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0z\"\u002F>",true,{"id":46,"title":47,"author":48,"body":49,"cefrLevel":617,"date":48,"description":618,"exercises":48,"extension":619,"faqs":620,"gcseTier":630,"intro":631,"language":632,"lastUpdated":48,"meta":633,"navigation":44,"path":634,"seo":635,"stem":636,"verbSlugs":48,"__hash__":637},"pages\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Flo-neuter.md","The Spanish Neuter lo (lo bueno, lo que, lo de)",null,{"type":50,"value":51,"toc":606},"minimark",[52,57,90,109,114,132,166,176,196,203,223,234,238,259,293,305,309,323,343,358,372,396,400,417,443,446,450,488,492,504,528,548,564,570,574],[53,54,56],"h1",{"id":55},"the-neuter-lo","The Neuter lo",[58,59,60,61,65,66,69,70,73,74,77,78,81,82,85,86,89],"p",{},"There are two little words spelt ",[62,63,64],"strong",{},"lo"," in Spanish, and they are easy to mix up. One is the ",[62,67,68],{},"object pronoun"," - ",[62,71,72],{},"lo veo",", I see it\u002Fhim. The other, the subject of this page, is the ",[62,75,76],{},"neuter article lo",": a genderless, numberless word that turns adjectives and clauses into ",[62,79,80],{},"abstract ideas",". ",[62,83,84],{},"Lo bueno"," is \"the good thing\"; ",[62,87,88],{},"lo que dijo"," is \"what he said\". English has no single word for it, which is exactly why it needs practice.",[58,91,92,93,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"The key fact: the neuter ",[62,94,95],{},"lo is invariable",". It never becomes ",[62,98,99],{},"la, los"," or ",[62,102,103],{},"las",", because it does not point at a thing with a gender - it points at a ",[62,106,107],{},"concept",". Keep that in mind and its four patterns fall into place.",[110,111,113],"h2",{"id":112},"_1-lo-adjective-the-abstract-noun","1. lo + adjective: the abstract noun",[58,115,116,117,119,120,123,124,127,128,131],{},"Put ",[62,118,64],{}," in front of a ",[62,121,122],{},"masculine singular adjective"," and you get an abstract noun meaning \"",[62,125,126],{},"the ... thing","\" or \"",[62,129,130],{},"the ... part","\".",[133,134,135,142,148,154,160],"ul",{},[136,137,138,141],"li",{},[62,139,140],{},"lo bueno"," - the good thing \u002F the good part",[136,143,144,147],{},[62,145,146],{},"lo malo"," - the bad thing",[136,149,150,153],{},[62,151,152],{},"lo importante"," - the important thing",[136,155,156,159],{},[62,157,158],{},"lo difícil"," - the hard part",[136,161,162,165],{},[62,163,164],{},"lo mejor \u002F lo peor"," - the best \u002F worst thing",[58,167,168,169,172,173,175],{},"The adjective stays ",[62,170,171],{},"masculine singular"," whatever the context, because ",[62,174,64],{}," has no gender:",[133,177,178,184,190],{},[136,179,180,183],{},[62,181,182],{},"Lo bueno es que ya terminamos."," (The good thing is that we've finished.)",[136,185,186,189],{},[62,187,188],{},"Lo difícil fue empezar."," (The hard part was starting.)",[136,191,192,195],{},[62,193,194],{},"Haz lo posible."," (Do what you can \u002F the possible.)",[58,197,198,199,202],{},"You can stretch it with ",[62,200,201],{},"de"," or a superlative:",[133,204,205,211,217],{},[136,206,207,210],{},[62,208,209],{},"lo bueno de vivir aquí"," (the good thing about living here)",[136,212,213,216],{},[62,214,215],{},"lo más importante"," (the most important thing)",[136,218,219,222],{},[62,220,221],{},"lo mejor de la película"," (the best bit of the film)",[58,224,225,226,229,230,233],{},"This also works with possessives - ",[62,227,228],{},"lo mío"," (what's mine \u002F my business), ",[62,231,232],{},"lo nuestro"," (what we have between us) - always neuter, always singular.",[110,235,237],{"id":236},"_2-lo-adjectiveadverb-que-measuring-degree","2. lo + adjective\u002Fadverb + que: measuring degree",[58,239,240,243,244,247,248,251,252,255,256,258],{},[62,241,242],{},"Lo"," teams up with ",[62,245,246],{},"que"," to measure ",[62,249,250],{},"how"," something is - the \"how + adjective\" exclamation. Here the adjective ",[62,253,254],{},"agrees"," with what it describes (this is the one case where it can), but ",[62,257,64],{}," itself never changes.",[133,260,261,267,277,287],{},[136,262,263,266],{},[62,264,265],{},"No sabes lo difícil que fue."," (You have no idea how hard it was.)",[136,268,269,272,273,276],{},[62,270,271],{},"Mira lo altos que están tus hijos."," (Look how tall your children are.) - ",[62,274,275],{},"altos"," agrees, plural masculine.",[136,278,279,282,283,286],{},[62,280,281],{},"Me sorprende lo bien que habla."," (I'm amazed at how well she speaks.) - with an adverb, ",[62,284,285],{},"bien",".",[136,288,289,292],{},[62,290,291],{},"Con lo cara que es, no la compro."," (Given how expensive it is, I'm not buying it.)",[58,294,295,296,304],{},"The pattern is ",[62,297,298,299,303],{},"lo + ",[300,301,302],"span",{},"adjective\u002Fadverb"," + que + verb"," and it packs the English \"how ... it is\" into three words.",[110,306,308],{"id":307},"_3-lo-que-lo-cual-the-relative-what-and-which","3. lo que \u002F lo cual: the relative \"what\" and \"which\"",[58,310,311,314,315,318,319,322],{},[62,312,313],{},"Lo que"," is the relative pronoun for a ",[62,316,317],{},"whole idea"," rather than a named noun - English \"",[62,320,321],{},"what","\" in the sense of \"that which\".",[133,324,325,331,337],{},[136,326,327,330],{},[62,328,329],{},"No entiendo lo que dices."," (I don't understand what you say.)",[136,332,333,336],{},[62,334,335],{},"Haz lo que quieras."," (Do what you want.)",[136,338,339,342],{},[62,340,341],{},"Lo que necesito es tiempo."," (What I need is time.)",[58,344,345,346,349,350,353,354,357],{},"When it refers back to a ",[62,347,348],{},"whole previous clause"," - \"a fact which\" - both ",[62,351,352],{},"lo que"," and the more formal ",[62,355,356],{},"lo cual"," work:",[133,359,360,366],{},[136,361,362,365],{},[62,363,364],{},"Llegó tarde, lo que (lo cual) me molestó."," (He arrived late, which annoyed me.)",[136,367,368,371],{},[62,369,370],{},"No contestó, lo cual me preocupó."," (He didn't answer, which worried me.)",[58,373,374,375,378,379,382,383,386,387,390,391,393,394,286],{},"Keep it apart from the interrogative ",[62,376,377],{},"qué"," (with an accent), which asks a direct or indirect ",[62,380,381],{},"question",": ",[62,384,385],{},"¿Qué dices?"," (What are you saying?) but ",[62,388,389],{},"no oí lo que dijiste"," (I didn't hear what you said). Question = ",[62,392,377],{},"; \"that which\" = ",[62,395,352],{},[110,397,399],{"id":398},"_4-lo-de-the-matter-of","4. lo de: the matter of",[58,401,402,405,406,409,410,409,413,416],{},[62,403,404],{},"Lo de"," plus a noun, name or infinitive means \"",[62,407,408],{},"the matter of","\", \"",[62,411,412],{},"the business about",[62,414,415],{},"that thing with","\" - a handy way to refer to a known affair without spelling it out.",[133,418,419,425,431,437],{},[136,420,421,424],{},[62,422,423],{},"¿Sabes lo de Pedro?"," (Have you heard the thing about Pedro?)",[136,426,427,430],{},[62,428,429],{},"Lo de ayer fue un error."," (That business yesterday was a mistake.)",[136,432,433,436],{},[62,434,435],{},"Olvida lo de la fiesta."," (Forget the whole party thing.)",[136,438,439,442],{},[62,440,441],{},"Lo de trabajar los domingos no me gusta."," (This working-on-Sundays thing, I don't like it.)",[58,444,445],{},"It is casual, extremely common, and