No me gusta lo rápido que sube el precio.

I don’t like how quickly the price goes up.

Breakdown of No me gusta lo rápido que sube el precio.

• yo: I
• gustar: to like
• no: not
• el precio: the price

Questions & Answers about No me gusta lo rápido que sube el precio.

What does the word lo do here? Why not el or la?

Lo is the neuter article that turns an adjective/adverb into an abstract idea about degree. In lo rápido que sube el precio, it means “how fast.” You can’t use el/la because you’re not talking about a masculine/feminine noun; you’re talking about an abstract quality.

What is the lo + adjective/adverb + que construction?

It’s a very common pattern meaning “how + adj/adv.” Examples:

• No me gusta lo rápido que sube el precio. (how fast)
• Me sorprendió lo caro que está. (how expensive)
• No imaginaba lo lejos que queda. (how far) It’s used both in exclamations and inside larger sentences.

Why rápido instead of rápidamente?

In modern Spanish, rápido works fine as an adverb and sounds more natural in speech. Rápidamente is correct but more formal or bookish. With this pattern, lo rápidamente que sube el precio is grammatical but tends to sound stiff.

Does rápido have to agree with precio? Should it be rápida?

No. In lo rápido que…, the adjective appears in masculine singular because of neuter lo, and it doesn’t agree with anything else. Also, rápido here functions adverbially (modifying the manner of sube), so it doesn’t change to rápida.