Spanish neuter article “lo”

Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on the Spanish neuter article lo.

The neuter article lo is less frequent than the masculine “el” and the feminine “la”. But it has some uses that the Spanish student needs to learn.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the article lo correctly in sentences.

You will also find an Exercise to practice.

“lo” meaning “the thing/s”

lo can replace “la cosa” (the thing) or “las cosas” (the things) in some sentences, making them shorter:

La cosa importante es estudiar mucho.
Lo importante es estudiar mucho.
Both sentences mean “The important thing is to study hard”.

La cosa más bonita de la ciudad es este parque.
Lo más bonito de la ciudad es este parque.
Both mean “The most beautiful thing in the city is this park”.

No entiendo las cosas que dices.
No entiendo lo que dices.
Both mean “I don’t understand what you say (the things you say)”.

La cosa que quiero es jugar.
Lo que quiero es jugar.
Both mean “What I want (the thing I want) is to play”.

Note: When lo is used this way, any adjective connected with it must be in masculine singular form.

Example: “la cosa más bonita” becomes “lo más bonito“.

“lo” to emphasize a quality

We can also use lo to emphasize a quality in some types of sentences.

The formula is ➡️ lo + adjective or adverb + que

Es increíble lo inteligente que eres.
It’s amazing how smart you are.

Me gusta lo claro que hablas.
I like how clear you speak.

Note: When lo is used this way, it can precede adjectives of any kind: masculine and feminine, singular and plural:

Me sorprende lo buena que eres.
I’m amazed at how good you are. (talking to a woman)

No me gusta lo groseros que sois.
I don’t like how rude you guys are. (talking to several men)

Practice

Exercise

Let’s practice the first use of “lo” learned in this lesson: replacing “la cosa / las cosas”.

Fill the gaps using “lo” and any other words needed, so that the second sentence has the same meaning as the first one.

Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) I like exotic things:
Me gustan las cosas exóticas.
Me gusta lo exótico.

2) We’ve done the most difficult thing in the world:
Hemos hecho la cosa más difícil del mundo.
Hemos hecho lo más difícil del mundo.

3) The ring is the most expensive thing in this jewelry:
El anillo es la cosa más cara en esta joyería.
El anillo es lo más caro en esta joyería.

4) It’s the best thing:
Es la mejor cosa.
Es lo mejor.

5) Francisco is interested in all things political:
A Francisco le interesan todas las cosas políticas.
A Francisco le interesa todo lo político .

A different “lo”: the direct object pronoun

This lesson has been about the neuter article “lo”.

But there is another “lo” in Spanish which is not an article, but a direct object pronoun.

Click here to learn about Object Pronouns