{"id":142894,"date":"2023-05-31T21:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T01:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-lo\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T05:37:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T10:37:59","slug":"spanish-lo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-lo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use &#8220;Lo&#8221; in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Spanish word <em>lo <\/em>is one of the most versatile words you&#8217;ll ever find in the language.\u00a0While it may seem confusing at first, once you know how to use it, your speaking will be more concise and sound more natural.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since there are several different ways to use the Spanish\u00a0<em>lo,<\/em> we&#8217;ve given you plenty of examples and key reminders so you can gain a good understanding of this multi-functional little word.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The Meaning and Functions of\u00a0<em>Lo\u00a0<\/em>in Spanish<\/h2>\n<p><em>Lo<\/em> means different things depending on how it&#8217;s used. It can be used:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>to replace &#8220;him&#8221; or &#8220;it&#8221;<\/strong> in a sentence where the audience already knows what it&#8217;s referring to. In this case, it&#8217;s used as a direct object pronoun. Example: <em>Lo amo.<\/em> (I love it\/him.)<\/li>\n<li>to <strong>create an abstract noun<\/strong> by placing <em>lo <\/em>before an adjective. Example: <em>lo bueno <\/em>(the good thing)<\/li>\n<li><strong>to quickly answer a question<\/strong> using the verb <em>ser<\/em> or <em>estar<\/em> (to be) without needing to repeat the noun or adjective that was asked about. Example: &#8220;<em>\u00bfTu coche es nuevo?<\/em>&#8221; &#8220;<em>S\u00ed, lo es.<\/em>&#8221; (&#8220;Is your car new?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, it is.&#8221;)\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>to mean &#8220;what&#8221; or &#8220;that&#8221;<\/strong> when paired with <em>que. <\/em>Example: <em>No escuch\u00e9 <strong>lo que<\/strong> dij\u00f3.<\/em> (I didn&#8217;t hear what he said.)\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>to mean &#8220;which&#8221;<\/strong> when paired with <em>cual. <\/em>Example: <em>Ella estaba callada, <strong>lo cual<\/strong> era raro. <\/em>(She was quiet, which was weird.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>to mean &#8220;the thing about&#8221; or &#8220;the matter concerning&#8221;<\/strong> when paired with\u00a0<em>de. <\/em>Example:<em> <span class=\"txt--lang-native\"><strong>Lo de\u00a0<\/strong>tu primo, \u00bfes verdad? <\/span><\/em><span class=\"txt--lang-native\">(<\/span><span class=\"txt--lang-foreign\">That thing about your cousin, is it true?)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>to make a few different expressions <\/strong>that mean something other than their literal translations (we&#8217;ll get to those later).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:3,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;bulleted&quot;}]\">To use <em>lo<\/em> correctly, you need to figure out what its function is in the sentence. Watching the word in use in context is a good way to do this, and you can do this in the videos on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/NativeAd-Spanish.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:3,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;bulleted&quot;}]\">Let&#8217;s take a deeper look at each of its functions and how to use them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Using <em>Lo <\/em>as a Direct Object Pronoun<\/h2>\n<p>The most common function of <em>lo <\/em>in a sentence is probably that of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/direct-object-pronouns-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">direct object pronoun<\/a>. Direct object pronouns replace the direct object, or the\u00a0<strong>noun that receives the direct action of the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/most-common-spanish-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">verb<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-4\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block reference-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text\"><em>Lo <\/em>can be used as a masculine direct object pronoun to replace &#8220;him&#8221; or &#8220;it&#8221; when referring to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-gender-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">masculine object<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1 tu hermano? <\/em>(Where&#8217;s your brother?)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Lo<\/strong> vi en la piscina.<\/em> (I saw <strong>him<\/strong> at the pool.)<\/p>\n<p>In this case, <em>lo<\/em> means &#8220;him&#8221; and refers to <em>tu hermano <\/em>(your brother).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Me gust\u00f3 ese libro. <strong>Lo<\/strong> le\u00ed el a\u00f1o pasado. <\/em>(I liked that book. I read<strong> it<\/strong> last year.)<\/p>\n<p>In this case, <em>lo<\/em> means &#8220;it&#8221; and refers to <em>ese libro<\/em> (that book).<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-22\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block reference-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text\">We can also use <em>lo<\/em> as a neuter direct object pronoun to refer to something non-specific or with no gender, like an abstract idea or situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>No puedo hacer<strong>lo<\/strong>.<\/em> (I can&#8217;t do\u00a0<strong>it<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Quise llamar al banco pero no lo hice. <\/em>(I meant to call the bank but I didn&#8217;t do <strong>it<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n<p>Now that we know that <strong>as a direct object pronoun,\u00a0<em>lo\u00a0<\/em>means &#8220;him&#8221; or &#8220;it,&#8221;<\/strong> let&#8217;s enjoy some more examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Cuando <strong>lo<\/strong> compr\u00e9 no sab\u00eda que era un producto ilegal. <\/em>(When I bought <strong>it<\/strong>\u00a0I didn&#8217;t know it was an illegal product.