Breakdown of La timidez del niño es un problema, lo cual molesta a sus padres.
ser
to be
el niño
the boy / the child
un
a, an, some
el problema
the problem
su
his / her / their / your (formal)
del
of the / from the / about the (topic)
a
personal a (marks a person object)
los padres
the parents
molestar
to bother
lo cual
which (referring to a preceding idea)
la timidez
the shyness
Questions & Answers about La timidez del niño es un problema, lo cual molesta a sus padres.
How does the suffix -ez work to form the word timidez?
The word timidez (shyness) is an abstract noun derived from the adjective tímido (shy). The suffix -ez is frequently added to adjectives to express a quality or state of being, much like '-ness' in English. Note that all abstract nouns ending in -ez are feminine, which is why it takes the article la.
Why does this sentence use lo cual instead of just que or el cual?
The phrase lo cual (which) is a neutral relative pronoun used to refer back to a complete idea or situation, not just a single noun. Here, it refers to the whole first clause: 'the boy's shyness is a problem'. If you used el cual, it would have to refer specifically to the masculine noun un problema. You could also use lo que here with the same meaning.
Why is it un problema instead of una problema when the word ends in -a?
Why do we need the preposition a before sus padres in this sentence?
This is the personal a. Whenever the object of a verb is a specific person or group of people (like his parents), Spanish requires this preposition before it. It does not translate to anything in English, but leaving it out sounds very unnatural in Spanish.
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