. (Movies interest us.)
Os interesan las ciencias. (Sciences interest you all.)
Les interesa la musica. (Music interests them.)
Like importar, the verb form changes based on whether the subject is singular or plural. You use interesa for singular subjects and interesan for plural subjects.
Real-World Examples of Interesar
Here are some practical examples showing interesar in context:
Me interesa mucho la cultura hispanica. (Hispanic culture interests me a lot.) – This shows enthusiasm about a topic.
A mi hermana le interesa la psicologia. (Psychology interests my sister.) – Using a mi hermana clarifies who we’re referring to.
Nos interesan las nuevas tecnologias. (New technologies interest us.) – The plural form interesan is used because tecnologias is plural.
A los estudiantes no les interesa la clase porque es muy aburrida. (The class doesn’t interest the students because it’s too boring.) – This shows how interesar can express disinterest when combined with negation.
Comparing Importar and Interesar
While importar and interesar follow the same grammatical pattern, they have different meanings and are used in different contexts. Importar focuses on importance and significance, while interesar focuses on curiosity and engagement.
Consider these two sentences:
Me importa ganar el partido. (Winning the game matters to me.)
Me interesa jugar al futbol. (Playing soccer interests me.)
In the first sentence, you’re expressing that winning is important or significant to you, perhaps because you care deeply about the outcome. In the second sentence, you’re expressing that you find playing soccer engaging or fascinating. The distinction is subtle but important for accurate communication.
Common Mistakes When Using Importar and Interesar
Many Spanish learners make predictable errors when using interest verbs. Understanding these mistakes can help you avoid them.
Mistake One: Using Importar Like English Like
English speakers often try to use importar like they use like in English, placing the person first. This is incorrect. Remember that the thing that matters must be the grammatical subject of the sentence.
Incorrect: Yo importo los libros. (This would mean I matter to books, which is illogical.)
Correct: Me importan los libros. (Books matter to me.)
Mistake Two: Forgetting to Conjugate Based on the Subject
Another common error is forgetting that importar and interesar must agree with the thing that matters or interests, not with the person experiencing the feeling.
Incorrect: Me importa los deportes. (Using singular importa with plural deportes.)
Correct: Me importan los deportes. (Using plural importan because deportes is plural.)
Mistake Three: Misplacing the Indirect Object Pronoun
The indirect object pronoun must come before the conjugated verb in standard sentence construction. Placing it elsewhere or omitting it entirely makes the sentence incomplete.
Incorrect: Importa me la musica. (Wrong word order.)
Correct: Me importa la musica. (Music matters to me.)
Using Importar and Interesar in Different Tenses
While we’ve focused on the present tense, importar and interesar can be used in other tenses as well. The indirect object pronoun stays the same, but the verb conjugation changes.
Present: Me importa el tiempo. (Time matters to me.)
Preterite: Me importo el tiempo. (Time mattered to me.) – This is rarely used.
Imperfect: Me importaba el tiempo. (Time mattered to me.) – Used for habitual importance in the past.
Future: Me importara el tiempo. (Time will matter to me.)
Conditional: Me importaria el tiempo. (Time would matter to me.)
The most commonly used tenses are the present and imperfect, but understanding that these verbs can be conjugated in any tense helps you express complex ideas about what matters or interests you across different time periods.
Combining Importar and Interesar with Infinitives
Both importar and interesar can be followed by infinitive verbs, allowing you to express what activities matter to you or what you are interested in doing.
Me importa terminar mi proyecto antes del viernes. (Finishing my project before Friday matters to me.)
Le interesa aprender a cocinar comida italiana. (Learning to cook Italian food interests him/her.)
Nos importa ayudar a los necesitados. (Helping those in need matters to us.)
This construction is particularly useful in everyday Spanish, as it allows you to discuss your priorities and interests in a natural way.
Conclusion
Mastering importar and interesar is essential for any Spanish learner who wants to communicate effectively about what matters to them and what captures their interest. Although the grammatical structure is different from English, understanding that these interest verbs place the thing that matters or interests as the subject of the sentence makes them much easier to use correctly. Remember that the indirect object pronoun indicates who the thing matters to, and the verb conjugation agrees with the subject. With practice and attention to these rules, you’ll find yourself using importar and interesar naturally in conversation. Keep practicing with examples relevant to your own life, and soon this grammar pattern will become second nature.
