Hoy lo voy a bañar.

Lo is the direct object pronoun. It stands for the person receiving the action of bañar.

In Hoy lo voy a bañar, the speaker is doing the bathing, and lo is the one being bathed.

In Latin American Spanish, lo usually means:

• him
• it (masculine noun)
• sometimes you if speaking formally to a man

So if the meaning shown to the learner is I’m going to bathe him today, then lo = him.

Because bañar takes a direct object, not an indirect one.

You are bathing someone, so that person is the direct object:

• Bañar al niño = to bathe the boy
• Lo voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe him

In most of Latin America, this stays lo for a male direct object.
You may hear le in some parts of Spain because of leísmo, but that is not the standard pattern for Latin American Spanish.

That a is part of the very common future structure:

ir + a + infinitive

So:

• voy a bañar = I am going to bathe

This a does not mean to in the same way it sometimes does elsewhere, and it is not the personal a used before a person as a direct object.

It is just part of the construction going to + verb:

• voy a comer = I’m going to eat
• vamos a salir = We’re going to leave
• lo voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe him

Both can be correct, but they feel a little different.

• Hoy lo baño = I bathe him today / I’m bathing him today
• Hoy lo voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe him today

Ir a + infinitive often sounds more natural when talking about a planned or expected near-future action.

In everyday Latin American Spanish, voy a + verb is extremely common for future meaning.

Yes. That is completely correct.

With ir a + infinitive, the object pronoun can usually go in either of two places:

• Hoy lo voy a bañar
• Hoy voy a bañarlo

Both mean the same thing.

Learners often find lo voy a bañar easier at first because the pronoun comes before the conjugated verb. But both word orders are natural.

Spanish allows both placements with this kind of verb phrase.

When you have a conjugated verb + infinitive, object pronouns can often either:

1. go before the conjugated verb, or
2. attach to the infinitive

So:

• lo voy a bañar
• voy a bañarlo

Both are standard.

This also happens with other verbs:

• te quiero ver / quiero verte
• la puedo llamar / puedo llamarla

Because in this sentence, the subject is bathing someone else, not himself or herself.

• bañar = to bathe someone/something
• bañarse = to bathe oneself / to take a bath

Compare:

• Hoy lo voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe him today
• Hoy me voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe / take a bath today

That little pronoun changes who the action happens to.

Then lo would change to la:

• Hoy la voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe her today

The direct object pronoun agrees with the gender of the person or thing being replaced:

• lo = masculine singular
• la = feminine singular
• los = masculine plural or mixed group
• las = feminine plural

Yes, it can move.

Hoy is a time expression, and Spanish often places it at the beginning for emphasis or simply because it sounds natural.

All of these are possible:

• Hoy lo voy a bañar
• Lo voy a bañar hoy
• Voy a bañarlo hoy

Putting hoy first can slightly highlight today, as if contrasting it with another day.

In everyday conversation, yes, lo voy a bañar hoy often sounds more natural.

Spanish has more than one way to talk about the future:

• lo voy a bañar hoy = common, conversational
• lo bañaré hoy = also correct, but often a bit more formal, written, or less conversational in many contexts

In Latin America especially, ir a + infinitive is very common in speech.

Yes, depending on context.

Lo can refer to:

• a masculine person: him
• a masculine thing: it
• sometimes a formal male you

So without context, Hoy lo voy a bañar could mean:

• I’m going to bathe him today
• I’m going to wash/bathe it today

But because bañar is often used for people, babies, or pets, many learners first meet it as bathe him.

Absolutely. That is very natural.

Spanish word order is more flexible than English, especially with pronouns and time expressions. A speaker might choose:

• Hoy lo voy a bañar
• Lo voy a bañar hoy
• Voy a bañarlo hoy

The choice can depend on rhythm, emphasis, and personal style, but the core meaning stays the same.

You would use the reflexive form:

• Hoy me voy a bañar
• Hoy voy a bañarme

Here me means the subject is doing the action to himself or herself.

So compare:

• Hoy lo voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe him
• Hoy me voy a bañar = I’m going to bathe myself / take a bath

That contrast is very important with bañar and bañarse.