The use of "Lo" in Spanish
Spanish
Learn to use the neutral article 'lo' in Spanish. Master grammar and common phrases.
Video
Podcast
What is "lo" in Spanish
"Lo" in Spanish is a versatile neutral article used to replace direct objects or in expressions.
- No sé lo que pasó. (I don't know what happened.)replacing direct object
- Lo importante es disfrutar. (The important thing is to enjoy.)common expression
How to use "lo" in Spanish
The neutral article can have different functions, depending on where it is placed in a sentence and with what other words it’s combined with.
Replacing the direct object
One use case is to replace the object of a sentence to avoid repetition.
| Direct object | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo (saludé) | Ayer vi a tu padre y lo saludé. | Yesterday I saw your father and greeted him. |
| Lo (decoró) | Mi abuela hizo un pastel y lo decoró con fresas. | My grandmother made a cake and decorated it with strawberries. |
Forming a new noun
In the next examples, we will see how to form a new noun out of an adjective or past participle.
| Noun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo único (que) | Lo único que quiero es viajar. | The only thing I want is to travel. |
| Lo ocurrido | Sentimos mucho lo ocurrido. | We are very sorry about what happened. |
Expressing "what"
The following examples show a typical Spanish way of saying “what”.
| "What" | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo que | Vi lo que pasó. | I saw what happened. |
| Lo que | No entiendo lo que estás diciendo. | I don't understand what you're saying. |
Referring back to something
The following expression is used to refer back to something that everybody knows about.
| Referring back to something | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo de | Lo de mañana estará genial. | What will happen tomorrow will be great. |
| Lo de | ¿Has oído lo de la fiesta de cumpleaños? | Have you heard about the birthday party? |
Saying "how" to describe things
Now, we will listen to examples of a typical Spanish way to say “how” when describing things.
| "How" | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo (bonito que) | No te imaginas lo bonito que fue el viaje. | You can't imagine how beautiful the trip was. |
| Lo (mucho que) | Sé lo mucho que te gusta mi casa. | I know how much you like my house. |
Listening exercise
Let's practise with a dialogue the various use cases of the Spanish article "lo".
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| María | ¿Viste lo que pasó en el parque hoy? | Did you see what happened at the park today? |
| Daniel | Sí, lo de los niños jugando a la pelota, ¿verdad? | Yes, the kids playing with the ball, right? |
| María | Exactamente. Me sorprendió lo mucho que se divirtieron. | Exactly. I was surprised by how much fun they had. |
| Daniel | Sí, eso fue lo único que iluminó mi día. | Yes, that was the only thing that brightened my day. |
"Lo" is often used to replace the direct object of a sentence to avoid repetition, especially when referring to people or things already mentioned in the context.
Common Spanish phrases using the article "lo"
We are going to learn common phrases using the neutral article in Spanish. These expressions are used in daily conversations, so it’s important to understand them and learn how to use them.
| Spanish expression | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo siento | Lo siento por llegar tarde a la reunión. | I am sorry for arriving late to the meeting. |
| Lo entiendo | Lo entiendo, sé que estás ocupado. | I understand, I know you are busy. |
| Lo más probable | Lo más probable es que llueva mañana. | Most probably it will rain tomorrow. |
| Lo mejor de | Lo mejor de este restaurante es su comida casera. | The best thing about this restaurant is its homemade food. |
| Lo sé | Lo sé, cometí un error y me disculpo. | I know, I made a mistake and I apologise. |
| A lo mejor | A lo mejor podemos ir al cine esta noche. | Maybe we can go to the movies tonight. |
| Por lo menos | Por lo menos deberíamos intentarlo. | At least we should try it. |
| Por lo general | Por lo general, me gusta levantarme temprano. | Usually, I like to wake up early. |
Unlike the other articles in Spanish, this one is never followed by nouns, nor does it agree with gender or number.
Listening exercise
Let's apply what we have learnt about Spanish expressions using the article "lo".
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| María | Al final, ayer no pude asistir a nuestra cita, lo siento. | In the end, yesterday I couldn't attend our appointment, I'm sorry. |
| Daniel | No te preocupes, lo entiendo, sé que estabas ocupado. | Don't worry, I understand, I know you were busy. |
| María | Lo más probable es que podamos vernos este fin de semana. | The most likely thing is that we can see each other this weekend. |
| Daniel | Sí, a lo mejor podemos ir al cine. | Yes, maybe we can go to the movies. |
| María | Por lo menos podemos pasar un rato juntos. | At least we can spend some time together. |
Key takeaways
Here is a quick summary of this lesson.
- "Lo" is often used to replace the direct object of a sentence to avoid repetition.
- Unlike the other articles in Spanish, "lo" is never followed by nouns.
- The article "lo" does not agree with gender or number.
Important! Practise this lesson with a teacher.
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