Use of "lo"

Question

I often have trouble understanding the meaning of "lo." E.g., from "La Tierra Del Fuego" written by Sylvia Iparraguire:

"Como un aviso, un albatros juega con el viento dejádose llevar por las corrientes que la tempestad arma en lo alto y que aquí abajo tormenten al barco y a la tripulación."

"Entendí que ese hombre principal no podía ser menos que el capitán de uno de los barcos, debía haberlo imaginado desde el principio. Lo demás fue como soñar."

To what does "lo" refer in these sentences? Or are these idioms?

I understand "lo que" as "that which" and "Lo entiendo" as "I understand it," but does "lo" always mean "it"?

Thanks for any clarification you can offer!

Answer 1

"Lo" can replace a subodinate sentence too:
Te dije que vinieras = Te lo dije

Answer 2

Right!

Answer 3

In a nutshell, this neutral article is used to indicate something indeterminate or abstract that is described by a quality (an adjective) or a phrase.

Another example might be 'Has oído lo de Carlos''
Have you heard what happened to Carlos? (that thing about Carlos, that stuff about Carlos)

Answer 4

So "Como un aviso, un albatros juega con el viento dejádose llevar por las corrientes que la tempestad arma en lo alto y que aquí abajo tormenten al barco y a la tripulación." doesn't translate literally into English. "En lo alto" obviously means "above" in context, not as "in the high thing." Anyway, your examples are enlightening. Thanks!

I'm also a little confused by dejándose. I read the whole sentence as something like "Like a warning, an abatros plays in the wind, letting itself take the currents that the storm gathers above and that here below torment the ship and crew."

Answer 5

English does not have such a word, so a different word or structure is used for each meaning (how, what, the thing that..., etc.).
The more I learn about 'lo' the more I like it -it seems to be such a useful word!

Answer 6

Yes, it is one of many translations of "lo".

In a nutshell, this neutral article is used to indicate something indeterminate or abstract that is described by a quality (an adjective) or a phrase.

No sabes cuánto te quiero = No sabes lo que te quiero.

...where the thing that the other one doesn't know is a sort of thing which is described as being loved by someone.

English does not have such a word, so a different word or structure is used for each meaning (how, what, the thing that..., etc.).

Answer 7

I read something the other day where 'lo' seemed to translate as 'how' -can't remember what it was but would
'Puedes ver lo bueno es' translate as 'Can you see how good he is' ?

Sorry Doug (but at least it is about 'lo')

Answer 8

"Lo" has two main meanings and functions: neutral article and direct object pronoun. No idioms in any of those sentences.

lo alto = followed by an adjective, the (adj.) thing: the top thing = "on top"

haberlo imaginado = direct object pronoun (him, it): "haved guessed it."

Lo demás = followed by an adjective,the (adj.) thing: the remaining thing = the rest.

More examples:

lo absurdo = the absurd thing
lo mejor = the best (thing)
lo extraño = the strange (thing)