grammar for lo que

Question

What are the uses fir "lo que"

Answer 1

I use "lo que" to mean that which, or what (not in a question sense)- when what I am referring to is undefined.

Here is a little more:

http://spanish.about.com/od/sentencestructure/a/lo.htm

As part of lo que or lo cual: These phrases serve as relative pronouns usually meaning "that," "what" or "that which":

• (Título) La marihuana: Lo que los padres deben saber. (Headline) Marijuana: What parents ought to know.

• Mis padres me daba todo lo que yo necesitaba. My parents gave me everything that I needed.

• No puedo decidir lo que es mejor. I can't decide what is better.

• No todo lo que brilla es oro. Not everything that shines is gold.

http://spanish.about.com/od/pronouns/a/lo-que.htm

Key grammatical issue: Lo que, used in this selection three times, is a common way of starting a phrase that functions as a noun. It is probably best to think of lo que here as a single word, a type of neuter relative pronoun. When lo que refers to an idea or abstract action, it can almost always be translated as "what" or "that which." Some examples of everyday phrases using lo que in this way:

• Lo que pasa, what is happening. • • Lo que hemos hecho, what we have done. • • Lo que me preocupa, what is worrying me. • • Lo que sabemos, what we know. • • Lo que es inolvidable, what is unforgettable.

"The thing that" can be used in translation when referring to something more specific: lo que tiene seis ojos, the thing that has six eyes.

http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/COURSES/relpron1.htm

Neuter relative pronouns: lo que and lo cual (which, what). Since they are neuter forms, these pronouns refer to a situation or concept, not a specific masculine or femine noun or pronoun. The difference between them is that lo cual is used only when it refers to something that has already been mentioned in the same sentence. Lo que may be used like lo cual, and may also be used to refer to something that has not been brought up before; thus it may be used at the beginning of an utterance. Tip: when the word “what” appears in a sentence and is not a question word, it is normally translated as lo que.

Enrique empezó a gritar en voz muy alta, lo cual [o: lo que] le molestó mucho a su familia. Enrique began to shout in a very loud voice, which upset his family very much. [The thing referred back to is not a noun phrase such as “the shout” or “his shouts” but the situation involving the verb or the action of shouting.]

No puedo describir lo que vi en la calle esta mañana. I can't describe what I saw in the street this morning. [Lo cual could not be used here, since there is no antecedent given in the sentence.]

Lo que dijiste no tiene sentido. What you said doesn't make any sense. [Again, lo cual could not be used here, since there is no antecedent given in the sentence.]