Breakdown of Ya no puedo concentrarme con ese ruido.
ese
that (masculine)
con
with
poder
to be able to / can
el ruido
the noise
Questions & Answers about Ya no puedo concentrarme con ese ruido.
This lesson is about using "dejar de" to express stopping an action. How does "ya no" fit into this?
Ya no means "no longer" or "not anymore". It is the most natural way to express that a state or ability has stopped. While you could technically use dejar de and say dejé de poder concentrarme (I stopped being able to concentrate), it sounds extremely clunky. Using ya no with a conjugated verb is the standard way to show this kind of interruption when dealing with abilities or states.
Can I place the me somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like puedo concentrar), you have two choices for the reflexive pronoun. You can attach it to the end of the infinitive (puedo concentrarme) or place it right before the conjugated verb (ya no me puedo concentrar). Both are perfectly correct and very common in Latin America.
Why is it ese ruido instead of eso ruido?
Ese is the masculine singular word for "that" when it comes directly before a noun (like the masculine noun ruido). Eso is a neuter pronoun. You only use eso when referring to an abstract idea, a general situation, or something you don't know the name of (like asking "¿Qué es eso?"). Because ruido is a specific noun, you must use ese.
Is the verb for "to concentrate" always reflexive (concentrarse)?