Lo que is the Spanish neuter relative pronoun — the form Spanish reaches for when the thing being referred to is not a specific masculine or feminine noun, but a whole idea, action, situation, or unspecified "thing." It is the standard translation of English "what" in the sense of "the thing(s) that": what you said, what I'm thinking, what really matters. It is one of the most useful connectors in everyday Spanish — Spaniards open sentences with lo que pasa es que… dozens of times a day. This page covers what lo que means, when to use it, and the trap that catches every English-speaking learner: distinguishing lo que (relative) from qué (interrogative).
What "neuter" means here
Spanish has three grammatical genders for pronouns: masculine (el que), feminine (la que), and neuter (lo que). The neuter is not for "neutral gender" living beings — it is for ideas, propositions, and unspecified things that have no noun-class of their own. The article lo in lo que is the same neuter article you see in lo importante, lo mejor, lo bueno y lo malo.
You use lo que when the antecedent is:
- a whole clause or proposition (lo que me dijiste)
- an abstract concept (lo que más me importa)
- an unnamed object or situation (no entiendo lo que pasa)
- something the listener hasn't yet identified (¿sabes lo que vi ayer?)
If the antecedent is a specific noun, you use el que / la que / los que / las que instead, agreeing with the noun's gender and number.
The core use: "what" meaning "the thing that"
Lo que me dijiste ayer me ha hecho pensar mucho.
What you told me yesterday has made me think a lot.
No entiendo lo que está pasando aquí.
I don't understand what's going on here.
Lo que más me gusta de Madrid es la vida nocturna.
What I like most about Madrid is the nightlife.
Haz lo que quieras, a mí me da igual.
Do whatever you want — I don't care.
In every case, lo que could be replaced in English by "the thing(s) that" or "that which" — and that mental substitution is the easiest way to confirm you have the right pronoun.
Lo que referring back to an entire clause
A second major use: when lo que refers back to a whole previous statement rather than a specific noun. In this use, lo que sits inside a non-restrictive clause set off by a comma, and the antecedent is everything that came before it.
Llegó tarde a la reunión, lo que enfadó al jefe.
He arrived late to the meeting, which annoyed the boss.
Ha llovido toda la semana, lo que ha arruinado nuestros planes.
It's been raining all week, which has ruined our plans.
Me dijo que ya no le interesaba el puesto, lo que me sorprendió mucho.
He told me he was no longer interested in the position, which surprised me a lot.
Here lo que enfadó doesn't refer to "the meeting" or "him" — it refers to the entire situation: the fact that he arrived late. A more formal alternative is lo cual, which works in exactly these contexts and adds a measured, written tone:
El gobierno aprobó la reforma sin consultar a los afectados, lo cual generó protestas en todo el país.
The government passed the reform without consulting those affected, which sparked protests across the country.
In speech, lo que dominates. In journalism, essays, and academic prose, you will see lo cual alongside lo que, with lo cual often preferred when the writer wants extra formality.
Lo que + subjunctive
When lo que refers to something not yet identified or hypothetical, it triggers the subjunctive, just like any indefinite antecedent.
Haré lo que sea necesario para terminar a tiempo.
I'll do whatever's necessary to finish on time.
Dime lo que quieras saber, te lo cuento.
Tell me whatever you want to know — I'll tell you.
Lo que diga el médico, eso haremos.
Whatever the doctor says, that's what we'll do.
Compare with the indicative, used when the referent is known and specific:
Hice lo que dijo el médico y me recuperé pronto.
I did what the doctor said and recovered quickly.
The contrast (lo que sea / lo que es, lo que diga / lo que dice) is the same indicative–subjunctive split you see with any antecedent — lo que just adds the neuter flavor.
Lo que in everyday peninsular discourse markers
A handful of fixed expressions built on lo que are everywhere in spoken peninsular Spanish. Learners who internalize these sound dramatically more natural:
- Lo que pasa es que… — "the thing is…" / "what's going on is…" (very common conversational opener)
- Por lo que veo… — "from what I can see…"
- Por lo que parece… — "from what it seems…"
- En lo que respecta a… — "as far as _ is concerned" (formal)
- Lo que sea — "whatever" (as a noun phrase: un café, una caña, lo que sea)
- Lo que es a mí… — "as for me…" (informal, slightly emphatic)
Lo que pasa es que ya no tengo tantas ganas de salir entre semana.
The thing is, I don't really feel like going out on weeknights anymore.
Por lo que veo, has cambiado de opinión.
From what I can see, you've changed your mind.
Pídeme un café, una caña, lo que sea.
Order me a coffee, a beer, whatever.
The crucial contrast: lo que vs qué
This is the trap. Both can translate as "what" in English, but they do different grammatical work:
- Qué (with accent) — interrogative. Used in direct and indirect questions, and in exclamations. Asks what?
- Lo que (no accent on que) — relative. Refers to "the thing that…" Never asks a question.
