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Yo iba a abrir el frasco, pero hay que hacerlo lenta y cuidadosamente.

Yo iba a abrir el frasco, pero hay que hacerlo lenta y cuidadosamente.
I was going to open the vial, but one must do it slowly and carefully.
From Lesson 282:Multiple adverbs (-mente)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Yo iba a abrir el frasco, pero hay que hacerlo lenta y cuidadosamente.

Why does it say lenta y cuidadosamente instead of lentamente y cuidadosamente?
When you list two or more adverbs that end in -mente, Spanish drops the -mente from all but the last one. Since -mente adverbs are built from the feminine form of an adjective, the first adverb reverts to that feminine form. So, lentamente becomes just lenta, while cuidadosamente keeps the ending.
Why use the imperfect iba a abrir instead of the preterite fui a abrir?
The phrase iba a abrir means I was going to open it. We use the imperfect tense here to describe a past intention or an interrupted plan, which makes sense because of the word pero (but). Using the preterite fui would imply the action was actually completed.
Why use hay que instead of tengo que?
The phrase hay que is an impersonal way to say one must or it is necessary to. The speaker is stating a general rule about how the vial needs to be opened, rather than saying I personally have to do it (tengo que hacerlo).
What does the lo in hacerlo refer to?
The pronoun lo translates to it, and here it replaces the entire action of opening the vial (abrir el frasco). In Spanish, object pronouns can be attached directly to the end of an infinitive verb like hacer.

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