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"Take care" is a form of "take care", a phrase which is often translated as "ten cuidado". "Care for" is a transitive verb phrase which is often translated as "cuidar a". Learn more about the difference between "take care" and "care for" below.
take care(
teyk
kehr
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. ten cuidado (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).
Take care not to fall into the water.Ten cuidado de no caer al agua.
b. tenga cuidado (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Take care not to hit reply all when you send the email.Tenga cuidado de no darle al responder a todos cuando envíe el email.
a. cuídate (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).
See you next week. Take care!Hasta la semana que viene. ¡Cuídate!
b. cuídese (formal) (singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).
Good luck with your business trip and take care.Suerte con el viaje de negocios y cuídese.
a. tengan cuidado (plural)
A word or phrase that is plural (e.g., los libros).
Take care not to trip and fall on the step.Tengan cuidado de no tropezar y caer en el escalón.
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.).
a. tener cuidado
We need to take care we don't damage the wall when drilling.Tenemos que tener cuidado de no dañar la pared al taladrar.
b. asegurarse
They should take care to book their vacation through a reputable firm.Deberían asegurarse de reservar las vacaciones con una empresa reputada.
a. poner cuidado en
Sam always takes a lot of care over his homework.Sam siempre pone mucho cuidado en la tarea.
care for(
kehr
for
)A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
b. ocuparse de
Lucy cares for an elderly neighbor twice a week.Lucy se ocupa de una vecina anciana dos ves por semana.
c. encargarse de
John cares for the garden in his free time.John se encarga del jardín en su tiempo libre.
a. querer
You should never ignore someone who cares for you.Nunca debes ignorar a una persona que te quiere.
b. sentir cariño por
Fernando told Marina that he cares for her.Fernando le dijo a Marina que siente cariño por ella.
a. querer
Do you care for anything to eat before you go to bed?¿Quieres comer algo antes de acostarte?
b. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Would you care for a drink with your meal?¿Te gustaría una bebida con la comida?
Would you care for a sandwich?¿Te apetece un sándwich?
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
I don't care for modern art.El arte moderno no me gusta.
Mary did not care for the idea of spending a whole afternoon with her mother-in-law.A Mary no le hacía ninguna gracia la idea de pasar toda una tarde con su suegra.