The test: if you could replace English "what" with "which thing exactly?" it's a question — use qué. If you could replace it with "the thing(s) that…" it's a relative — use lo que.
No sé qué hacer.
I don't know what to do.
No sé lo que voy a hacer mañana.
I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow.
The first is an embedded question — "I don't know which action to take." The second is a relative — "I don't know the thing that I'll do tomorrow." The difference is real and Spaniards hear it instantly.
Dime qué quieres comer.
Tell me what you want to eat (which dish — make a choice).
Dime lo que quieres comer.
Tell me what you want to eat (whatever it is that you want, in general).
In practice, the two often overlap in meaning, especially in casual speech, and Spaniards do occasionally use them interchangeably. But the canonical distinction is the one above, and getting it right is a clear marker of advanced Spanish.
Lo que in nominalizations: "the part of _ that…"
A more advanced use: lo que can stand in for "the part of something" or "the aspect of something." It often pairs with de + noun:
Lo que más me preocupa del proyecto es el presupuesto.
What worries me most about the project is the budget.
Lo que tiene de bueno este pueblo es la tranquilidad.
What's good about this town is how peaceful it is.
Lo poco que sé del tema lo aprendí leyendo.
The little I know about the subject I learned from reading.
Notice the last example introduces lo + adjective + que — a related construction covered on a dedicated page. Lo poco que sé means "the little [amount that] I know." This pattern is unique to Spanish and has no direct English equivalent — English uses noun phrases ("the little I know") where Spanish uses the neuter article with an adjective.
How this differs from English
English has a single word "what" doing the work of both Spanish qué and Spanish lo que, with context disambiguating. Spanish forces the choice with two different forms — and accents on qué mark the difference visually as well as audibly. English speakers must consciously slow down on every "what" and decide: am I asking a question (qué) or am I introducing a relative clause (lo que)?
English also lets "what" head a noun phrase ("what I said is true"). Spanish does the same with lo que (lo que dije es cierto). Where English uses "that which" — what (lo que) — Spanish has a separate, dedicated form.
Common Mistakes
❌ No sé que hacer.
Incorrect — qué (interrogative) requires an accent when meaning 'what to do'.
✅ No sé qué hacer.
I don't know what to do.
❌ Lo qué dijiste es mentira.
Incorrect — after the relative lo, you use que without an accent.
✅ Lo que dijiste es mentira.
What you said is a lie.
❌ La que más me gusta es viajar.
Incorrect — la que requires a feminine antecedent; for an unspecified 'thing,' use lo que.
✅ Lo que más me gusta es viajar.
What I like most is traveling.
❌ Lo que necesito de un libro es que sea interesante. Mira, ahí está el que necesito.
The second sentence should match: el que refers to a specific masculine noun (libro), so it's correct here — but learners often overgeneralize lo que to specific nouns.
✅ Mira, ahí está el libro que necesito — ese es el que estaba buscando.
Look, there's the book I need — that's the one I was looking for.
❌ Llegó tarde, lo que el jefe no le gustó.
Incorrect — when lo que refers to a whole clause and is the subject of an experiencer verb like gustar, the verb takes the right indirect-object structure.
✅ Llegó tarde, lo que no le gustó al jefe.
He arrived late, which the boss didn't like.
Key Takeaways
- Lo que = "what" in the sense of "the thing(s) that." It is the neuter relative pronoun, used when there is no specific noun antecedent.
- It refers either to a future/unspecified "thing" (haré lo que pueda) or back to a whole previous clause (llegó tarde, lo que me molestó).
- Lo cual is a more formal variant; both work in non-restrictive clauses referring back to a whole idea.
- Lo que triggers the subjunctive when the referent is indefinite or hypothetical (lo que sea, lo que diga).
- The contrast with interrogative qué (with accent) is the central trap for English speakers — every "what" must be sorted into "asking question" (qué) or "the thing that" (lo que).
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Pronombre relativo 'que'A2 — Que is the single most common relative pronoun in Spanish — covering English 'that', 'which', 'who' all at once. It is mandatory where English makes it optional, and the structural backbone of half of Spanish complex sentences.
- Pronombres relativos: el que, el cualB1 — The compound relative pronouns el que / la que / los que / las que and the formal el cual / la cual / los cuales / las cuales — when Spanish requires more than plain que and how the two series differ in register.
- El neutro 'lo': lo bueno, lo importanteB1 — The neuter article lo + adjective creates abstract noun phrases — lo bueno (the good part), lo importante (the important thing). How it differs from el bueno, how it combines with adverbs and de + noun, and why English needs a paraphrase wherever Spanish reaches for lo.
- Subjuntivo en cláusulas relativasB2 — Spanish relative clauses pick indicative when the antecedent is real and known, and subjunctive when it's hypothetical, sought, or denied — a contrast that carries genuine semantic weight.
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