tomar en serio
verbCEFR B1
What does “tomar en serio” mean in English?
to take seriously
to take seriously (tomar en serio + direct object; reflexive variant tomarse en serio = to take personally / seriously)
Example sentences
El médico le dijo que tomara más en serio sus niveles de colesterol porque si no cambia la dieta, podría haber consecuencias graves.
The doctor told him to take his cholesterol levels more seriously because if he doesn't change his diet there could be serious consequences.
Me parece que el jefe no nos toma en serio cuando le presentamos ideas nuevas; siempre dice que lo pensará y luego no hace nada.
It seems to me that the boss doesn't take us seriously when we present new ideas; he always says he'll think about it and then does nothing.
Si te tomas en serio el aprendizaje del idioma, deberías hablar con nativos al menos una hora al día además de las clases.
If you take your language learning seriously, you should be speaking with native speakers at least an hour a day in addition to classes.
How to use it
Tomar en serio means 'to take seriously'. It is transitive: tomar en serio un problema, tomar en serio a alguien. The reflexive variant tomarse en serio is also common and slightly more emphatic: me tomo muy en serio mi salud. Like other tomar + adjective/adverb idioms, it does not trigger the subjunctive — it simply takes a direct object. Common contrast pair: tomar en serio vs tomar a broma. The latter uses a (not en) and means 'to treat as a joke'. Learners often confuse the prepositions.
Common mistake
The preposition distinguishes the pair: tomar en serio (take seriously) uses en; tomar a broma (take as a joke) uses a. These two are each other's natural contrast and appear together in many B1 discussion contexts. Do not use *tomar seriamente — the idiomatic form requires en serio.