Nadar es importante para la salud mental.

Swimming is important for mental health.

Breakdown of Nadar es importante para la salud mental.

• ser: to be
• para: for
• importante: important
• la salud: the health
• mental: mental
• nadar: swimming

Questions & Answers about Nadar es importante para la salud mental.

Why is nadar used in the infinitive form here?

In Spanish, an infinitive can act like a noun when it's the subject of a sentence. Since nadar (to swim) is the subject describing the activity that is important for mental health, the infinitive form is used instead of a conjugated verb.

Why do we say para la salud mental and not use another preposition like por?

In Spanish, para often indicates purpose, aim, or effect. Here, the phrase para la salud mental expresses that swimming is important with the purpose of benefiting mental health. In contrast, por would typically indicate cause or reason rather than purpose, so para is the correct choice.

Could we say es importante nadar instead of nadar es importante?

Yes, you can say es importante nadar. Spanish allows both constructions. Nadar es importante places emphasis on nadar, while es importante nadar places emphasis on the idea of importance. Both forms convey the same overall meaning.

Why do we need the article la in la salud mental?

In Spanish, general or abstract nouns (like la salud mental, which refers to a general concept of mental health) typically take the definite article el, la, los, or las. English doesn’t always use an article in equivalent expressions, but Spanish grammar requires it for most general nouns.

Is there a difference if I say Nadar es bueno para la salud mental instead of Nadar es importante para la salud mental?

Yes, there is a slight difference. Bueno suggests it is beneficial, while importante highlights its significance or necessity. Saying Nadar es bueno para la salud mental implies it’s helpful, whereas Nadar es importante para la salud mental underscores the role of swimming as quite essential for mental well-being.