DON’T Say IMPORTANTE, say THESE 8 Alternatives Instead!
Amiga siéntate, te tengo una noticia muy importante.
(Girlfriend sit down, I have very important news.)
No tengo tiempo de chismear, amiga.
(I don’t have time to gossip, girlfriend.)
¡Ándale! Es importante.
(Come on! It’s important.)
¿Qué tan importante?
(How important?)
Súper importante.
(Super important.)
Bueno, a ver, suelta el té.
(Okay then, spill the tea.)
There’s nothing wrong with the word ”importante”, but there are other words you can use. Agrégale variedad a tu español con las ocho alternativas a “importante” que aprenderás en este video. (Add variety to your Spanish with the 8 alternatives to “important” that you will learn in this video.)
1. Considerable (Considarable)
Considerable. We would use this one when we use “importante” in the sense of “big”.
Te llamo porque quería reportarte que la llave de la cocina tiene fuga.
(I’m calling because I wanted to report to you that the kitchen faucet has a leak.)
¿Está grande?
(Is it big?)
Pues sí, se ve considerable.
(Well yes, it does look considerable.)
¿Alguna vez has tenido un accidente automovilístico?
(Have you ever been in a car accident?)
Sí, una vez choqué con una moto.
(Yes, once I crashed with a motorcycle.)
¿Estuvo feo?
(Was it ugly?)
Pues sí, el daño fue considerable. Pero nadie resultó herido de gravedad.
(Well yes, the damage was considerable. But nobody was severely hurt.)
Daño considerable, this pair usually goes together.
2. Crítico (Critical)
Crítico. We use this one when we want to say that something is really important.
Es crítico que abordemos el tema del calentamiento global
(It’s critical that we talk about global warming.)
La sequía en Nuevo León ha llegado a un punto crítico. Hoy por hoy, hay gente que no tiene agua en sus casas.
(The drought in Nuevo Leon has reached a critical point. As of today, there’s people who don’t have water in their houses.)
Notaste lo de “hoy por hoy” (as of today)? This is a chunk of Spanish, a phrase that doesn’t change and that native speakers use all the time.
3. Crucial (Crucial)
Este es exacto como “crucial”. (This is exactly like crucial.)
La infancia temprana es una etapa crucial en el desarrollo de una persona.
(Early childhood is a crucial stage in the development of a person.)
Para aprender un nuevo idioma, es crucial que empecemos por escuchar un montón.
(To learn a new language, it is crucial that we start out by listening a lot.)
¿Escucharon bien? Para aprender un nuevo idioma es crucial que empecemos por escuchar un montón. (Did you hear that? To learn a new language it is crucial that we start out by listening a lot.) Get more great advice on how to learn Spanish easier here.
Quédate hasta el final. (Stay until the end.) You might be shocked to learn what English word has made its way to the way Mexicans speak.
4. Fundamental (Fundamental)
Esta es muy formal. (This one is very formal.) You’d hear it more in formal speeches, like from the president. You’d see it often in writing.
La característica fundamental del puntillismo es el trazo redondo del pincel.
(The main characteristic of pointillism is the round stroke of the brush.)
Podemos dividir la historia de los mayas en tres períodos fundamentales: el Preclásico, el Clásico y el Posclásico.
(We can divide the history of the Mayans in 3 fundamental periods: the Preclassic, the Classic, and the Postclassic.)
5. Central (Central)
This one is like “main”. We use it when we want to say that something is important within a context.
Uno de los temas centrales de la agenda es el tema migratorio
(One of the central subjects in the agenda is the migration issue.)
Compartir comida rica es central en la convivencia de los mexicanos.
(Sharing rich food is central to the coexistence of Mexicans.)
6. Notable (Notable)
La actual gobernadora de Quintana Roo ha sido un personaje notable en Cancún desde hace muchísimos años.
(The current governor of Quintana Roo has been a notable character in Cancun for many years.)
¿Quién fue Benito Juárez? Veo su nombre por todos lados en México.
(Who was Benito Juárez? I see his name everywhere in Mexico.)
Benito Juárez es un personaje notable en la historia de México.
(Benito Juarez is a notable figure in the history of Mexico.)
En la historia de México, hay mujeres notables como Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez.
(In the history of Mexico, there are notable women like Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez.)
7. De vital importancia (Of vital importance)
Este es muy parecido a decir importante. (This one is very similar to saying important.) But longer and this sounds much more formal, and you’ll hear it more in academic circles, in politician speeches, you know, very formal stuff.
Es de vital importancia que conserves tu título en un lugar seguro. No se puede volver a imprimir.
(It is of vital importance that you keep your certificate in a safe place. It cannot be printed again.)
Proteger los derechos de los niños es de vital importancia para el progreso de la nación.
(Protecting the rights of children is of vital importance for the progress of the nation.)
8. Enorme (Huge)
Enorme. Let’s use the first conversation.
Amiga siéntate, te tengo una noticia enorme.
(Girlfriend sit down, I have very huge news.)
No tengo tiempo de chismear, amiga.
(I don’t have time to gossip, girlfriend.)
Ándale, es huge.
(Come on, it’s huge.)
¿Qué tan huge?
(How huge?)
Enorme.
(Huge.)
Bueno a ver, suelta el té.
(Okay then, spill the tea.)
Como notaron, dije tanto enorme, como huge. (As you may have noticed, I said both “enorme” as I said “huge”.) This practice, sprinkling English words into their speech is common among some people in Mexico. Especially the rich and pretty.
Les tengo una noticia huge. ¡Nos vamos a casar!
(I have huge news for you. We’re getting married!)
Oh! This is a line from “Nosotros los Nobles”, a Mexican comedy that is great to practice your listening skills. Check out the next video where I’ll share with you some of my favorite Netflix originals in Spanish.
