Para aprender, leer es muy importante.

To learn, reading is very important.

Breakdown of Para aprender, leer es muy importante.

• ser: to be
• importante: important
• aprender: to learn
• leer: to read
• para: to
• muy: very

Questions & Answers about Para aprender, leer es muy importante.

Why do we use para instead of por in Para aprender?

In Spanish, para is typically used to express purpose or a goal (i.e., “in order to”). Since the sentence states the purpose of learning (“to learn, reading is very important”), para is the correct preposition. On the other hand, por often indicates cause, reason, or a sense of “by means of,” which doesn’t fit here.

Why is leer in the infinitive form?

In Spanish, an infinitive verb like leer (meaning “to read”) can function as a noun, similar to “reading” in English. After para, when describing a purpose or goal, the infinitive form is used. So we say para aprender, leer es muy importante to convey “to learn, reading is very important”.

Could I say Para aprender, la lectura es muy importante instead?

Yes, you could. La lectura es muy importante para aprender is also correct, meaning “Reading is very important to learn.” However, using the infinitive leer keeps the structure direct and highlights the activity itself.

Why do we use es (from the verb ser) and not está?

We use ser when talking about characteristics that define or describe the subject in a more permanent or general sense. Since importante here is describing a general quality of reading (it’s something inherently important for learning), es is the most appropriate. Está would refer to a temporary state or location, which is not the case here.

Why do we use muy instead of mucho before importante?

Importante is an adjective, and we use muy (meaning “very”) to modify adjectives. Mucho is used with nouns or to indicate quantity. For example, you could say mucho tiempo ("a lot of time") but with an adjective like importante, we use muy (muy importante = “very important”).