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¿Le importa si actualizo el ordenador antes de la reunión?

¿Le importa si actualizo el ordenador antes de la reunión?
Do you mind if I update the computer before the meeting?
FromLesson 18inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of ¿Le importa si actualizo el ordenador antes de la reunión?

yo
I
antes de
before
el ordenador
the computer
la reunión
the meeting
si
if
le
you
importar
to mind
actualizar
to update

Questions & Answers about ¿Le importa si actualizo el ordenador antes de la reunión?

What does the pronoun Le refer to here?
Le is the indirect object pronoun for formal “you” (usted) in Spain. So the sentence means “Do you (sir/ma’am) mind if I update the computer…?” In other contexts, le could also refer to “him” or “her,” but here it’s almost certainly formal “you” because you’re asking permission from the person you’re addressing.
Why is the person expressed with an indirect object (le) instead of a subject pronoun?

Because importar (in the sense of “to mind / to matter”) works like gustar: the thing that “matters” is the subject, and the person affected appears as an indirect object.

  • A usted le importa si… = “If … matters to you / if you mind…”
  • Compare: A Juan le importa la puntualidad. “Punctuality matters to Juan.”
Why is it si actualizo (present indicative) and not subjunctive?

With this pattern (¿Le importa si …?), Spanish uses si + present indicative to ask about a real, immediate possibility: “Do you mind if I update…?” If you switch to the que-pattern, then you use the subjunctive: ¿Le importa que actualice…? Both are natural; they’re just different constructions:

  • si + indicative: ¿Le importa si actualizo…?
  • que + subjunctive: ¿Le importa que actualice…?
Is there a more polite version?

Yes. Use the conditional of importar (and often the imperfect subjunctive if you use the que-pattern):

  • ¿Le importaría si actualizo el ordenador…? (more tentative)
  • Even more formal: ¿Le importaría que actualizara el ordenador…?
How do I make it informal or address more than one person?
  • Informal singular (tú): ¿Te importa si actualizo…?
  • Informal plural (vosotros, Spain): ¿Os importa si actualizo…?
  • Plural formal (ustedes, Spain/LatAm) or plural in Latin America: ¿Les importa si actualizo…?
How should I answer this kind of question without causing confusion?

Be careful: a “yes” means “Yes, I mind.” Safer options:

  • If you don’t mind: No, no me importa. / No hay problema. / Adelante. / Claro.
  • If you do mind: Sí, me importa. / Preferiría que no. / Mejor después de la reunión.
Why is it si without an accent, not sí?
si (no accent) means “if.” sí (with accent) means “yes” (or the reflexive intensifier “himself/herself/themselves”). Here it’s the conditional “if,” so si is correct: ¿Le importa si…?
Is actualizar el ordenador idiomatic, or should I say something else?

It’s fine in everyday speech in Spain and will be understood. If you want to be more specific, you can say:

  • actualizar el sistema (operativo)
  • instalar las actualizaciones
  • pasar/poner las actualizaciones Note: In Spain people say ordenador; in much of Latin America they say computadora or computador.
Do I need the article el before ordenador?
Yes, because you’re referring to a specific, countable noun. Spanish typically uses the definite article here: el ordenador. You could also say mi ordenador if you mean your own machine.
Why is it antes de la reunión and not just antes la reunión?

After antes followed by a noun, you must use de: antes de + noun. When followed by a clause, use antes de que + subjunctive:

  • antes de la reunión
  • antes de que empiece la reunión
Could I use a direct object pronoun and say “if I update it”?

Yes:

  • ¿Le importa si lo actualizo antes de la reunión? Here lo stands for el ordenador. With a conjugated verb (actualizo), the pronoun goes before it: lo actualizo.
Can le here ever mean “to him/her” rather than “to you (usted)”?

Grammatically yes, le could refer to él/ella. You’d disambiguate with a phrase:

  • ¿A él le importa si actualizo…?
  • ¿A usted le importa si actualizo…? In your sentence, context and the request-for-permission meaning strongly suggest formal “you.”
Are there synonyms for this request formula?

Yes, common alternatives:

  • ¿Le molesta si…? (a bit stronger: “Does it bother you if…?”)
  • ¿Le parece bien si…? (“Is it okay with you if…?”)
  • ¿Tiene inconveniente en que…?
  • More direct: ¿Puedo…? (“May I…?”)
Where can I put por favor?

At the beginning or the end:

  • Por favor, ¿le importa si actualizo el ordenador…?
  • ¿Le importaría si actualizo el ordenador, por favor? Using the conditional (le importaría) plus por favor sounds especially courteous.
Why not future tense (actualizaré) after si?
Spanish doesn’t use the future after si in this kind of real-time permission context. The present indicative expresses a near-future action just fine: si actualizo = “if I update (now/soon).”
Any pronunciation tips for Spain?
  • actualizo: in most of Spain, z is pronounced like English “th” in “thin” [a-ktwa-LI-tho].
  • ordenador: clear “d” between vowels is soft; final -r is tapped.
  • reunión: stress the last syllable: reu-nión, with the accent on -ón.
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