Importar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

importar means to matter, to import, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo importo todos los días» — I matter every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use importar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Importar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where importar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo importo todos los días. — I matter every day.
  2. Tú importas en el trabajo. — You matter at work.
  3. Él importa con mi familia. — He matters with my family.
  4. Nosotros importamos por la mañana. — We matter in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo importé por la tarde. — Yesterday I matterred in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo importaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to matter every day.
  3. La semana pasada él importó dos veces. — Last week He matterred twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo importaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will matter without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo importaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would matter right now.
  3. Hoy yo he importado dos veces. — Today I have matterred twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú importes pronto. — I hope You matter soon.
  2. ¡importa, por favor! — Matter, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy importando. — Right now I am matterring.

Importar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo importo en el trabajo.» — I matter at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo importo con mi familia.» — I matter with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo importaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will matter without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo importaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would matter right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he importado dos veces.» — Today I have matterred twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo importé por la tarde. Antes, yo importaba todos los días. Hoy yo he importado dos veces. Mañana yo importaré sin falta.

Yesterday I matterred in the afternoon. In the past, I used to matter every day. Today I have matterred twice. Tomorrow I will matter without fail.

Common mistakes with importar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo importaba.

Right: Ayer yo importé.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, importé. The imperfect importaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú importas.

Right: Espero que tú importes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: importes, not the indicative importas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No importa.

Right: No importes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no importes. The affirmative importa can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo importar todos los días.

Right: Yo importo todos los días.

The infinitive importar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo importo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He importando.

Right: He importado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he importado. The gerund importando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy importando»), never with haber.

Quiz: importar in use

Test yourself on importar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of importar in the present indicative?

- (a) importa
- (b) importo
- (c) importas
- (d) importáis

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of importar in the preterite?

- (a) importé
- (b) importaron
- (c) importó
- (d) importaste

3. What is the yo form of importar in the future?

- (a) importaré
- (b) importará
- (c) importaremos
- (d) importarás

4. What is the tú form of importar in the present perfect?

- (a) has importado
- (b) hemos importado
- (c) he importado
- (d) ha importado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of importar in the imperfect?

- (a) importabais
- (b) importaba
- (c) importabas
- (d) importaba

6. What is the gerund of importar?

- (a) importando
- (b) importado
- (c) importo
- (d) importar

7. What is the past participle of importar?

- (a) importar
- (b) importando
- (c) importado
- (d) importé

8. Which sentence uses importar correctly?

- (a) *Yo importo todos los días.* — I matter every day.
- (b) *Yo importas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo importa todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo importar todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses importar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo importar por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo importaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo importo por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo importé por la tarde.* — Yesterday I matterred in the afternoon.

10. What does importar mean?

- (a) to impress
- (b) to imitate
- (c) to ignore
- (d) to matter, to import

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of importar is importáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (b) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of importar is importaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the yo form of importar is importaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the tú form of importar is has importado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of importar is importabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of importar is importando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy importando». 7. (c) — The past participle of importar is importado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he importado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of importar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of importar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — importar means «to matter, to import».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I matter' in Spanish?

Say «Yo importo todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I matterred' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo importé por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is importar reflexive?

No — importar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo importo, tú importas, él importa. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with importar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (importé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (importaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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