Learn Spanish (Latin America): Lo que usted ofrece como compensación es inaceptable. - What you offer as compensation is unacceptable.

Lo que usted ofrece como compensación es inaceptable.

What you offer as compensation is unacceptable.

Breakdown of Lo que usted ofrece como compensación es inaceptable.

as / like (such as, similar to)

Questions & Answers about Lo que usted ofrece como compensación es inaceptable.

Why do we use lo que here instead of just qué for 'what'?

In Spanish, qué with an accent means 'what' in a question, but when 'what' means 'the thing that' or 'that which' in a statement, you need the neuter pronoun lo que. It refers to an abstract idea or an unnamed thing—in this case, the unspecified terms of the offer.

Is inaceptable describing the feminine noun compensación?

No, it is describing the entire abstract idea of lo que usted ofrece (what you offer). When an adjective describes a neuter concept like lo que, it takes the default masculine singular form. However, inaceptable ends in -e, so its masculine and feminine forms are exactly the same anyway!

Why is como used here for 'as'?

You use como to mean 'as' when describing the role, function, or capacity of someone or something. Here, the thing being offered is functioning 'as compensation' (como compensación).

Could we drop usted and just say lo que ofrece?

Yes, you can drop usted if the context makes it clear who you are talking to. However, keeping usted here emphasizes who is making the offer and firmly establishes a formal, professional tone, which fits perfectly with a serious phrase like 'is unacceptable'.