How to Say "affects" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “affects” is “afecta” — use 'afecta' when you want to express that something has an influence or impact on a person, place, or thing..
afecta
ah-FEK-tah/aˈfekta/
Examples
La lluvia afecta el tráfico.
The rain affects traffic.
La crisis económica afecta a toda la región.
The economic crisis affects the whole region.
Usted afecta mi concentración con tanto ruido.
You (formal) affect my concentration with so much noise.
¡Afeta! Es un mandamiento directo para que cambies esa actitud.
Affect it! (Used as a command to feign or adopt an attitude, though less common).
Using 'a' with People
When 'afectar' impacts a person or animal, Spanish usually requires the word 'a' right before the person: 'La noticia afecta a mi madre' (The news affects my mother).
Confusing Affect vs. Effect
Mistake: “Using 'efecta' (which is rare) instead of 'afecta' when meaning 'to influence.'”
Correction: Always use 'afecta' (from 'afectar') when talking about causing an influence or impact.
concierne
kon-SYEHR-neh/konˈsjeɾne/
Examples
Esta decisión concierne a todos los empleados.
This decision concerns all employees.
Esto concierne directamente a la política de la empresa.
This directly concerns the company's policy.
La nueva ley concierne a todos los ciudadanos.
The new law affects all citizens.
En lo que concierne al presupuesto, debemos ser cautelosos.
As far as the budget is concerned, we must be cautious.
A Defective Verb
The verb concernir (and thus 'concierne') is almost exclusively used in the third-person singular (concierne) or plural (conciernen). You will rarely see it used with 'yo,' 'tú,' or 'nosotros' in modern Spanish.
Structure: Concierne a + Object
When using 'concierne' to show who or what is affected, you must always include the preposition 'a' before the person or thing receiving the action (e.g., 'concierne a mi familia').
Confusing with Importar
Mistake: “Using 'concierne' when you mean 'it matters' or 'it is important.'”
Correction: Use 'concierne' only when something *relates to* or *involves* something else. For importance, use 'importa.' (e.g., 'Esto me importa' not 'Esto me concierne').
Choosing Between 'Afecta' and 'Concierne'
Related Translations
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