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importaba

eem-por-TAH-bah/im.porˈta.βa/

“importaba” means “mattered” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

mattered, was important

Also: used to matter
VerbA2regular ar
A small, brightly glowing golden key resting on a small, purple velvet cushion, symbolizing its importance and value.
infinitiveimportar
gerundimportando
past Participleimportado

📝 In Action

No me importaba lo que pensaran los demás.

A2

I didn't care (it didn't matter to me) what others thought.

A ella le importaba mucho su trabajo.

B1

Her job was very important to her.

Antes no nos importaba el dinero.

A2

Money didn't matter to us before.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • interesaba (was interesting/mattered)
  • preocupaba (was worrying)

Antonyms

  • daba igual (didn't matter/was all the same)

Common Collocations

  • No me importaba nada – Nothing mattered to me
  • Le importaba mucho – It mattered a lot to him/her

was importing, used to import

Also: was bringing in
VerbB1regular ar
Spain
A large, blue cargo ship heavily loaded with colorful shipping containers sailing towards a busy dock.
infinitiveimportar
gerundimportando
past Participleimportado

📝 In Action

La compañía importaba fruta de Chile cada mes.

B1

The company was importing (used to import) fruit from Chile every month.

Yo importaba café antes de la crisis.

B2

I used to import coffee before the crisis.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • traía (was bringing)
  • compraba (was buying)

Antonyms

  • exportaba (was exporting)

Common Collocations

  • Importaba productos electrónicos – Used to import electronic products

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedimporta
yoimporto
túimportas
ellos/ellas/ustedesimportan
nosotrosimportamos
vosotrosimportáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedimportaba
yoimportaba
túimportabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesimportaban
nosotrosimportábamos
vosotrosimportabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedimportó
yoimporté
túimportaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesimportaron
nosotrosimportamos
vosotrosimportasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedimporte
yoimporte
túimportes
ellos/ellas/ustedesimporten
nosotrosimportemos
vosotrosimportéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedimportara/importase
yoimportara/importase
túimportaras/importases
ellos/ellas/ustedesimportaran/importasen
nosotrosimportáramos/importásemos
vosotrosimportarais/importaseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "importaba" in Spanish:

mattered→was important→was importing→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: importaba

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'importaba' to mean 'to matter'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin *importare*, meaning 'to carry in' or 'to bring into.' This root explains both meanings: bringing goods into a country, and bringing significance (importance) into a situation.

First recorded: 15th century (in Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

English: importFrench: importer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'importaba' translate to 'I didn't care' sometimes?

Because 'importaba' is most often used in the negative with the first-person pronoun: 'No me importaba' (It didn't matter to me). Since 'to matter' and 'to care' are closely linked when talking about feelings, 'I didn't care' is the most natural English translation for this common phrase in the past.

What is the difference between 'importaba' and 'importó'?

'Importaba' (Imperfect tense) describes something that was important over a long period, or a general background state in the past. 'Importó' (Preterite tense) describes a single, finished event, like 'The result mattered once' or 'He imported one specific shipment.'