What does "se trataba" mean?

[createdamadman]

So, I've had the phrase "se trataba" come up a few times so far in this story. Here is the most recent example:


"El corazón de Nina latía por encima de sus posibilidades. Estaba segura de que se trataba de él, pero temía que se hubiera hartado de pasear y hubiera regresado a su camarote, perdiendo la oportunidad de entablar conversación."


When I look up "tratarse", the only definition I get is "to deal with", which doesn't seem right. Translators simply translate it as "it was", which makes sense, but then I don't get why it wouldn't just be "era". What is the purpose of using "se trataba" this way?

[Rusty]

The whole verbal phrase here is «tratarse de». This can be used to reference someone/thing that has already been mentioned. So, its meaning is 'be' (this is the "it was him" meaning you're getting from the translators).

Another meaning is 'be about' (like when you ask what a book is about).
This could be extended here to mean that Nina's pounding heart "was about (due to/because of) him." You with more context may see that this meaning is what was intended.

If "it was him" makes sense to you, then 'era él' could have been used instead to mean the same thing, but having more than one way to say something is the whole case for variety.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Rusty. The impersonal expression "tratarse de + complement" is synonymous with "ser".
- Las aves no deben ser mascotas. Se trata de seres delicados que requieren libertad para volar.
The birds should not be pets. They're delicate beings who need their freedom to fly.
- La guerra no se resuelve en dos días. Se trata de problemas complejos que no tienen solución fácil.
War can't be ended in two days. These are complex problems that don't have an easy solution.
- No veo por qué enojarse. Sólo se trata de una opinión.
I don't see why getting mad. It's just an opinion.


The author is not using "estaba segura de que era él", because in writing, usually less elemental forms of language are preferred.