# Ese es el problema



## Basenjigirl

I was visiting a different online forum where someone apologized for not typing the accent marks on the Spanish words because he didn't have a Spanish keyboard. He finished his explanation with the sentence "_Eso es el problema_." But then another person corrected him and said he should've written "*Ese* es el problema." 

Is that correct?


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## andylopez

I concur with the corrector ... I'd say "*ese* es el problema"

But wait and see read, there will be other opinions stating the opposite ...


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## alegna456

i think because "problema" is a masculine word "el" problema. that it has to be eso because "eso" is a masculine word and the genders need to agree. that is my opinion on the gramatical explaination, but i could be wrong. i think it should be "eso".


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## flljob

Si se refería a que no tenía el teclado español, debería haber dico *ese*. Si se refería a toda una situación, *eso*.

Saludos


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## mhp

andylopez said:


> I concur with the corrector ... I'd say "*ese* es el problema"
> 
> But wait and see read, there will be other opinions stating the opposite ...



Opposite opinion present! 

-¿Cuál es el problema? 
-El teclado es el problema = ese es el problema.
-No tener un teclado español es el problema = eso es el problema.

If you cannot replace 'ese' with a masculine noun, then it shouldn't be used.


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## Basenjigirl

Yes, I agree that it should be "eso." But the person who made the correction is a native Spanish speaker and she says it should be "ese" because of "el problema." But I think it should be "eso" because the guy is referring to the fact, el hecho, that he does not have a Spanish keyboard. In other words, a neuter "it."  So it is possible that both eso and ese are correct in this sentence, just depending on point of view?


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## dexterciyo

Such a good question... I wouldn't say _eso_ is incorrect when talking about a fact. But it is real that _ese_ sounds better to my ears – whether it is a fact or a specified noun. 

I can't figure why though!


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## flljob

Creo, más bien, que elegir entre ese y eso depende de que el hablante quiera dar la idea de que el problema es algo muy específico (ese) o algo muy general (eso). Supongo que la psicolingüística nos daría la respuesta.

Saludos


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## Basenjigirl

flljob said:


> Creo, más bien, que elegir entre ese y eso depende de que el hablante quiera dar la idea de que el problema es algo muy específico (ese) o algo muy general (eso). Supongo que la psicolingüística nos daría la respuesta.
> 
> Saludos



Esto es lo que pensaba. Gracias.


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## dexterciyo

Basenjigirl said:


> Esto es lo que pensaba. Gracias.



Estoy de acuerdo


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## Milton Sand

Hi,
I think this might be a reason:

Tu teclado: *eso* es el problema. =That [thing/matter] is [causing] the problem. <—Here we indicate something which is not a problem itself, usually when we just have realized it. "Eso" doesn't correspond to a "problema".

Tener un teclado sin tildes: *ese* es el problema = That [problem] is the problem [that we need to consider]. <—Here we single out the problem from all possible problems. So, "ese" refers to the problem (or the description of the problem), like the problem of not having a Spanish kyboard (ese = tener un teclado sin tildes).

But this is just my humble appreciation.

Regards


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## Alma Shofner

flljob said:


> Creo, más bien, que elegir entre ese y eso depende de que el hablante quiera dar la idea de que el problema es algo muy específico (ese) o algo muy general (eso). Supongo que la psicolingüística nos daría la respuesta.
> 
> Saludos


 
I agree with flljob.

I would prefer to say : "ese es el problema"  Another option: "Eso es un problema" (In general)

Regards


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## pozzo

Como hay más de una persona que prefiere usar _ése_ en lugar de _eso_, ¿podría ser que el oído preferiera que el pronombre concuerde con el sustantivo _problema_?  Pero no conozco ninguna regla (que no significa que no exista)  que requiera que concuerde así porque, como han dicho otros, _eso_ se podría usar para referirse a otra cosa completamente.  

Si se usara un sustantivo femenino, ¿cómo sería? 
Por ejemplo :

Tengo muchas connexiones, y la red no funciona porque una está rota.  ¿Cuál está rota? ¿Cuál causa el problema?
Ésa (esa connexión) es el (causa el) problema. 
Ése (ese problema) es el problema. 

¿Podría ser que si hay ese verbo _ser_ que liga un pronombre con un sustantivo, nuestro oído prefiera que sean del mismo género?  O tal vez hay una regla así pero no la conozco.


