Breakdown of Non si tratta di soldi, si tratta di rispetto.
i soldi
the money
il rispetto
the respect
si tratta di
it is a matter of, it is about
Questions & Answers about Non si tratta di soldi, si tratta di rispetto.
Why do we use si tratta di to say 'it is about'?
Could I just say Non è sui soldi to mean 'it's not about money'?
Why is it just di soldi and di rispetto instead of dei soldi and del rispetto?
While Italian usually requires definite articles, there is an exception after the preposition di. When talking about general, abstract concepts or uncountable categories, the article is often dropped. Since 'money' and 'respect' are broad concepts here, di soldi and di rispetto are perfectly natural without the article.
This lesson teaches that impersonal si sentences use plural adjectives. Why doesn't that happen here?
That specific rule only applies when you combine the impersonal si with the verb essere and an adjective (like quando si è stanchi, 'when one is tired'). This sentence uses the impersonal si with the verb trattare, and there are no adjectives describing a person, so the plural adjective rule doesn't come into play.
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