vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Pay attention" is a phrase which is often translated as "presta atención", and "heed" is a noun which is often translated as "la atención". Learn more about the difference between "pay attention" and "heed" below.
pay attention(
pey
uh
-
tehn
-
shihn
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. presta atención (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
I'm not going to tell you twice. Pay attention!No te lo vuelvo a decir. ¡Presta atención!
b. pon atención (informal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
The teacher is speaking. Pay attention!La maestra está hablando. ¡Pon atención!
a. presten atención (plural)
A word or phrase that is plural (e.g., los libros).
Pay attention, class! The exam is next week.¡Clase, presenten atención! El examen es la semana que viene.
b. pongan atención (plural)
A word or phrase that is plural (e.g., los libros).
Pay attention or you'll all be staying after class!¡Pongan atención o se quedarán todos después de clase!
An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).
3. (to focus)
a. prestar atención
It seems he only pays attention in math class.Parece que solo presta atención en la clase de matemáticas.
a. hacer caso
Don't pay attention to him. He's always telling lies.No le hagas caso. Siempre está diciendo mentiras.
heed(
hid
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
1. (awareness)
a. la atención (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
His father told him to take heed of his teacher's instruction.Su papá le dijo que prestara atención a las instrucciones de su maestro.
b. el cuidado (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Take heed to avoid fallen debris in the street as a result of last night's earthquake.Ten cuidado de evitar los escombros que cayeron en la calle como resultado del temblor de anoche.
c. el caso (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The driver paid no heed to the broken tailgate on his pickup until it knocked down a motorcyclist.El chófer hizo caso omiso a la puerta trasera rota de la camioneta hasta que tumbó a un motociclista.
d. la cuenta (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
He did anything necessary to win, with no heed for morality or ethics.Hizo lo necesario para ganar sin tener en cuenta la moral o la ética.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. prestar atención
David failed to heed the tornado warning and almost lost his life.David no prestó atención al aviso de tornado y casi le costó la vida.
b. hacer caso
Belen regrets not heeding her mother's advice.Belén lamenta no haber hecho caso de los consejos de su mamá.