neatly vague - which is often the point.",[110,447,449],{"id":448},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[133,451,452,458,464,470,476,482],{},[136,453,454,457],{},[62,455,456],{},"Lo mejor de todo fue el final."," (The best thing of all was the ending.) - lo + adjective.",[136,459,460,463],{},[62,461,462],{},"No te imaginas lo cansado que estoy."," (You can't imagine how tired I am.) - lo... que.",[136,465,466,469],{},[62,467,468],{},"Lo que más me gusta es cocinar."," (What I like most is cooking.) - lo que, relative.",[136,471,472,475],{},[62,473,474],{},"Se fue sin avisar, lo cual me pareció grosero."," (He left without a word, which struck me as rude.) - lo cual summing up a clause.",[136,477,478,481],{},[62,479,480],{},"Tenemos que hablar de lo de tu hermano."," (We need to talk about the thing with your brother.) - lo de.",[136,483,484,487],{},[62,485,486],{},"Lo importante no es ganar."," (The important thing isn't winning.) - lo + adjective as subject.",[110,489,491],{"id":490},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[58,493,494,497,498,500,501,503],{},[62,495,496],{},"Making lo agree."," The neuter ",[62,499,64],{}," never changes: it is ",[62,502,140],{},", never \"la buena\" or \"los buenos\", even when the idea feels feminine or plural. Agreement would turn it back into an ordinary article + noun.",[58,505,506,509,510,512,513,100,516,519,520,523,524,527],{},[62,507,508],{},"Using el que for an abstract 'what'."," For \"what\" meaning \"that which\" over a whole idea, it is ",[62,511,352],{},", not ",[62,514,515],{},"el que",[62,517,518],{},"la que"," (those refer to specific gendered nouns: ",[62,521,522],{},"el que llegó",", the one who arrived). ",[62,525,526],{},"Lo que necesito",", not \"el que necesito\", for \"what I need\".",[58,529,530,533,534,537,538,540,541,544,545,286],{},[62,531,532],{},"Confusing lo que with qué."," The question word carries an accent - ",[62,535,536],{},"¿qué?"," - and the relative does not - ",[62,539,352],{},". \"I know what you want\" is ",[62,542,543],{},"sé lo que quieres","; \"what do you want?\" is ",[62,546,547],{},"¿qué quieres?",[58,549,550,553,554,557,558,560,561,563],{},[62,551,552],{},"Forgetting the adjective can agree in lo... que."," In ",[62,555,556],{},"lo altos que están",", the adjective ",[62,559,275],{}," agrees with the children even though ",[62,562,64],{}," does not. Leaving it as \"lo alto que están\" is a common slip.",[58,565,566,567,569],{},"Two words, one spelling. When ",[62,568,64],{}," stands in for a thing already named, it is the pronoun; when it builds \"the ... thing\", \"how ...\", \"what ...\" or \"the matter of\", it is the neuter article - invariable, abstract, and everywhere in real Spanish.",[110,571,573],{"id":572},"see-also","See also",[133,575,576,584,591,598],{},[136,577,578,583],{},[579,580,582],"a",{"href":581},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fobject-pronouns","Object pronouns"," - the other lo, the direct-object \"it\u002Fhim\" this page keeps separate.",[136,585,586,590],{},[579,587,589],{"href":588},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Frelative-pronouns-advanced","Advanced relative pronouns"," - where lo que and lo cual sit among el que, el cual and cuyo.",[136,592,593,597],{},[579,594,596],{"href":595},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpossessive-pronouns","Possessive pronouns"," - lo mío, lo nuestro and the neuter possessive.",[136,599,600,601,605],{},"The ",[579,602,604],{"href":603},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the four lo patterns on one