Es absolutamente imposible.

Breakdown of Es absolutamente imposible.

ser
to be
imposible
impossible
absolutamente
absolutely

Questions & Answers about Es absolutamente imposible.

Why does the sentence start with es instead of a subject like it is?

In Spanish, the subject is often left out when it is obvious, generic, or not important.

So Es absolutamente imposible literally means It is absolutely impossible, but Spanish does not need to say ello or another explicit subject here.

This is very common with general statements such as:

  • Es difícil. = It is difficult.
  • Es verdad. = It is true.
  • Es imposible. = It is impossible.

English usually needs it, but Spanish often does not.

Why is es used here and not está?

Because imposible is describing an essential quality or general judgement, Spanish uses ser, not estar.

  • es imposible = it is impossible
  • está imposible can exist in some contexts, but it usually means something more temporary, situational, or colloquial, depending on context

For a general statement like this one, ser is the natural choice:

  • Es absolutamente imposible.

A learner should usually think:

  • ser = what something is, classification, essential description
  • estar = state, condition, location

Here, the sentence is not talking about a temporary state. It is making a strong judgement: something is impossible.

What exactly is absolutamente doing in the sentence?

Absolutamente is an adverb. It modifies imposible and strengthens it.

So:

  • imposible = impossible
  • absolutamente imposible = absolutely impossible

It works very much like English absolutely in this sentence.

Other similar adverbs you might see are:

  • completamente imposible = completely impossible
  • totalmente imposible = totally impossible
Why does absolutamente come before imposible?

In Spanish, adverbs that intensify adjectives usually come before the adjective.

So the natural order is:

  • absolutamente imposible
  • muy difícil
  • totalmente falso

This is similar to English:

  • absolutely impossible
  • very difficult

Putting absolutamente after imposible would sound unnatural in normal Spanish.

Does imposible have to agree with anything in this sentence?

Not visibly here. Imposible is an adjective, but it has the same form for both masculine and feminine singular.

Examples:

  • Es imposible.
  • La tarea es imposible.
  • El plan es imposible.

In the plural, it changes to imposibles:

  • Son imposibles.
  • Las condiciones son imposibles.

So in this sentence, there is no visible gender change, only singular.

Could I also say Es imposible absolutamente?

Normally, no. The standard and natural order is:

  • Es absolutamente imposible.

Spanish usually places this kind of intensifying adverb before the adjective it modifies.

If you say Es imposible absolutamente, it sounds unnatural in ordinary Spanish and does not express the same smooth, idiomatic emphasis.

How do you pronounce Es absolutamente imposible?

A clear Spain pronunciation would be approximately:

es ab-so-loo-ta-MEN-te im-po-SEE-ble

A few useful points:

  • es = short e sound, like ehs
  • b and v are pronounced very similarly in Spanish
  • the stress in absolutamente is on men
  • the stress in imposible is on si

More carefully:

  • absolutamente → ab-so-lu-ta-men-te
  • imposible → im-po-si-ble

In much of Spain, the c in words like gracias is pronounced with a th sound, but there is no c or z in this sentence, so that feature does not affect it.

Can absolutamente be omitted?

Yes. If you remove it, the sentence is still correct:

  • Es imposible.

Adding absolutamente simply makes it stronger and more emphatic:

  • Es imposible. = It is impossible.
  • Es absolutamente imposible. = It is absolutely impossible.

So absolutamente is optional, but it adds force.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral?

It is neutral and works in both formal and informal Spanish.

You could use it in:

  • everyday conversation
  • writing
  • a professional discussion
  • an argument or debate

It is a standard, natural sentence. The word absolutamente sounds a little stronger and more emphatic than just muy, but it is not especially formal.

Could I say Es muy imposible instead?

Grammatically, a learner might expect that, but in normal Spanish muy imposible is not the usual choice.

Spanish strongly prefers:

  • absolutamente imposible
  • totalmente imposible
  • simply imposible

That is similar to English, where very impossible sounds odd, but absolutely impossible sounds natural.

So the best choice here is:

  • Es absolutamente imposible.
Can this sentence refer to a person, a plan, or a situation?

Yes. Because the subject is omitted, the sentence can refer to many different things depending on context.

For example:

  • about a plan: Es absolutamente imposible.
  • about a task: Es absolutamente imposible.
  • about a deadline: Es absolutamente imposible.

It usually refers to doing something, achieving something, or something being possible. It would not usually describe a person directly unless the context made that clear.

For a person, Spanish often says something more specific, such as:

  • Es imposible trabajar con él. = It is impossible to work with him.
  • Es una persona imposible. = He is an impossible person.

So the sentence is broad and depends heavily on context.

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