trivial
adjectiveUpper-intermediate
What does “trivial” mean in English?
trivial — of little importance or value; not worth serious consideration
trivial — of little importance or value; not worth serious consideration (error trivial, asunto trivial)
Example sentences
No debemos preocuparnos por detalles triviales.
We should not worry about trivial details.
El problema parecía trivial al principio.
The problem seemed trivial at first.
La conversación fue trivial y sin sustancia.
The conversation was trivial and without substance.
How to use it
'Trivial' means trivial — unimportant or commonplace. Invariable for gender. Used with ser. A near-perfect cognate. The noun is 'trivialidad'. Collocates with 'detalles triviales', 'cuestión trivial'. Avoid using it for 'easy' — that is 'fácil'.
Common mistake
Don't use 'trivial' to mean easy — it means unimportant, not simple. Use 'fácil' or 'sencillo' for easy tasks.
Topics
Related Upper-intermediate words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Nociones: importancia.