Breakdown of Lo de esa polémica reciente sigue molestando al presidente.
de
from / of
esa
that (feminine)
molestar
to bother
seguir
to continue
el presidente
the president
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
al
personal 'a' + the (marks a human direct object)
la polémica
controversy
reciente
recent
Questions & Answers about Lo de esa polémica reciente sigue molestando al presidente.
What exactly does "lo de" mean here, and why not just say "esa polémica reciente"?
Lo de is a handy way to refer to "the matter of," "the situation regarding," or "that whole thing with." If you just said esa polémica reciente sigue molestando, it means the controversy itself bothers him. By adding lo de, you are referring to the whole messy situation surrounding that controversy. It is commonly used when both speakers already know what event is being discussed.
Why use "sigue molestando" to say "keeps bothering"?
To say that someone "keeps doing" or "continues doing" something, Spanish frequently uses the verb seguir followed by a gerund (a verb form ending in -ando or -iendo). While you could use the verb continuar, using seguir + molestando is the most natural and common way to express this ongoing action in everyday Spanish.
Why is there an "al" before "presidente"?
This is the "personal a" combining with the word el. When a specific person (like el presidente) is the object of a verb like molestar (to bother), Spanish requires you to put an a before them. Because the preposition a and the article el always merge into a single word, they become al.
Is "polémica" the same as the English word "polemic"?
They are related, but in everyday Spanish, polémica is the standard and very common word for "controversy." While "polemic" sounds academic or formal in English, you will hear polémica on the news and in casual conversations all the time.
Can I use 'sigue molestándolo' instead of 'lo sigue molestando'?
Yes, absolutely! With verb phrases that consist of an auxiliary verb like seguir plus a gerund like molestando, you can put the pronoun (in this case lo) either right before the conjugated verb (lo sigue molestando) or attached to the end of the gerund (siguiéndolo molestando... wait, no, it attaches to the end of the gerund: sigue molestándolo). So you can say lo sigue molestando OR sigue molestándolo. Both are completely correct and common.
Does "presidente" always need an "al" if he is the object?
Yes, if he is a specific person receiving the action. In Spanish, when a specific person is the object of the verb (here, the one being bothered), you must use the "personal a". When a is followed by the masculine article el, they combine to form al.
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