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## Milton Sand

Hi again,
Pozzo, you have throwed a brighter light on my argument when trying that excercise with a feminine noun. It's all about the simple and well-known rule: demonstratives should coordinate with noun's gender, as when being adjectives as when being pronouns. Number must be coordinated too:
Ese [problema] es el problema [que tratábamos de identificar]. —> Es*os* *son* l*os* problem*as*. _<—Identifying a problem (or problems)._

But when you mean the cause of the problem, "el problema" remains unmodified:
Ese [hombre/aparato] es [el que presenta] el problema. —> Esos son el problema. 
Esa [mujer/máquina] es [la que pone] el problema. —> Esas son el problema.
Eso [=that concept] es el problema. _—> "Eso" is neutral. It may refer, for example, to a set of events/things/concepts as to a single event/thing/concept._

Usually, it is the speaker's choice what to refer to through the demonstrative pronoun. It seems that, as far as a problem is concerned, "ser" can have the sense either of "to work as" or just "to be".

In Basenjigirl's question, the problem is "_not to have a Spanish keyboard_", so it is an "ese", a problem:
—¿Cuál es el problema?
—Ese es el problema: que no tiene teclado en español.

Still, this is just my opinion.
Regards


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## Zergling

Para mi la cuestión se basa en lo siguiente:

If you can ask with:
¿Qué es?
or with...
¿Cual es?

If you ask:
¿Qué es?
I could answer:
Es el teclado.
Es eso.

If you ask:
¿Cual es?
I could answer:
Es el teclado.
Es ese.

With Qué you can answer anything. But if you use Cual the answer must conform with a list of things.

In this case the answer must be "ESE" because you are not talking about any problem, you are talking the "teclado" problem, that´s because you have to use "ese".

"Ser o no ser, esa es la cuestión..." You are talking about to be or not to be, and "esa" is talking about it.

Saludos.


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## Xiroi

mhp said:


> Opposite opinion present!
> 
> -¿Cuál es el problema?
> -El teclado es el problema = ese es el problema.
> -No tener un teclado español es el problema = eso es el problema.
> 
> If you cannot replace 'ese' with a masculine noun, then it shouldn't be used.


Whether a native Spanish speaker or not, this reply was perfect.

Probably we'd use eso with more complex things "no tengo teclado en español, las teclas se han borrado, no tengo las lentillas, cometo muchos errores al escribir con teclado. Todo eso es lo que representa un problema".


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## flljob

Xiroi said:


> Whether a native Spanish speaker or not, this reply was perfect.


 
Pero ¿no estás de acuerdo en que si hubiera dicho _es*o* es el problema_, también sería correcto?

Saludos


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## Xiroi

Claro, creo que también es lo que dice Mhp y por eso digo que su explicación me parece excelente, por acertada y por breve. 

Ese: el teclado de otro idioma. Eso: la situación, el hecho de no tener teclado español (eso no sustituye aquí a "teclado").


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## pozzo

Xiroi said:


> Whether a native Spanish speaker or not, this reply was perfect.


This might be one of those situations where the non-native speaker is even at a slight advantage in understanding what's going on since the native speaker tends to rely on his ear and on what comes out naturally whereas the non-native speaker relies more on understanding the rules.


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## Micocou

For Spanish native speakers is always more natural to say "ese es el problema". I think i speak for all Venezuelans when i say "we hardly use *eso es el problema*" (it sounds weird and in every Spanish speaker country i think)


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## pozzo

Micocou said:


> For Spanish native speakers is always more natural to say "ese es el problema". I think i speak for all Venezuelans when i say "we hardly use *eso es el problema*" (it sounds weird and in every Spanish speaker country i think)



Indeed, searching  with google (with the quotes included when typing in the sentence) in Spanish-language webpages returns :

about *1,740* *Spanish* pages for *"eso es el problema"*,
*
and

*about *822,000* *Spanish* pages for *"ése es el problema"

*So there is at the very least a strong preference for using *ése* instead of *eso*.


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## SevenDays

Hello, 
 
This is my understanding:
 
If you use “_el problema_,” then it should always be “_ése”_ because you are referring to the masculine _“el problema_”.  
 
In other words, to decide whether to use “_ése”_ or “_eso_”, _you must look at the sentence or phrase in which the word is used to determine what it refers to.  _Overall context (or previous sentences) is irrelevant.
 
No tener un teclado en español es el problema.  Ése es el problema.
(“_Ése”_ refers to the mascuine “_el problema”)_
 
No tener un teclado en español es el problema.  Eso me preocupa.
(“_Eso”_ refers to the gender neutral “_preocupa”)_
 
If I’m wrong, then it’s a chance to learn something new….
 
