The Neuter Gender in Spanish

Él and ella. Nosotros and nosotras. El and la. Un and una. El profesor and la profesora. In Spanish, everything is either masculine or feminine, right? Not quite. True, Spanish isnt like German, where in terms of gender nouns fall into three classifications (masculine, feminine, and neuter). Indeed, in Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine. But Spanish does have use for the neuter form, which can come in handy when referring to concepts or ideas. The thing to keep in mind about Spanishs neuter form is that it is never used to refer to known objects or people, and there are no neuter nouns or descriptive adjectives. Here, then, are the cases where youll see the neuter used: Lo as the Neuter Definite Article Chances are that youre familiar with el and la, which usually are translated as the in English. Those words are known as definite articles because they refer to definite things or people (el libro, for example, refers to a specific book). Spanish also has a neuter definite article, lo, but you cant use it before a noun like you do el or la because there are no neuter nouns. Instead, lo is used before singular adjectives (and sometimes possessive pronouns) when they function as nouns, usually referring to a concept or category, not to a single concrete object or a person. If youre translating into English, there is no one way in which lo is always translated; youll usually need to supply a noun, the choice of which depends on the context. In most cases, what is is a possible translation for lo. A sample sentence should help make this easier to understand: Lo importante es amar. Here importante is the adjective (generally in the masculine singular when used with lo) functioning as a noun. You could use a variety of English translations: The important thing is to love. What is important is to love. The important aspect is to love. Here are some other sample sentences with possible translations: Lo mejor es el baà ±o. (The best part is the bathroom. The best thing is the bathroom.)Lo nuevo es que estudia. (Whats new is that hes studying. The new thing is that he studies.)Me gusta lo francà ©s. (I like French things. I like what is French.)Le di lo inà ºtil a mi hermana. (I gave the useless stuff to my sister. I gave the useless items to my sister. I gave what was useless to my sister. Note that you couldnt use lo à ºtil for a specific object that has a name. If were referring to a useless spoon, for example, you could say la inà ºtil  because the word for spoon, cuchara, is feminine.  )Puedes pintar lo tuyo. (You can paint whats yours. You can paint your things.) It is also possible to use lo in this way with some adverbs, but this usage isnt as common as the cases above: Me enojà ³ lo tarde que salià ³. (It angered me how late he left. The lateness of his leaving angered me.) Lo as a Neuter Direct Object Lo is used to represent an idea or concept when it is the direct object of a verb. (This may not look like a neuter use, because lo can also be used as a masculine pronoun.) In such usages, lo is usually translated as it. No lo creo. (I dont believe it.)Lo sà ©. (I know it.)No lo comprendo. (I dont understand it.)No puedo creerlo. (I cant believe it.) In these cases, lo/it doesnt refer to an object, but to a statement that has been made earlier or that is understood. Neuter Demonstrative Pronouns Usually, demonstrative pronouns are used to point at an object: à ©ste (this one), à ©se (that one), and aquà ©l (that one over there). The neuter equivalents (esto, eso, and aquello) are all unaccented, end in -o, and have roughly the same meanings, but as is the case with the direct object lo, they usually refer to an idea or concept rather than an object or person. They can also refer to an unknown object. Here are some examples of its use: No olvides esto. (Dont forget this.)No creo eso. (I dont believe that.0 ¿Quà © es aquello? (What is that over there?) ¿Te gustà ³ eso? (Did you like that?)No me importa esto. (This isnt important to me.) Note that the final two sentences must refer to an event, situation, or process rather than an object with a name. For example, if youre walking in a dark jungle and get a creepy feeling about something that might happen, no me gusta esto would be appropriate. But if youre sampling a hamburger and dont care for it, no me gusta à ©sta would be appropriate (à ©sta is used because the word for hamburger, hamburguesa, is feminine). Ello Ello is the neuter equivalent of à ©l and ella. Its use these days is unusual, and only in literature are you likely to find it used as the subject of a sentence. It usually is translated as it or this. Note that in these examples, ello refers to an unnamed situation rather than a specified thing. Hemos aprendido a vivir con ello. (We have learned to live with it.)Por ello no pudo encontrar la trascendencia que hubiera deseado. (Because of it, he couldnt find the transcendence he had wanted.)