About Flashcards
About
- on the subject of
- concerning
De
-can be confusing, as could also mean, “of” or “from”
Sobre
Acerca de
What do you think about the election?
Qué piensas de la elección?
Qué piensas sobre la elección?
Qué piensas acerca de la elección?
All of the above mean the same, although “sobre” might be more commonly used.
Un libro de Kurt Vonnegut.
Using “de”, leads to some confusion, as this sentence could have 3 meanings:
A book about Kurt Vonnegut.
A book by Kurt Vonnegut.
A book from Kurt Vonnegut.
A book about Kurt Vonnegut.
Un libro sobre Kurt Vonnegut.
Un libro acerca de Kurt Vonnegut.
About, meaning Approximately ( Close To)
The hurricane affected about 40 houses.
The hurricane affected about 40 families.
Cerca de —if dealing with things
El huracán afectó cerca de cuarenta casas.
oo-rah-CAN
A cerca de —if dealing with people.
NOTE the intentional space between “a” and “cerca”.
El huracán afectó a cerca de cuarenta familias.
About to start
I’m about to start class
Estar a punto de ( at the point of ) plus the infinitive
Estoy a punto de empezar la clase.
NOTE— no “a” after empezar, because it is followed by a noun ( la clase) and not a verb.
On top of / Over / On
Don’t put your feet on the table!
The bird flew over our heads.
Another use of “Sobre”
¡No pongas los pies sobre la mesa!
El pájaro voló sobre nuestras cabezas.