Cheers


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## mhp

SevenDays said:


> If I’m wrong, then it’s a chance to learn something new….
> 
> Cheers


Although subject and predicate nomanative often agree in gender and number in a copulative sentence, such agreement is not obligatory_: «Mi infancia son recuerdos de un patio de Sevilla»_ (Antonio Machado). _Infancia _is femenine and singular, _recuerdos_ is masculine and plural.

  For more examples, see section 2.1.1 in DPD.


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## Xiroi

pozzo said:


> This might be one of those situations where the non-native speaker is even at a slight advantage in understanding what's going on since the native speaker tends to rely on his ear and on what comes out naturally whereas the non-native speaker relies more on understanding the rules.


Unless the native speaker actually has studied the language at University or loves the subject and has read a lot about it  so you have both the "native instinct" and the rules, There's quite a few of those around here, actually.


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## gothicpartner

Hello,

Indudablemente, ese es el problema!


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## bellotojuanfra

Basenjigirl said:


> I was visiting a different online forum where someone apologized for not typing the accent marks on the Spanish words because he didn't have a Spanish keyboard. He finished his explanation with the sentence "_Eso es el problema_." But then another person corrected him and said he should've written "*Ese* es el problema."
> 
> Is that correct?


 
¿Por qué no colocas las tildes al escribir en español?
El teclado no tiene tildes, ese es el problema.
Ah! eso es.


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## Xiroi

bellotojuanfra said:


> Ah! eso es (*el problema*).


¿O si no, qué otra cosa es lo que va implícito?


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## Milton Sand

Hi again,
SevenDays' to explanation is right and I think is easier to get than the previous mine. MHP —who almost always hits the nail's head— is right when trying to replace "ese" by a masculine noun, BUT he missed the actual noun to be replaced.

Not only the pronouns "ese" or "eso" are the problem in this thread. I see this ambiguity of the meaning of "problema" which lets us use kind of a figurative style —synecdoche?—, so one may determine either the problem itself or its cause/origin by using the same phrasing. Additionally, "ser" is so elastic that it can fit lots of meanings, just like "to be". I short, it depends on the speaker's intention. Is he indicating the origin of the problem or pointing out a problem?

When this "problema" means exactly "*problem*", we only say "*ese* es el problema". The first thing to think is that pronoun "ese" is the same kind as "el problema". The sentence on it's own just picks a "problema", then "ese" refers to the picked "problema" (described in a separate sentence), not the "teclado". Here, verb "ser" has the sense of "to equal" or "be the same":

Tu teclado no viene en español. Ese es el problema. = El problema es ese [problema].
"Ese" —> represents a masculine noun_:_ "problema". 
So "tu teclado no viene en español" is stated as a problem itself.

The same happens with:
Esa es la cuestión. = La cuestión es esa. <— "Esa" = "cuestión".
Esos son los problemas. = Los problemas son esos. <— "Esos" = "problemas".
Ese es el saco de Juan. = El saco de Juan es ese. <— "Ese" = "niño".

When "el problema" figuratively stands for "*the one[s] that generate/represent a problem*", we can say "*eso/ese*[s]*/esa*[s] es/son el problema", where the demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun or a concept that is not equal to "problema". So we can use not only "eso (i.e. _that stuff_)", but also "*ese* (i.e. _that guy_)" or "esa (i.e. _that girl_)". Here, verb "ser" would has the sense of "to represent; stand for":

Tu teclado no viene en español. Eso es el problema. = El problema es eso. (= [que] tu teclado no viene en español).
"Eso" = "esa cosa" = "tu teclado".
"Eso" = "ese hecho" = "que no viene en español".
The fact of "tu teclado no viene en español" is a not a problem itself but is causing one. If this sense is not consisting with a context, "eso es el problema" would sound weird.

I hope this is clearer. Sorry for the boring length; I have some spare time... isn't it evident?
Merry Christmas! 

P.S: 





Zergling said:


> "Ser o no ser, esa es la cuestión..."


In Spanish "Ser o no ser, esa es la cuestión" means "to be or not to be, that is the subject". In the original "to be or not to be, that is the question", "question" means "pregunta/problema/duda". As it can only be solved by choosing one from two options, we should translate it as "dilema": "*Ser o no ser, he ahí el dilema*".


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## Basenjigirl

@MiltonSand: Mereces un sobresaliente.  Gracias por tu explicación tan amplia. Y gracias a todos los foreros por sus aportaciones en este hilo.


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## Milton Sand

I made some typos but I can't edit my post any longer. This one was the worst:





Milton Sand said:


> Ese es el *saco* de Juan. = El *saco* de Juan es ese [saco]. <— "Ese" = "niño" "*saco*".


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