Question 1

What does dejar de do in this sentence, and what happens if I forget the de?

Accepted Answer

Dejar de followed by an infinitive (like hacer) is a set phrase meaning to stop doing an action. The preposition de is strictly required here to connect the verb to the action you are interrupting. If you just say dejar hacer, it changes the meaning completely to 'to let do' or 'to allow to do.'

Question 2

Why does the sentence start with nos molesta instead of nosotros molestamos?

Accepted Answer

The verb molestar works just like gustar. Literally, this translates to 'It is bothering to us.' The pronoun nos means 'to us,' and molesta is conjugated in the 'it' form because the subject doing the bothering isn't a person, but rather the entire action that follows: cuando pateas el asiento.

Question 3

Since we have cuando, why is pateas in the regular present tense instead of the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

You use the regular present tense (the indicative mood) after cuando when you are talking about a habitual or recurring action, like saying 'whenever you kick the seat.' You would only use the subjunctive if you were referring to a specific future event that hasn't happened yet, like 'when you kick the seat later.'

Question 4

Why does the sentence end with the pronoun eso instead of ese?

Accepted Answer

Eso is a neuter pronoun meaning 'that.' We use neuter pronouns when referring back to a general idea, a situation, or an action, rather than a specific masculine or feminine noun. In this case, eso represents the entire action of kicking the seat.

Nos molesta cuando pateas el asiento; necesitas dejar de hacer eso.

Breakdown of Nos molesta cuando pateas el asiento; necesitas dejar de hacer eso.

Questions & Answers about Nos molesta cuando pateas el asiento; necesitas dejar de hacer eso.

Learn Nos molesta cuando pateas el asiento; necesitas dejar de hacer eso and more in Spanish