La preocupación es mala para la salud.

to be

Breakdown of La preocupación es mala para la salud.

• malo: bad
• para: for
• la salud: the health
• la preocupación: the worry

Questions & Answers about La preocupación es mala para la salud.

Why does the sentence start with La preocupación instead of just Preocupación?

In Spanish, nouns are typically used with articles to indicate specificity and gender. Here, la shows that preocupación is a feminine, singular noun (meaning “the worry”). It also gives a more general, categorical sense, as if saying “The (concept of) worry is bad for health.”

Why is es used instead of está?

Es (from the verb ser) describes a permanent or inherent quality: worry itself is inherently bad for your health. Using está (from estar) would imply a temporary or changing state, which doesn’t fit well with this general rule.

Why is mala used instead of malo?

In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Preocupación is feminine, so the adjective must be feminine too. That’s why mala (feminine form) is used instead of malo (masculine form).

What is the difference between para la salud and por la salud?

Para often indicates purpose or effect. In this sentence, we’re talking about the impact or effect on one’s health, so para fits: “bad for your health.” If you said por la salud, it could sound like “because of the health” or “on account of the health,” which is not the intended meaning here.

Can I change the sentence to La preocupación hace daño a la salud?

Yes, you can. Hace daño a la salud means “it harms your health.” It’s just another way to convey a similar meaning. Es mala para la salud focuses more on describing worry as bad in a general sense, while hace daño a la salud emphasizes the direct harmful effect worry has on health. Both are correct in Spanish.