Es importante contestar a las preguntas en clase.

to be

Breakdown of Es importante contestar a las preguntas en clase.

• en: in
• importante: important
• a: to
• las: the
• la pregunta: the question
• contestar: to answer
• la clase: the class

Questions & Answers about Es importante contestar a las preguntas en clase.

Why is contestar used in the infinitive form?

In Spanish, when you want to talk about an action in a general sense after an impersonal expression like Es importante, you typically use the infinitive. Here, Es importante contestar... means that the act of answering itself is important, without specifying who does it or when.

Why is it a las preguntas after contestar?

In Spanish, the verb contestar often takes the preposition a. You can think of it as "to answer to the questions" logically turning into contestar a las preguntas. It’s simply the standard way the verb is used: contestar a followed by the object.

How is en clase different from en la clase?

En clase is an expression meaning in class in a general sense (i.e., during class time). If you said en la clase, you could be referring to a specific, physical classroom setting. Both forms are acceptable, but in everyday Spanish you’ll hear en clase commonly to mean "while class is going on."

Can responder be used instead of contestar?

Yes, responder and contestar are mostly interchangeable in this sort of context. Both mean to answer. Sometimes, responder sounds slightly more formal. However, contestar is very commonly used when specifically talking about giving answers to questions.

Why do we say Es importante instead of Está importante?

Es importante uses ser—not estar—because you are talking about the essential or inherent quality of the action (answering questions). Ser is used with adjectives that describe a general, inherent characteristic, while estar is typically for states or conditions that can change. Here, the importance is seen as a permanent idea, so es is correct.