asuntos

Asuntos is the plural form of asunto, a masculine Spanish noun. It primarily means matters, issues, topics, or affairs. It is used to refer to elements that require discussion, decision, or action, as in los asuntos de la reunión (the matters of the meeting) or asuntos pendientes (pending matters). The term also designates areas of responsibility or domains, such as asuntos internos (internal affairs) and asuntos exteriores (foreign affairs).

In formal discourse and journalism, asunto marks a particular topic within a broader subject, for example un asunto de actualidad (a current issue) or un asunto legal (a legal matter). In everyday speech, it can also refer to a personal or romantic liaison, as in tener un asunto con alguien, though this sense is informal and often carries connotations of secrecy or propriety depending on context.

Translation to English varies with context. Asuntos can be rendered as matter, issue, topic, or, in the sense of a romance, affair. The noun differs from ciertos sinónimos: tema usually denotes the subject matter or theme of discussion; cuestión emphasizes a question or problem to be resolved; and asunto emphasizes a concrete matter or set of business to handle.

Origin: asunto is a native Spanish noun with long-standing use across dialects; its exact etymology is not always clear and is shared with related Romance-language terms.