sobre, de, acerca de

Question

I read the following two sentences:

(1) No les dije nada sobre tu secreto.

(2) ¿Saben algo de los coches?

Can I use sobre and de interchangeably in the these two sentences when they both mean "about"? For example,

(3) No les dije nada de tu secreto.

(4) ¿Saben algo sobre los coches?

Besides, I read another sentence:

(5) En esta lección, vamos a hablar acerca de las palabras.

Should “acerca de” be placed behind a verb?

Or, can "acerca de" replace sobre and de in sentences (1) and (2)?

I really enjoy reading your questions. - gringojrf, Nov 7, 2013

Gracias! You are always welcome to my questions. - joygogo, Nov 8, 2013

Answer 1

Hola, Gringo,

I found two example sentences of "acerca de" from online dictionaries. Instead of being placed behind a verb, 'acerca de" follows a noun; therefore, it is not necessary for "acerca de" to be placed behind a verb.

(1) 'Escribió un cuento acerca de un muchacho'

(2) 'Dime algo acerca de ti ¿cuál es tu color favorito?'

Fantastic. - gringojrf, Nov 9, 2013

Answer 2

Jogogo asked: Hola, gringojrf. In English, words like "about," "concerning," "regarding" have the same meaning. I just wonder if "sobre," "de," and "acerca de" can be used interchangeably in the above sentences I ask.

Yes, but....the sentence structure might change slightly with each word chosen. For example:

• I didn't tell them anything about your secret.
• I didn't tell them anything concerning your secret.
• I didn't tell them anything regarding your secret.

All three work but each has its own nuance and tone. I would normally expect to hear "about" in this sentence and the other two sound a little odd to my ear, ie they are a bit formal for talking to a friend.

So for sure I would say that "sobre" and "de" are interchangeable in your sentences but how the sound to a native speaker is probably different.

In your sentence #5 I would use "sobre".

Again I am not a native speaker but "acerca de" doesn't sound right to me. So it probably is, jajaja. I would use "acerca de" more in the context below.

• A: Do you know where there is a bakery?
• B: Yes. There is one near the church on Main Street.
• A: ¿Sabes dónde está una panadería?
• B: Sí. Hay una acerca de la iglesia en la Calle Central.

Note: As pointed out by rogspax "acerca de" as I used above does not seem to work. It should be "cerca de". So even more reason to await a native speaker on this one.

I would think that last one would be ¨cerca¨ and not ¨acerca¨. I seem to see ¨acerca de¨ more in written Spanish than I hear it. Maybe more like the more formal regarding-concerning you mentioned? I don´t know either. - rogspax, Nov 8, 2013

I think you are right rogspax. Acerca de doesn't work as I used it. Sorry. - gringojrf, Nov 9, 2013

Hola, Gringo and Roger. Thank you both very much. Your viewpoints are very helpful. But how come there is no native speaker offering his/her opinion so that we can get our same puzzle solved? - joygogo, Nov 9, 2013

Hola, Gringo. Please click my question again. I found something! - joygogo, Nov 9, 2013

Answer 3

In your first part about the interchangeabililty of "sobre" and "de" I think the first pair of sentences sound more natural.

I am not a native speaker so I can't say for sure. I can say that in my experience I do not hear "sobre" used very often. In fact I probably over use it myself. On the other hand sentence two is exactly how it is said, again in my experience.

I'll leave "acerca de" for someone else.

I also leave ' acerca de' for somebody else, I agree totally, Gringo. - annierats, Nov 7, 2013

Hola, gringojrf. In English, words like "about," "concerning," "regarding" have the same meaning. I just wonder if "sobre," "de," and "acerca de" can be used interchangeably in the above sentences I ask. - joygogo, Nov 8, 2013