Lo importante es mantener la calma.

The important thing is to stay calm.

Breakdown of Lo importante es mantener la calma.

• ser: to be
• la calma: the calm
• mantener: to maintain
• lo importante: the important thing

Questions & Answers about Lo importante es mantener la calma.

What does the lo mean in Lo importante?

Here lo is the neuter article. It turns an adjective into an abstract noun: lo importante = “the important thing/what’s important.” It doesn’t refer to a masculine or feminine noun; it refers to the idea or quality in general.

Why isn’t it la importante?

Because there’s no specific feminine noun being modified. When you want to talk about an abstract quality in general (the important thing, the good, the bad, etc.), Spanish uses neuter lo + adjective: lo importante, lo bueno, lo malo. If you said la importante, you’d be implying a feminine noun like la cosa importante, which isn’t present here.

Why is it es and not está?

Use ser (es) to define, classify, or state essential characteristics. The structure here is an identity/definition: “What is the important thing? To keep calm.” With such general, timeless statements of value or importance, Spanish uses ser, not estar.

Why is mantener in the infinitive? Could it be conjugated?

The infinitive mantener acts like a noun here, functioning as the complement to lo importante es. You wouldn’t conjugate it as mantiene in this structure. English also uses the infinitive/gerund in similar ways: “The important thing is to keep/keeping calm.”