Neuter Article: lo

Spanish · Articles

Introduction

Lo is the neuter article. Put it before a masculine singular adjective to talk about a quality or idea instead of a thing.

lo+adjective

  • Lo importante es estudiar.The important thing is to study.
  • Lo bueno es que no llueve.The good thing is that it isn't raining.
  • Me gusta lo simple.I like simple things.

Common Expressions with Lo

expressionmeaning
lo buenothe good thing
lo malothe bad thing
lo mejor / lo peorthe best / worst thing
lo mismothe same thing
a lo mejormaybe, perhaps
por lo menosat least

Lo + Adjective + Que

Lo + adjective or adverb + que means how. The adjective agrees with the noun it describes, even after lo.

  • No sabes lo difícil que es.You don't know how difficult it is.
  • Mira lo bonita que está la casa.Look how pretty the house looks.
  • Me sorprende lo bien que hablas.I'm surprised how well you speak.

Lo Que

Lo que means what or the thing that when it isn't a question.

  • No entiendo lo que dices.I don't understand what you're saying.
  • Lo que más me gusta es viajar.What I like most is travelling.
Qué is fine in indirect questions: No sé qué quieres (I don't know what you want). Lo que is for the thing itself: Te doy lo que quieras (I'll give you whatever you want).

Practice

More in Articles