Breakdown of No quiero hablar de ese asunto.
no
no, not
hablar
to speak / to talk
ese
that (masculine)
querer
to want
el asunto
the matter (affair)
Questions & Answers about No quiero hablar de ese asunto.
Why is it ese asunto and not eso asunto?
Ese is the masculine singular word for "that" when it comes right before a masculine noun like asunto. Eso is the neuter pronoun for "that." It is used when you are referring to an abstract idea, a previous statement, or an unidentified situation, but you never put eso directly in front of a noun.
Since this lesson is about lo de, how could I use that structure here instead of saying ese asunto?
If the person you are talking to already knows exactly what happened, you can replace ese asunto entirely and use lo de followed by a reference point like a name or a time. For example, No quiero hablar de lo de ayer means "I don't want to talk about the thing from yesterday," and No quiero hablar de lo de María means "I don't want to talk about the María situation."
Can I say hablar sobre instead of hablar de to mean "talk about"?
What is the difference between asunto, tema, and problema?
Asunto means a "matter," "issue," or "piece of business" that is happening or needs to be dealt with. Tema translates closer to "topic" or "subject" (like the theme of a conversation or a book). Problema specifically means a "problem." Here, asunto implies there is a specific real-world situation they want to avoid discussing.
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