Learn Spanish (Latin America): Con lo frustrante que es caminar aquí, necesitamos encontrar un atajo. - With how frustrating it is to walk here, we need to find a shortcut.

This is a causal structure. Con lo followed by an adjective and que translates to "with how [adjective] it is" or "considering how [adjective] it is." In this sentence, Con lo frustrante que es emphasizes the intensity of the frustration as the direct cause or reason for needing a shortcut.

Why is the verb es in the indicative rather than the subjunctive? Doesn't frustrante express an opinion?

Even though emotion or opinion adjectives often trigger the subjunctive in other structures, the formula con lo [adjective] que takes the indicative when you are declaring a known, experienced fact. You are stating the frustration as an established reality ("it is frustrating"), not treating it as a subjective doubt or emotional reaction, which grounds it as the solid reason for your next action.

Why do we use lo before frustrante? Isn't lo usually a direct object pronoun?

In this case, lo is a neuter article, not an object pronoun. When you put lo in front of an adjective like frustrante, it turns the adjective into an abstract concept. In this specific grammar pattern, it quantifies the adjective, meaning "the degree of frustration" or "how frustrating" the situation is.

Where does the word atajo come from?