card.",{"title":607,"searchDepth":608,"depth":608,"links":609},"",2,[610,611,612,613,614,615,616],{"id":112,"depth":608,"text":113},{"id":236,"depth":608,"text":237},{"id":307,"depth":608,"text":308},{"id":398,"depth":608,"text":399},{"id":448,"depth":608,"text":449},{"id":490,"depth":608,"text":491},{"id":572,"depth":608,"text":573},"B1-B2","lo is not just the object pronoun 'it\u002Fhim'. It is also the neuter article - a little word with no gender and no plural that turns adjectives into abstract nouns (lo bueno, the good thing), measures degree with lo... que (no sabes lo difícil que fue), builds the relative lo que \u002F lo cual (what, which), and points at a whole affair with lo de (the business about). This page sorts the neuter lo from the object-pronoun lo and drills its four everyday patterns.","md",[621,624,627],{"q":622,"a":623},"What is the difference between the neuter lo and the object pronoun lo?","They are spelt the same but do different jobs. The object pronoun lo replaces a masculine or neuter direct object - ¿Ves el coche? Sí, lo veo (Do you see the car? Yes, I see it). The neuter article lo sits in front of an adjective, adverb or relative to build an abstract idea - lo bueno (the good thing), lo que dijo (what he said). If lo is standing in for a noun already mentioned, it is the pronoun; if it is creating an abstract 'the ... thing \u002F what ...', it is the neuter article.",{"q":625,"a":626},"How does lo + adjective work?","lo plus a masculine-singular adjective makes an abstract noun meaning 'the ... thing' or 'the ... part': lo bueno (the good thing), lo difícil (the hard part), lo importante (the important thing), lo mejor (the best thing). The adjective stays masculine singular no matter what, because lo has no gender or number - it is never 'la buena' or 'los buenos' in this use. You can extend it: lo bueno de vivir aquí (the good thing about living here), lo más importante (the most important thing).",{"q":628,"a":629},"What does lo que mean?","lo que is the relative 'what' in the sense of 'that which' - it refers to a whole idea rather than a named noun. No entiendo lo que dices (I don't understand what you say). It also sums up a previous clause: llegó tarde, lo que me molestó (he arrived late, which annoyed me) - here lo que (or lo cual) means 'a fact which'. Do not confuse it with qué (with an accent), which asks a question: ¿Qué dices? (What are you saying?) versus no oí lo que dijiste (I didn't hear what you said).","higher","Spanish has two words spelt lo, and learners meet the wrong one first. There is the object pronoun lo - I see it, lo veo - and there is the neuter article lo, a genderless, numberless little word that does something no English article does: it turns an adjective into an abstract idea. Lo bueno is 'the good thing' or 'the good part'; lo importante is 'the important thing'; lo mío is 'what's mine'. From that one trick grow three more everyday patterns: lo... que to measure a quality (no sabes lo tarde que es, you have no idea how late it is), the relative lo que \u002F lo cual for 'what' and 'which', and lo de for 'the matter of'. None of these has a masculine, feminine or plural form - lo is invariable, because it refers to concepts, not things. This page keeps the neuter lo apart from the pronoun lo and works through its four uses.","spanish",{},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Flo-neuter",{"title":47,"description":618},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Flo-neuter","wEq_hity20bd3ixxv58NVeMoRtsD8msRyJck7pHdOJU",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":640},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":642},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>"]