Breakdown of El colega comenta el rumor de que te van a despedir.
de
from / of
ir
to go
a
to
que
that / than
te
to you / you (direct object)
el colega
the colleague
comentar
to comment
despedir
to fire
el rumor
the rumor
Questions & Answers about El colega comenta el rumor de que te van a despedir.
Why is it de que instead of just que here?
We normally use que (that) to connect a reporting verb to the statement, like comenta que (he comments that). But here, the clause is connected to a noun, el rumor (the rumor). In Spanish, when a noun is followed by a 'that' clause explaining what it is, you usually need de que, just like you would say la idea de que (the idea that).
The English translation says 'comments on', so why isn't there a word for 'on' after comenta?
In Spanish, the verb comentar (to comment) acts directly on the object. You don't need to add a preposition like en or sobre for 'on'. You simply say you 'comment the thing', which gives us comenta el rumor.
Who is the 'they' in van a despedir?
There isn't necessarily a specific group of people. In Spanish, the 'they' form is often used for impersonal actions, similar to the English passive voice ('you are going to be fired'). It just means whoever is in charge of the company will do the firing.
Could the pronoun te go somewhere else in the phrase te van a despedir?
Yes, it could! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like van a despedir), the object pronoun can go before the conjugated verb (te van a despedir) or attached to the very end of the infinitive (van a despedirte). Both mean the exact same thing.
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