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo<\/strong> saludar\u00e9 si <strong>lo<\/strong> veo. <\/em>(I&#8217;ll greet <strong>him<\/strong> if I see <strong>him.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>D\u00e1me<strong>lo<\/strong> y te <strong>lo<\/strong> devolver\u00e9 ma\u00f1ana. <\/em>(Give <strong>it<\/strong> to me and I&#8217;ll give <strong>it<\/strong> back to you tomorrow.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>\u00a1Lo<\/strong> siento!\u00a0<\/em>(I&#8217;m sorry! [Literally: I feel <strong>it!<\/strong>])<\/p>\n<h2>Using <em>Lo <\/em>as a Neuter Definite Article:\u00a0<em>Lo + <\/em>Adjective<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0Spanish has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/definite-and-indefinite-articles-in-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">four gendered definite articles<\/a>, plus\u00a0one neuter definite article: <em>lo<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Lo<\/em> as a neuter definite article<\/strong><i>\u00a0<\/i><strong>is followed by a singular masculine adjective to form<\/strong><strong>\u00a0an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-nouns\/#toc_7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abstract noun<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, you can follow\u00a0<em>lo\u00a0<\/em>with <em>bueno<\/em>, the singular masculine adjective for &#8220;good.&#8221;\u00a0<em>Lo bueno<\/em> is now an abstract noun meaning something like &#8220;the good thing&#8221; or &#8220;that which is good.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using <em>lo <\/em>with an adjective means what you say after the adjective has the quality of being that adjective. After saying <em>Lo bueno es&#8230;<\/em>you would say what it is that you consider good:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Lo bueno<\/strong> es que todos est\u00e1n seguros. <\/em>(<strong>The good thing<\/strong> is that everyone is safe.)<\/p>\n<p>See how this works with some more examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo importante<\/strong> es participar. <\/em>(<strong>The important thing<\/strong> is taking part.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo barato<\/strong> sale caro. <\/em>(<strong>That which is cheap<\/strong> ends up being expensive, or &#8220;You get what you pay for.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo mejor<\/strong> est\u00e1 por venir. <\/em>(<strong>The best<\/strong> is yet to come.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"es\"><strong>Lo hermoso<\/strong> de vivir aqu\u00ed son los atardeceres.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"es\">(<strong>The beautiful thing<\/strong> about living here are the sunsets.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Perder el vuelo fue <strong>lo peor<\/strong> que pas\u00f3 en nuestro viaje.<\/em> (Missing the flight was <strong>the worst thing<\/strong> that happened on our trip.)<\/p>\n<h2>Using <em>Lo <\/em>+ <em>Ser <\/em>and <em>Estar<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>When you&#8217;re asked certain questions using <em>ser<\/em> or <em>estar <\/em>(to be), you can <strong>use <em>lo<\/em> to answer without needing to repeat the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-nouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noun<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/advanced-spanish-adjectives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">adjective<\/a><\/strong> mentioned in the question.<\/p>\n<p>To do so, you place <em>lo<\/em> in front of the verb <em>ser <\/em>or <em>estar <\/em>in reference to the noun or adjective you want to replace. It sounds confusing until you see it in practice:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;\u00bfEs \u00e9l estudiante?&#8221; &#8220;S\u00ed, <strong>lo<\/strong> es. \/ No, no <strong>lo<\/strong> es.&#8221;<\/em> (&#8220;Is he a student?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, he is. \/ No, he isn&#8217;t.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>In this example, <em>lo <\/em>is referring to &#8220;student.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;\u00bfEstaba ella feliz?&#8221; &#8220;<\/em><em>S\u00ed, <strong>lo<\/strong> estaba. \/ No, no <strong>lo<\/strong> estaba.&#8221; <\/em>(&#8220;Was she happy?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, she was. \/ No, she wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>This time, <em>lo <\/em>is referring to &#8220;happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few more examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;\u00bfEres de Colombia?&#8221; &#8220;S\u00ed, <strong>lo<\/strong> soy. \/ No, no <strong>lo<\/strong> soy.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;Are you from Colombia?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, I am. \/ No, I&#8217;m not.&#8221;) \u2014 <em>Lo <\/em>is referring to being Colombian.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;\u00bfEstuviste casada en el pasado?&#8221; &#8220;S\u00ed, <strong>lo<\/strong> estuve. \/ No, no <strong>lo<\/strong> estuve.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;Were you married in the past?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, I was. \/ No, I wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;) \u2014 <em>Lo <\/em>is referring to being married.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>&#8220;\u00bfEs tu madre trabajadora social?&#8221; &#8220;S\u00ed, <strong>lo<\/strong> es. \/ No, no<strong> lo<\/strong> es.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;Is your mom a social worker?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, she is. \/ No, she isn&#8217;t.&#8221;) \u2014 <em>Lo <\/em>is referring to being a social worker.<\/p>\n<h2>Using <em>Lo que <\/em>and <em>Lo cual<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The closest way of translating <em>lo que <\/em>into English is <strong>&#8220;that,&#8221; &#8220;that which&#8221; or &#8220;what,&#8221;<\/strong> once again, depending on the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo que<\/strong> pas\u00f3 es que no ten\u00eda dinero. <\/em>(What happened was that I had no money.