El artículo neutro lo: lo que he echado de menos

Pilar explains the use of the neuter article lo through images of Madrid during the coronavirus pandemic and the things we missed most.

En este vídeo Pilar explica el uso del artículo neutro LO a través de algunas imágenes de Madrid durante la pandemia del coronavirus.

Key points

Lo is a neuter article: it does not refer to a masculine or feminine noun but to an idea.
Lo + adjective expresses an abstract idea: lo bueno, lo malo, lo mejor, lo más importante.
Lo que + verb means the thing that: Lo que he echado de menos son los bares.
Lo + adjective + que intensifies: No sabes lo bonita que es Madrid.

Is this lo the same as the pronoun lo?

No. In lo bueno or lo que, lo is an article; in Lo veo, it is a direct object pronoun. They look the same but work differently.

What does echar de menos mean?

To miss someone or something: Echo de menos a mi familia. In Latin America extrañar is more common.

Does the adjective agree in lo bonita que es?

Yes. In lo + adjective + que, the adjective agrees with the noun: lo bonita que es la ciudad, lo caros que son los pisos.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.