The neuter article lo

Lo bueno es que vi a John Mayer en Shopko. Lo malo es que no tenía mi cámara conmigo. The good thing is I saw John Mayer at Shopko. The bad part is that I didn’t have my camera with me. Notice how just putting “lo” in front of the modifier (bueno, malo) made it mean the “essence” of that adjective. You could also say “the good part” or “what was good about it”

lo + [masc. sing. adjective] is used to express general characteristics and abstract ideas. lo + [masc. sing. adjective] is used to express general characteristics and abstract ideas. Para una entrevista, lo importante es ser puntual. For an interview, the important thing is to be punctual.

¡Practiquemos! lo mejor the worst thing lo divertido the boring thing lo interesante the easy thing the best thing lo peor the fun thing lo aburrido the interesting thing lo fácil

lo + más OR menos + [adjective or adverb] is used to express the most or the least __ thing Lo más difícil es encontrar un trabajo que te guste. The most difficult thing/the toughest part is to find a job that you like.

¡Practiquemos! lo más barato the least important thing lo más divertido the easiest thing lo menos interesante the fastest thing the cheapest thing lo menos importante the “funnest” thing lo más fácil the least interesting thing lo más rápido

No entiendes lo buena que es la música de John Mayer. You don’t understand how good John Mayer’s music is. Notice how the adjective changes since it’s not “the good thing,” it’s “how good” the music is.

lo + [adjective] + que is used to express how + [adjective] In these cases, the adjective agrees in both number and gender with the noun it modifies. Me dijeron lo trabajadora que es esta empleada. They told me how hard- working this employee is.

Me gusta lo simpáticos que son los estudiantes aquí en Millard North. I like how nice the students are here at MN. I like how nice the students are here at MN. Me parecía mentira lo baratos que eran mis nuevos zapatos. It seemed unbelieveable how cheap my new shoes were. It seemed unbelieveable how cheap my new shoes were. Es difícil saber lo importante que es aprender otro idioma. It’s difficult to know how important it is to learn another languange. It’s difficult to know how important it is to learn another languange.

No entiendes lo bien que canta John Mayer. You don’t understand how well John Mayer sings. Notice how it’s “bien” (an adverb) not “bueno” (an adjective). Adverbs never change to modify verbs since they cannot be feminine or masculine like nouns.

lo + [adverb] + que is used to express how + [adverb] that something is done No puedo creer lo rápido que corrieron ese maratón. I can’t believe how fast (that) they ran that marathon.

Me molesta lo mal que me presento en las entrevistas. It bothers me how poorly I present myself in interviews. It bothers me how poorly I present myself in interviews. ¿Le importa lo rápido que hacen los coches en la fábrica? Is it important to you (or him/her) how quickly they make the cars in the factory? Is it important to you (or him/her) how quickly they make the cars in the factory? Nos sorprendió lo tarde que llegó la mano de obra a la conferencia. It surprised us how late the work force arrived to the conference. It surprised us how late the work force arrived to the conference.

¿Qué quieres para tu cumpleaños, María? Una cita con John Mayer es lo que quiero, Mami. Nada más eso. What do you want for your birthday, Mary? A date with John Mayer is what I want, Mommy. That’s all. Notice how the “what” in the middle of the sentence is not “qué,” rather “lo que.”

lo + que what, that, which. Lo que refers to an abstract idea, or to a previously mentioned situation or concept. Es importante saber lo que quieren los clientes. It’s important to know what the clients want.

¡Un truco de Sra. Schumacher! Try saying “that which.” If it works, use LO QUE!

Lo que me impresionó fue lo caro que era vivir allí. What struck me was how expensive it was to live there. What struck me was how expensive it was to live there. Lo que me molesta es despedir empleados. What bothers me is firing employees. What bothers me is firing employees. Debes ahorrar lo que ganas si quieres jubilarte. You should save what you earn if you want to retire. You should save what you earn if you want to retire.