A question about "about".

Question

Let's say, for example, you want to talk about that great new book you read. And you're conversing with your friend, and you don't know how to say what that book is about!

After some research, I can't figure out which is correct: 'Sobre' or 'Acerca de'.

For example,

"Esto libro es muy interesante! Es sobre dos amigos."

Would that be right? Or would it be:

"Esto libro... Es acerca de dos amigos"

I've seen this asked before but I've never seen an answer.

Thanks in advanced

-Nick

Answer 1

A spanish professor would surely tell you to go with the tratarse way of expressing it. But..not for the reason you may be thinking.

They just tell students that to get them accustomed to 'thinking' in spanish, that is, to things that are more exclusively spanish that is alien to english.

The verbs in english sentences don't have a reflexive 'se' or this or that, that's why they'd want you to get used to that, because as a native english speaker, the student is not used to it.

Case in point, I've seen teachers say NOT to use 'fue escrito por (insert author here)' that you should conjugate escribir instead in a more active construction. The first case I gave is certainly used in spanish, but in english, we have the same basic concept, so teachers want the student to get used to what they're not used to.

So anyways, point is, you can use 'sobre', don't worry, but you can also use 'tratarse' it just depends on how you want to say it.

-Charlius-

Answer 2

I certainly concur with ribower. Tratarse is better than using the translation you are trying because it is more likely the way a Spanish-speaking rather than an English-thinking-but-Spanish-speaking person would express the thought.

That said, you asked about whether or not one might use acerca de or sobre in that same context. I do not really know the answer to that, as a native English speaker myself. But I did take a moment and look up both in my Gran Diccionario Oxford.

The dictionary usually does more than just tell me what a word means in English (or Spanish) but rather also gives many examples.

I was surprised to find this number 4. meaning:

(acerca de) on; legislación sobre impuestos tax legislation, = legislation on taxes; >escribió sobre el espinoso tema de … she wrote on (or) about the thorny topic of …

Babylon, an online dictionary gives:

acerca de prep. about, concerning; on; after

How disappointing not to find good examples. But...on to yet another dictionary...Velazquez, one referenced here at the Dictionary page:

1. About, relating to, bringing near. Acerca de lo que hemos hablado -> in regard to what we have said

I think that you (we all) will have to wait for a native speaker to answer.

Answer 3

I would use the verb tratarse. "Este libro se trata de . . ."