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo que<\/strong> necesito es m\u00e1s tiempo. <\/em>(What I need is more time.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>No s\u00e9<strong> lo que<\/strong> le dijo a su madre. <\/em>(I don&#8217;t know what he told his mother.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>No es oro todo <strong>lo que<\/strong> reluce. <\/em>(Not all that glitters is gold.)<\/p>\n<p><em>Lo cual<\/em> can almost always be translated as &#8220;which.&#8221; <em>Lo cual <\/em><strong>always refers to something that has already been mentioned before in the same sentence,<\/strong> so its natural <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-sentence-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">position in the sentence<\/a> will be after a comma, not at the beginning of the sentence as with the previous constructions:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Ayer vi a tu hermano en Madrid, <strong>lo cual<\/strong> me sorprendi\u00f3 mucho. <\/em>(I saw your brother in Madrid yesterday, which surprised me a lot.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"es\">Siempre ronca, <strong>lo cual<\/strong>\u00a0me molesta mucho.<\/span><\/em><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"es\"> (<\/span><span class=\"Y2IQFc\" lang=\"es\">He always snores, which bothers me a lot.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>One curious thing about <em>lo cual <\/em>is that it can always be substituted by <em>lo que,<\/em> but the opposite does not always give you a grammatically correct sentence.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you can say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Ayer vi a tu hermano en Madrid, <strong>lo que<\/strong> me sorprendi\u00f3 mucho. <\/em>(I saw your brother in Madrid yesterday, which surprised me a lot.)<\/p>\n<p>But you cannot, for example, replace<em> lo que<\/em> with <em>lo cual<\/em> in the sentence <em>No s\u00e9<strong> lo que<\/strong> le dijo a su madre. <\/em>(I don&#8217;t know what he told his mother.)<\/p>\n<h2>Using<em> Lo de<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><i>D<\/i>epending on the sentence, <em>lo de<\/em> can take many different shapes and forms.<\/p>\n<p>If I have to give you a general translation, it would be &#8220;the thing about,&#8221; &#8220;the matter about&#8221; or &#8220;the matter concerning.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Lo de <\/em>is<strong> normally followed by a noun or a verb in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-infinitive-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">infinitive form<\/a>.<\/strong> When you use it, you&#8217;re referring to that noun or infinitive, and you use this construction as an introduction to the topic before you give more information about it.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s have a look at one example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo de<\/strong> mi hermano no era verdad. <\/em>(That matter about my brother was not true, or What I said\/was said about my brother was not true.)<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the speaker is referring to something that the audience likely already knows about, without having to state exactly what it is.<\/p>\n<p>Have a look at a couple more examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo de<\/strong> mi vecino es un misterio. <\/em>(That matter about my neighbor is a mystery.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo de<\/strong> bailar no es mi fuerte. <\/em>(Dancing is not my strength.) \u2014\u00a0<em>Lo <\/em>here is just referring to &#8220;the topic of \/ the act of&#8221; dancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In that last example, you might be wondering if you can say <em>Bailar no es mi fuerte <\/em>without having to use <em>lo de. <\/em>You absolutely can! <strong>If you have an infinitive you can omit <em>lo de<\/em>.<\/strong> It sounds so nice in Spanish, though&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2>Expressions That Use the Spanish <em>Lo<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><em>Lo <\/em>appears in a number of fixed expressions that <strong>most of the time cannot be translated literally<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The best piece of advice I can give you here is to study these expressions and learn them by heart. There are only a few and they&#8217;re used often enough to make them worth the time investment.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the five most commonly used expressions with\u00a0<em>lo<\/em><em>:<\/em><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-4933333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-4933333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Expression<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Meaning<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong><em>A lo lejos<\/em><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">In the distance<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><em>Lo vi <strong>a lo lejos<\/strong> y lo reconoc\u00ed enseguida. <\/em>(I saw him in the distance and recognized him right away.)<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em>Desde la cima de la monta\u00f1a, pod\u00edamos ver la ciudad <strong>a lo lejos<\/strong>.<\/em> (From the top of the mountain, we could see the city in the distance.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong><em>A lo mejor<\/em><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Maybe<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><em><strong>A lo mejor<\/strong> ya han llegado.<\/em> (Maybe they have arrived already.)<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em><strong>A lo mejor<\/strong> llueve ma\u00f1ana, as\u00ed que deber\u00edamos llevar paraguas.<\/em> (Maybe it will rain tomorrow, so we should bring umbrellas.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong><em>Por lo menos <\/em><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">At least<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><em>Necesito <strong>por lo menos<\/strong> una hora m\u00e1s. <\/em>(I need at least one more hour.)