Breakdown of Lo de esa polémica reciente sigue molestando al presidente.
de
from / of
esa
that (feminine)
molestar
to bother
seguir
to continue
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"?