pronomial verb - tratar
necesito hablar contigo — ¿de qué se trata? -> I need to talk to you — what about?
The above was in the dictionary and in English we usually say "about what?" in response to the question. Soooo... what is the actual translation of "de qué se trata?" In other words, take it apart so I can see the relationship of the words, por favor.
Gracias!
2 Answers
**Tratarse de : to be about, to concern
se trata de Juan, it is about Juan
se trata de nuestra vida, I'm talking about our life**
For more info about how to use 'tratar' in a non reflexive setting you may find this article helpful: Tratar
Excerpt:
"Tratar is a fairly common verb that also has other meanings that don't seem particularly related. In general, though, the word has to do with dealing with a person, activity or thing.
Often, the meaning of tratar depends on the preposition that follows, although even that isn't always a sure guide. Perhaps more so than with most verbs, you need to rely on the context of the sentence to determine the meaning.
tratar de, to speak to or address (someone) as: Me trataban de loca. They would call me crazy."
*Also when used with de (or sobre) it can have this meaning: to be about, to concern
el libro trata de las plantas : the book is about plants
Taking it apart more literally (as per your question):
¿de qué se trata? = of what is it about?
