What does 'lo' mean in this sentence?

Question

Solamente tiene lo indispensable en su casa.

He only has the bare essentials in his house.

I was just reading back through some 'words of the day' and I cant understand why we use 'lo' here.

Good question billygoat - ianta, Jun 29, 2011

thank you - billygoat, Jun 29, 2011

Thanks! I learned something, too. I had already assumed the meaning, but now I know why! - danrivera, Jun 29, 2011

we have some unbelievably helpful people on this site, don't we :-) I just wish my English was good enough to advice the people trying to learn English lol - billygoat, Jun 29, 2011

Answer 1

That "lo" before adjectives or adjectival clauses refers to the property described by the adjective. Essentially, it is equal to "the thing that...", although some translations sound a lot better with a plain "what":

Lo mejor = The best thing

Lo que quiero = The thing that I want (=what I want)

Lo indispensable = The indispensable thing

Thank you! Thats another thing I now understand :-) - billygoat, Jun 29, 2011

Answer 2

Remember that lo + adjective turns the adjective into a noun. If you took out the lo in that sentence it would be like: He only has indispensable/essential in his house. Ok...indispensable/essential WHAT in his house? We're missing the noun. Adding the lo back in will turn it into a noun. Lo indispensable -> what is essential/indispensable, or the essential/indispensable. So a translation to help you see this better would probably be: He only has what is essential in his house.

thank you! that makes perfect sense now :-) - billygoat, Jun 29, 2011

Answer 3

"Lo indispensable" - the indispensable.

This construction is very common in Spanish when referring to generalized qualities.

"Lo bueno es que sobrevivió el choque" - The good thing is (Fortunately) he survived the crash.

thank you. - billygoat, Jun 29, 2011