How to say "it"
When I ask how to say "it" I don't mean as the direct object like for example
"I have it" "lo tengo"
Or "I said it" "lo dije"
I mean it as in when you say in English "what are you going to do with IT"
Like with IT
In IT
About IT
How do you translate that IT into Spanish
6 Answers
Hello!
These links from the thoughtco & wordreference might be pertinent to this subject.
Hope this helps.
Regards!
Hi toz, apart from the excellent suggestions from both NM and feliz, I would like to add that we sometimes do not translate it.
As you mentioned "about it" I was thinking just that.
about it
We can't do anything about it.
No podemos hacer nada.
in it:
There is nothing in it.
No hada nada dentro.
to it:
there is nothing to it.
No significa nada.
Hello Tozelton,
Welcome to our Spanishdict community forum 
You asked:
When I ask how to say "it" I don't mean as the direct object like for example"I have it" "lo tengo" Or "I said it" "lo dije" I mean it as in when you say in English "what are you going to do with IT" Like with IT In It About IT How do you translate that IT into Spanish
In Spanish there is no direct equivalent for some English words like it but the translation of this word would vary according to the context, ie: What you were trying to say!
In some situations /contexts like in the example you gave, you could say:
¿Qué vas a hacer con ello (o eso)? = What are you going to do with it?
Use ello as a subsitute for masculine objects! eg: el libro, el lápiz
¿Qué vas a hacer con ella (o esa)? = What are you going to do with it?
Use ella as a substitute for feminine words eg: la mesa, la caja
In other contexts/situations the English word it is not translated as a separate (individual) word
It is wonderful that you are here = Es (it is) estupendo que estés aquí
The (present) subjunctive: estés is used in sentences like this which make impersonal statements It is good /wonderful that,,,,
I hope this helps
Corrijan mi español si es necesario, por favor
¿Cómo se dice "it" en español?
No pude resistirme esta pequeña broma.
I know about it.
Yo sé sobre eso.
Yo sé sobre esto.
I'm afraid of it.
Tengo miedo de eso.
Tengo miedo de esto.
I think about it.
Pienso en eso.
Pienso en esto.
I drink with it.
Bebo con eso.
Bebo con esto.
As you may see "eso" and "esto" could be a good solution.
There could be other solutions but the one above is easy.
Sé mucho sobre electrónica.
Sé mucho sobre ella. (not so common) or Sé mucho sobre eso.
Tengo miedo de la oscuridad.
Tengo miedo de ella. (a little weird) Le tengo miedo. or Le tengo miedo a eso.
Pienso mucho sobre mi examen.
Pienso sobre eso.
Yo bebo con la cuchara.
Yo bebo con ella. (unusual?)
Yo bebo con eso.
In my opinion "eso" or "esto" could be a good general choice.
What are you going to do with it?
¿Qué vas a hacer con eso?
All the answers here have done an excellent of answering the OP's question. I also very much like the links that NKM provided. (I might start calling you the link-master, NKM)
I disagree with couple of minor points in Feliz' post which I will explain below. Hopefully some native speakers can provide some input.
In the first link that NKM provided, Gerald Erichsen states:
If the prepositional object refers to a noun that's masculine, use él; if you are referring to a noun that's feminine, use ella.
El coche está roto. Necesito un eje para él. (The car is broken. I need an axle for it.) Me gusta mucho mi bicicleta. No puedo vivir sin ella. (I like my bicycle a lot. I can't live without it.)
Later he goes on to discuss ello and eso.
When the object of a preposition refers to a general condition or something without a name, you can use the neuter pronoun for "it," ello.
Mi novia me odia. No quiero hablar de ello. (My girlfriend hates me. I don't want to talk about it.) No te preocupes por ello. (Don't worry about it.)
Note that in all of these examples "ello" is being used to substitute for a idea or a concept (in his words, something without a name) not for a tangible object.
Butt & Benjamin say:
Ello. This is a third-person neuter noun. It is invariable in form and can only be used to translate "it" when this pronoun does not refer to a specific noun. (As in I prefer not to talk about it)
Feliz provides an example and makes a statement:
¿Qué vas a hacer con ello (o eso)? = What are you going to do with it?
Use ello as a substitute for masculine objects! eg: el libro, el lápiz
First the easy part. Gerald Erichsen says use "él" for masculine nouns, not "ello"
Both Erichsen and Butt and Benjamin are saying not to use "ello" to substitute for physical nouns. In the example sentence: I really can't imagine that "What are you going to do with it?" is not referring to a physical noun. Therefore, I don't think "ello" should be used in this context.
So, I would say:
Use él after prepositions to substitute for masculine nouns.
Use "ello" (or eso / esto) after prepositions to refer to concepts, ideas, previously discussed topics etc .
If there is a physical item, which is unknown in terms what it is (and therefore gender) use eso or esto after prepositions depending on the proximity to the speaker.
It may also be acceptable to use eso or esto after prepositions even when the gender of the item is known. Polenta's indicated in her answer that this is what she does. I don't know if this usage is grammatically correct but I suspect it is common.
Comments?
