How to translate "lo" in this sentence?

Question

I read the following dialogue:

A: Cuáles parecían ser la verdad?

B: Yo pienso que lo del gato y lo del teléfono tienen la probalilidad más alta de ser la verdad.

In B's sentence, how to translate the word lo into English?

Answer 1

In English, we use the word "thing" much more than the word "cosa" in Spanish.

We say stuff like... The best thing... The necessary thing... The only thing... The most important thing...

Where as in Spanish, those would be... Lo mejor... Lo necesario... Lo único... Lo más importante...

So, in sentence A, it is asking, What appeared to be the truth?

Sentence B is saying, I think that "the thing about", or "the matter concerning" the cat and "the thing about", or "the matter concerning" the phone have the highest chances of being the truth.

"Lo de" takes the place of either of those ideas in quotes.

Other examples I found to help explain how "lo de" can take the place of a thing or idea:

Los senadores republicanos fueron informados sobre lo de la CIA. The Republican senators were informed about the CIA matter.

Lo de que las niñas japonesas se perdieron no era una mentira. The story about the Japanese girls getting lost wasn't a lie.

Lo de Castro es todo pretextos y mentiras. Castro's way of doing things is all pretexts and lies.

Thanks a lot, Tosh! Please click my question again to see my further question. - joygogo, Dec 8, 2013

Very useful answer. I have struggled with this for years. Thank you. - gringojrf, Dec 8, 2013

Answer 2

To Tosh´s great answer, I would like to add, that in addition to often being ¨the thing¨ it is often very often ¨the one¨, or, ¨the one with¨, or, ¨the one of¨ One being a very generic nouny-pronouny abstract-object thing in English.

.

For example.

Which one is better? The one that works.

. ¿Cuál es mejor? Lo que funciona..

. .

Another way to translate it often is ¨that off

Yo pienso que lo del gato y lo del teléfono tienen la probalilidad más alta de ser la verdad.

I think the one with the cat or the one with the telephone has the highest chance of being true.

I think the one of the cat or the one of the telephone has the highest chance of being true.

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or even mixing them depending on context.

I think the one of the cat or the one with the telephone has the highest chance of being true.

.

Espero que los ejemplos te sirvan.

Cheers

Your explanation is very helpful, too. Thanks a lot! ^_^ - joygogo, Dec 8, 2013

Answer 3

Hola, Tosh! Thanks for your prompt help. You gave me an excellent explanation. But I have two more questions about the last 2 example sentences you gave me:

(1) Since "lo de" is a new phrase for me, I don't know it can be placed in front of "que". Does "que" work as "that" for "that-clause" here?

(2) You translate "Lo de Castro" as "Castro's way of doing things", but can I translate it as "What Castro does"?

Also, from your exmaple I learn a new word "perderse". I would like to post what I got from the SDictionary here for myself to read.

pronomial verb

to get lost (extraviarse)

me he perdido ( I'm lost)

se me ha perdido el reloj ( I've lost my watch) (Well, I'm still not familiar with this sentence pattern "se me" yet.)

I think the preterite is much more common for this expression. Se me perdió el reloj.. Me he perdido feels more like ¨I have gotten lost¨. I´m lost is maybe ¨estoy perdido¨ - rogspax, Dec 8, 2013

Thank you, Roger! I'm just wondering why bother using the present perfect tense in both sentences. - joygogo, Dec 8, 2013