How to Say "to impact" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to impact” is “impactar” — use 'impactar' when you want to describe a general effect or influence on a system, situation, or person..
impactar
/eem-pahk-TAHR//im.pakˈtaɾ/
Examples
La crisis económica impactó negativamente en el empleo.
The economic crisis impacted employment negatively.
La nueva ley impactará la economía local.
The new law will impact the local economy.
El cambio climático está impactando los glaciares.
Climate change is affecting the glaciers.
Estos cambios no deberían impactar tu salario.
These changes shouldn't impact your salary.
Direct Impact
Unlike English where we often say 'impact on', in Spanish, we usually impact something directly: 'impactar la economía' (no 'en' required).
Using 'en' incorrectly
Mistake: “Esto va a impactar en la decisión.”
Correction: Esto va a impactar la decisión. Though some people use 'en', it is cleaner and more standard to use the object directly.
incidir
/een-see-DEER//insiˈðiɾ/
Examples
La falta de inversión incidió en el deterioro de las infraestructuras.
The lack of investment impacted the deterioration of the infrastructure.
Las nuevas leyes van a incidir en el precio de la vivienda.
The new laws are going to impact housing prices.
El clima puede incidir negativamente en la cosecha de este año.
The weather can negatively influence this year's harvest.
Factores externos incidieron en la decisión del comité.
External factors influenced the committee's decision.
The 'en' connection
This verb almost always needs the word 'en' (in/on) after it to show what is being impacted. You don't just 'incidir something', you 'incidir EN something'.
Using 'a' instead of 'en'
Mistake: “Esto va a incidir a mi trabajo.”
Correction: Esto va a incidir EN mi trabajo. (Think of it as 'falling into' or 'landing on' a topic).
Impactar vs. Incidir
Related Translations
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