<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em>Tenemos que llegar <strong>por lo menos <\/strong>media hora antes del concierto.<\/em> (We have to arrive at least half an hour before the concert.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong><em>Por lo tanto <\/em><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">So, hence, thus, therefore, as a result<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><em>Vivo solo, <strong>por lo tanto<\/strong> tengo mucho tiempo libre.<\/em> (I live by myself, so I have a lot of free time.)<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em>Estudiar para el examen es importante, <strong>por lo tanto<\/strong>, debes dedicarle tiempo.<\/em> (Studying for the exam is important, therefore, you should dedicate time to it.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong><em>Por lo visto <\/em><\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Apparently<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><em><strong>Por lo visto<\/strong> se ha vuelto a casar.<\/em> (Apparently he has remarried.)<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<em><strong>Por lo visto<\/strong>, el concierto estuvo lleno de energ\u00eda y emoci\u00f3n. <\/em>(Apparently, the concert was full of energy and excitement.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h2>What to Remember About the Spanish <em>Lo<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>When functioning as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a pronoun<\/a>, <em>lo <\/em>will<strong> precede the verb except when the verb is an infinitive, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/past-participle-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">present participle<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-commands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">positive imperative<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Lo<\/strong> quiero<\/em>. (I want it\/him.) \u2014 <em>Quiero<\/em> is not an infinitive, present participle or positive imperative, so <em>lo<\/em> goes before it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>No puedo comprar<strong>lo. <\/strong><\/em>(I cannot buy it.) \u2014 <em>Comprar<\/em> is an infinitive verb, so <em>lo<\/em> goes after (and attached to) it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Estoy cambi\u00e1ndo<strong>lo. <\/strong><\/em>(I am changing it.) \u2014 <em>Cambiando<\/em> is a present participle, so <em>lo<\/em> goes after it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u00a1D\u00e1me<strong>lo! <\/strong><\/em>(Give it to me!) \u2014 <em>D\u00e1me<\/em> is a positive imperative, so <em>lo<\/em> goes after it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t think you can translate <em>lo <\/em>as &#8220;it&#8221; every time.<\/strong> As shown above, there are many cases where<em>\u00a0lo<\/em> does not translate to &#8220;it&#8221; or &#8220;him.&#8221; Consider the context to determine what the whole phrase or sentence means, as you can&#8217;t always translate the word <em>lo<\/em> directly into English.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations on taking this huge step to boost your Spanish to the next level.<\/p>\n<p>Stay curious and, as always, happy learning!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing\u2026<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> will then love FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\nOther sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You\u2019ll learn Spanish as it\u2019s actually spoken by real people.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1234 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-1.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts.<\/strong> You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don\u2019t know, you can add it to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-2.png\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-interactive-subtitled-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nReview a complete interactive transcript under the <strong>Dialogue<\/strong> tab, and find words and phrases listed under <strong>Vocab<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1235 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-3.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-songs\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nLearn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU\u2019s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you\u2019re on.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1236 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-4.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-music-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you\u2019re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned.<strong> Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they\u2019re learning with the same video.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Spanish word lo is one of the most versatile words you&#8217;ll ever find in the language.\u00a0While it may seem confusing at first, once you know how to use it,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":142895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"How to Use \"Lo\" in Spanish | FluentU Spanish Blog","description":"The Spanish \"lo\" is a small but versatile word with many different uses. By learning how and when to use \"lo\" in Spanish, you can speak more concisely and sound more natural. Heads up: it doesn't always mean \"him\" or \"it!\" Click here for everything you need to know about using \"lo.\""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[590,593],"tags":[],"coauthors":[191],"class_list":["post-142894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish","category-spanish-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142894"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243947,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142894\/revisions\/243947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142894"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=142894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}