Using "That/This" and how important it is

Question

If someone was to say something to me that I didn't understand, and I wanted to say "I don't know what that means", could I say "No sé lo que significa" or would I have to include the word "that" and say "No sé lo que eso significa". I was just wondering if you can get away with not making things very specific and wether native speakers say it like that, since it is less words to say and probably a bit quicker.

My personal view, Spanish speakers use this and that (or their equivalent) less than English speakers- and there are times when I do exactly what you suggest, or use lo- eg hacerlo for do that, to sound more natural. But wait for a native view. :) - bosquederoble, Aug 23, 2016

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I would certainly say that using demonstratives are very important things to know. Spanish just has a wide array of ways to say something without necessarily using "ese/a/o", "este/a/o" and "aquel/la/lo". - codyandrews1993, Aug 23, 2016

well, usually that/this didn't have a reason, it depend of the enfasis that you want to put in the word/sentence that you don't know, if you want to know specifically you should said by name "que significa XXX?" , if not, just a "No entiendo" do the job - mvfgrant, Aug 23, 2016

Answer 1

You could use "eso.' Just put it at the end.

No sé lo que significa eso. Some times it's, "No sé qué significa eso." Which changes the meaning a little.