Tomar un descanso es clave para tu salud mental.

to be

Breakdown of Tomar un descanso es clave para tu salud mental.

• para: for
• tomar: to take
• tu: your
• un descanso: a break
• la clave: the key
• la salud: the health
• mental: mental

Questions & Answers about Tomar un descanso es clave para tu salud mental.

Why do we say tomar un descanso instead of using another verb like hacer?

In Spanish, tomar is commonly used to mean to take in many contexts, such as tomar un café (to have a coffee) or tomar el autobús (to take the bus). When talking about taking a break, tomar un descanso is the usual expression. Using hacer un descanso wouldn’t be incorrect, but it’s far less common and can sound unnatural in many Latin American regions.

What does clave literally mean, and could I replace it with another word?

Clave literally means key (like a crucial element). If you say something is clave, you imply it’s essential or critical. You could substitute it with importante, but you would slightly lose that sense of being the most important or decisive factor. Saying es importante would still make sense, but it’s a bit softer than es clave.

Why is the sentence Tomar un descanso es clave para tu salud mental using para instead of por?

In Spanish, para often signifies purpose or effect. You’re effectively saying that taking a break is key for (the purpose of) your mental health. Por would be used to talk more about causation or reasons in a different sense, so por tu salud mental would slightly change the meaning, possibly suggesting something caused by your mental health, rather than something beneficial for it.

Why do we use tu for possessive instead of su?

In Latin American Spanish, su is the formal possessive pronoun or the one that refers to a third person (his, her, their). Tu is the informal second-person singular possessive pronoun (your). The sentence uses tu because it’s addressing the listener in a direct, informal way: your mental health. If you were speaking more formally or talking about someone else’s mental health, you’d adjust the pronoun accordingly.

Could I say Es clave para tu salud mental tomar un descanso instead, or is that less natural?

Spanish word order can be more flexible than English without changing the meaning. Tomar un descanso es clave para tu salud mental sounds very natural. Saying Es clave para tu salud mental tomar un descanso is still correct and understandable, but many speakers prefer the first version because it starts with the main subject or action (tomar un descanso).