Breakdown of Lo de que te penalizan por la colchoneta es mentira.
ser
to be
de
from / of
que
that / than
te
to you / you (direct object)
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
la mentira
lie
penalizar
to penalize
la colchoneta
the mat
Questions & Answers about Lo de que te penalizan por la colchoneta es mentira.
Why do we need the de in lo de que? Couldn't we just say lo que te penalizan?
If you used lo que, it would mean 'what' or 'that which'. lo que te penalizan would mean 'the specific penalty they give you'. Adding de gives us lo de, meaning 'the matter of' or 'the thing about'. Therefore, lo de que translates to 'the thing about the fact that', which lets you introduce a full conjugated clause as a topic of conversation.
Since the sentence ultimately calls the situation a lie (es mentira), shouldn't penalizan be in the subjunctive?
No, because lo de que is just pointing to a rumor or statement that was already presented as a fact by someone else. The original claim was 'they penalize you' (indicative). You use the indicative to bring up that existing claim as a topic, and then you separately declare it false with es mentira.
Who is the subject of penalizan if nobody specific is mentioned?
Why is it por la colchoneta instead of para la colchoneta?
We use por here because it expresses the cause or reason for the penalty. You are being penalized 'because of' the mat.
Why isn't there an article before mentira, like es una mentira?
When evaluating whether a statement is true or false, Spanish treats words like verdad and mentira almost like adjectives describing the situation. It is much more natural and common to just say es mentira without the article.
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