Breakdown of Lo importante es que el conductor involucrado hizo el croquis.
ser
to be
importante
important
hacer
to do / to make
que
that / than
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
el croquis
sketch
el conductor
driver
involucrado
involved
Questions & Answers about Lo importante es que el conductor involucrado hizo el croquis.
Why isn't there an accusative a before el croquis for disambiguation?
We sometimes use the accusative a with inanimate objects to prevent confusion when it is hard to tell which noun is the subject and which is the object. However, here el conductor (the driver) is clearly the one capable of drawing, and el croquis (the sketch) is the object being drawn. Because there is zero ambiguity about who is doing the action, no a is needed.
Why does it say lo importante instead of el importante?
Lo is the neuter article. When you put lo in front of an adjective like importante, it turns the adjective into an abstract noun meaning 'the important thing'. If you used el importante, you would be referring to a specific masculine noun, like 'the important one' (referring to a man or a masculine object).
Doesn't the word importante usually trigger the subjunctive? Why is hizo in the indicative?
This is a very common trap! The phrase es importante que... imposes a necessity and triggers the subjunctive (for example, es importante que él haga el croquis means 'it is important that he make the sketch'). However, lo importante es que... declares an established fact or states the primary takeaway. Because you are stating a fact ('he made the sketch'), you use the indicative hizo.
What exactly is a croquis in this context?
A croquis is a sketch or rough draft. In many Latin American countries, when there is a minor car accident, the drivers involved or the police are required to draw a croquis (a quick diagram of the scene showing the cars' positions) for insurance and legal purposes. That is why this sentence specifically mentions el conductor involucrado (the involved driver) making it.
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