El pronombre "lo"

El pronombre "lo"

The many functions of the word "lo"

What does "lo" mean in one word?

If I had to give you a single translation for lo, that would be “it”: 

Lo quiero. (I want it.)

Dámelo. (Give it to me.)

Multiple Choice

Can "lo" work for more than just "it"?

• Yes

• No

YES!

Multiple Choice

Does "lo" always work as "it"?

• No

• Yes

When "lo" doesn't work as "it"

*Lo está lloviendo. (*It it is raining.)

*No lo me gusta. (*I do not like it.)

*Lo es interesante. (*It it is interesting.)

Other uses

Lo seems to have a few more personalities! As you will see later on, it can also mean “him,” “her,” “what,” “the” and even more.

Lo as a Direct Object Pronoun

nouns that get the direct action of the main verb.

As a Direct Object Pronoun (DOP)

Necesito el libro que te di. (I need the book I gave you.)
Lo necesito. (I need it.)

Vi a tu hermano en la piscina. (I saw your brother at the pool.)
Lo vi en la piscina. (I saw him at the pool.)

A DOP before or after the verb?

If there are two verbs "lo" will either come before the first verb or attached to the second verb:

Quiero verlo (I want to see him)

Lo quiero ver (him I want to see)

Multiple Select

What's the correct version of "I want to eat the pizza in my house" using "lo" to substitute the noun?

• Quiero lo comer en mi casa

• Lo quiero comer en mi casa

• Quiero comerlo en mi casa

• Quiero comer lo en mi casa

Lo as a Neuter Definite Article: Lo + Adjective

You probably already know that Spanish has four definite articles: el, la, los and las (all meaning “the”). However, there is also one neuter definite article, and that is lo.

The nueter "lo" article

appears only before an adjective (creating an abstract nount)

Some examples

Lo importante es participar. (The important thing is taking part.)

Lo barato sale caro. (That which is cheap ends up being expensive, or “You get what you pay for.”)

Lo mejor está por venir. (The best is yet to come.)

Lo + Ser and Estar

You can use lo to answer a question by placing it in front of the verb “to be” (ser and estar in Spanish) in reference to the noun or adjective mentioned in the question.

“¿Es él estudiante?” “Sí, lo es. / No, no lo es.” — In this example, lo is referring to “student.”

“¿Estaba ella feliz?” “Sí, lo estaba. / No, no lo estaba.” — This time, lo is referring to “happy.”

Multiple Choice

What's the correct answer to the question "es un buen coche?

• Si, es lo

• Si, lo es

• Si, lo es bueno

• Si, es bueno lo

Lo que

The closest way of translating lo que into English without leaving information behind and still being grammatically correct is “that,” “that which” or “what,” once again, depending on the sentence.

Some examples of "lo que"

Lo que pasó es que no tenía dinero. (What happened was that I had no money.)

Lo que necesito es más tiempo. (What I need is more time.)

No sé lo que le dijo a su madre. (I do not know what he told his mother.)

No es oro todo lo que reluce. (Not all that glitters is gold.)