Mira lo bien que dobla la ropa mi hermana; yo todavía lo hago despacio.

Here mira is the informal singular command of mirar, so it means look.

It is being used to call someone’s attention to what comes next:

Mira lo bien que dobla la ropa mi hermana = Look how well my sister folds the clothes / the laundry

So this is not the present-tense verb you look. In this sentence, it is clearly an imperative: Look!

Lo bien que is a very common Spanish structure meaning how well.

Pattern:

• lo + adverb/adjective + que

So:

• lo bien que dobla la ropa = how well she folds the clothes
• lo rápido que corre = how fast he runs
• lo difícil que es = how difficult it is

In this sentence, lo does not mean it. It is part of an exclamatory structure that intensifies bien.

In this pattern, que introduces the clause that explains how well, fast, badly, etc., something happens.

So:

• lo bien que dobla la ropa literally works like how well it is that she folds the clothes, though that is not natural English.

You should learn lo bien que, lo mal que, lo rápido que, lo lento que, etc. as fixed patterns meaning:

• how well
• how badly
• how fast
• how slowly

Spanish word order is more flexible than English.

A more straightforward order would be:

• Mira lo bien que mi hermana dobla la ropa

But Spanish very often puts the subject after the verb, especially when the focus is on the action first and the subject comes later.

So:

• dobla la ropa mi hermana

is completely natural and helps highlight mi hermana at the end.

It can feel a bit like:

• Look how well folds the laundry my sister

which is not normal in English, but is normal in Spanish word order.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English does not.

Here la ropa means the clothes, the laundry, or clothes in a general practical sense.

With everyday activities, Spanish commonly uses the article:

• lavar la ropa = to wash clothes / the laundry
• doblar la ropa = to fold the clothes / the laundry
• cepillarse los dientes = to brush one’s teeth

So la ropa sounds natural here even if English might simply say clothes or laundry.

Here doblar la ropa means to fold the clothes or to fold the laundry.

The verb doblar has several meanings depending on context, such as:

• to fold
• to bend
• to turn

But with ropa, the natural meaning is to fold.

So in this sentence, we are talking about folding clothes neatly, not bending them.

Yes, Spanish often drops subject pronouns because the verb already shows the person:

• hago already means I do

So you could say:

• Todavía lo hago despacio

But yo is included here for contrast:

• my sister does it very well; I still do it slowly

That makes yo sound like:

• as for me
• I, on the other hand

So it is not required, but it adds emphasis.

Here todavía means still.

So:

• yo todavía lo hago despacio = I still do it slowly

It suggests that the speaker has not reached the sister’s level yet.

Todavía can also mean yet in some contexts, especially in questions and negatives:

• ¿Todavía no has terminado? = Haven’t you finished yet?

But in this sentence, still is the right meaning.

Here lo stands for the whole action of doblar la ropa.

So:

• Lo hago despacio = I do it slowly

This lo is a neuter direct object pronoun referring to an idea, action, or situation, not to a specific masculine noun.

It does not mean that the speaker is doing the clothes. It means the speaker is doing that activity: folding the clothes.

Because lo is replacing the whole action, not the noun la ropa by itself.

Compare these:

• Doblo la ropa = I fold the clothes
• La doblo = I fold it
  Here la refers to la ropa

But:

• Lo hago despacio = I do it slowly
  Here lo refers to folding the clothes, the activity as a whole

So:

• la = the clothing itself
• lo = the act of doing it

That is why lo hago is correct in this sentence.

Despacio is an adverb meaning slowly.

You need an adverb here because it describes how the action is done:

• lo hago despacio = I do it slowly

A few useful comparisons:

• lento / lenta = slow as an adjective
• lentamente = slowly as an adverb
• despacio = slowly, very common in everyday speech

So:

• Voy despacio = I’m going slowly
• Hablo despacio = I speak slowly

Despacio is extremely natural and common.

Yes. That is also very natural.

Both of these can mean Look how well my sister folds the clothes:

• Mira lo bien que dobla la ropa mi hermana
• Mira qué bien dobla la ropa mi hermana

The version with qué bien is often a little more direct and conversational. The version with lo bien que is also very common and emphasizes the degree strongly.

So as a learner, it is useful to recognize both patterns:

• qué bien...
• lo bien que...

The semicolon links two closely related parts:

• Mira lo bien que dobla la ropa mi hermana
• yo todavía lo hago despacio

The first part talks about the sister’s skill, and the second contrasts the speaker with her.

A semicolon is not the only possibility. You could also see:

• a comma
• a dash
• two separate sentences

But the semicolon works well because the two ideas are closely connected and contrasted.