Breakdown of Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
Questions & Answers about Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
Because Es importante que… is one of the classic triggers for the subjunctive in Spanish.
- After phrases that express judgment, importance, necessity, emotion or doubt, Spanish normally uses que + subjunctive:
- Es importante que revises… (It’s important that you check…)
- Es necesario que vengas.
- Es mejor que lo hagamos ahora.
If you said Es importante que revisas la configuración…, it would sound incorrect to a native speaker. The structure Es + adjective + que + [clause] almost always takes the subjunctive when it’s about opinions/judgments, not facts.
Compare:
- Es un hecho que revisas la configuración cada día.
Here there is no subjunctive, because es un hecho states a fact, not an opinion or recommendation.
In this context, revisar is closest to check or inspect.
Common meanings of revisar:
- To check, go over, inspect something for accuracy, problems, or errors:
- Revisar la configuración de seguridad = check/inspect the security settings.
- Revisar un examen = go over a test.
- Revisar el coche = have the car checked.
It can sometimes overlap with:
- comprobar – to check/verify (more about confirming something is true or correct)
- verificar – to verify (more formal)
- chequear – to check (more informal/colloquial, often influenced by English)
Here revisar la configuración de seguridad suggests going through the settings carefully to make sure everything is correct and safe.
Because of the personal a in Spanish.
Spanish usually uses the preposition a before a direct object that is a specific person (or sometimes a specific pet):
- Aceptar a alguien – to accept someone
- Ver a María
- Conocer a tu hermano
- Invitar a mis amigos
So in your sentence, aceptar a alguien is correct, because alguien refers to a person.
If the object is a thing, you don’t use the personal a:
- Aceptar una solicitud (a request) – no a
- Aceptar la invitación
Yes, you can, but there’s a nuance.
Es importante revisar la configuración de seguridad.
- Uses revisar (infinitive).
- More impersonal/general: “Checking the security settings is important (in general).”
- It doesn’t explicitly say who must do it. It’s like talking about the activity itself.
Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad.
- Uses revises (subjunctive).
- More directed at “you”: “It’s important that you check the security settings.”
- This is more like a recommendation or instruction to a specific person.
In many contexts, both are possible, but:
- If you want to stress that you in particular must do it, Es importante que revises… is more natural.
- If you are describing a rule or guideline for anyone, Es importante revisar… also works well.
Spanish has two common structures with antes:
antes de + infinitive
- Used when the subject is the same in both actions.
- In your sentence, the person who revises and accepts is the same “you”:
- Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
- You (tú) must revise / you (tú) will accept.
antes de que + subjunctive
- Used when the subject changes, or when you need a full clause:
- Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad antes de que aceptes a alguien.
- Used when the subject changes, or when you need a full clause:
Both are actually possible here, because you can still repeat the subject even if it’s the same:
- …antes de aceptar a alguien. (more compact, very natural)
- …antes de que aceptes a alguien. (slightly more explicit, also correct)
The version with antes de + infinitive is a bit more direct and common in everyday speech when the subject is obvious.
Using la here sounds natural because we’re talking about the security settings of “the” system/app/website you’re dealing with, which is understood from context.
- la configuración de seguridad:
- Think of it as “the security settings” of this particular platform or system.
- The definite article la is often used in Spanish when referring to known or typical things:
- la pantalla de inicio
- la contraseña
- la cuenta
Alternatives:
- una configuración de seguridad would suggest “a security configuration” (one of several possible, more vague or hypothetical).
- tu configuración de seguridad / su configuración de seguridad:
- Emphasizes that it’s your (or their) security settings.
- Could be used if the context specifically wants to highlight the owner.
In a neutral instruction or guideline, la configuración de seguridad is standard and sounds natural.
Revises is the tú form of the present subjunctive in Spain:
- (tú) revises
- (usted) revise
- (vosotros) reviséis
- (ustedes) revisen
So your sentence is addressing someone with tú (informal singular):
- Es importante que revises la configuración… (informal “you”)
Other possibilities:
- Formal usted:
- Es importante que revise la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
- Plural vosotros (informal plural, Spain):
- Es importante que reviséis la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
- Plural ustedes:
- Es importante que revisen la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
In Spain, vosotros is commonly used for talking to a group informally; in most of Latin America, ustedes is used for both formal and informal plural.
You could say something like:
- Es importante revisar que la configuración de seguridad esté bien.
This is grammatically correct, but slightly different:
revisar la configuración de seguridad
= check the settings (look at them, go through them).revisar que la configuración de seguridad esté bien
= check that the security settings are fine/correct.
The second version adds the idea of verifying that everything is OK, not just looking through the settings. It focuses on the result (being in good order) as well as the action of checking.
Your original sentence is simpler and more neutral: it just says you must go through the security settings before accepting someone.
Key points:
revises
- Pronunciation: roughly reh-VEE-ses.
- r: a light tap at the start (not as strong as English “r”).
- v: pronounced very similar to b in Spanish.
- Stress is on the second syllable: re-VI-ses.
configuración
- Pronunciation: roughly kohn-fee-goo-ra-SYON (in IPA: [koɱfiɣuɾaˈθjon] in much of Spain).
- In most of Spain, c before i is pronounced like English th in think: kon-fi-gu-ra-thión.
- Stress is on the last syllable: configura-CIÓN.
Remember that the written accent in configuración marks the stressed syllable.
The meaning is the same; you’re just moving the time phrase.
All of these are acceptable and natural:
- Es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad antes de aceptar a alguien.
- Es importante que, antes de aceptar a alguien, revises la configuración de seguridad.
- Antes de aceptar a alguien, es importante que revises la configuración de seguridad.
Changes:
- Moving antes de aceptar a alguien to the middle or beginning just changes the rhythm and emphasis:
- Starting with Antes de aceptar a alguien… slightly highlights the condition (before you do that, do this).
- Keeping it at the end is more neutral and typical in instructions.
No grammatical or real semantic change here—just style and focus.