Breakdown of Lo que necesita es una consulta, no un termómetro.
ser
to be
no
no, not
un
a, an (masculine)
una
a, an (feminine)
necesitar
to need
que
that / than
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
la consulta
doctor's appointment
el termómetro
thermometer
Questions & Answers about Lo que necesita es una consulta, no un termómetro.
Why is 'What' translated as Lo que instead of Qué?
Qué with an accent is used for questions and exclamations. When 'what' means 'the thing that' in a declarative statement, you use the phrase lo que. Here, it introduces the core idea: 'The thing that he needs is...'
Why does the translation use 'a doctor's appointment' for una consulta instead of una cita?
How do we know the sentence means 'What he needs' when there is no pronoun like él?
The verb necesita is the third-person singular form, which can mean 'he needs,' 'she needs,' or 'you (formal) need.' In a real conversation, the subject would be clear from previous context. The English translation uses 'he' to show one likely meaning, but 'What you need' or 'What she needs' would also be grammatically correct.
Is it grammatically correct to just say no un termómetro without repeating the verb?
Yes. Just like in English, Spanish uses this parallel structure to contrast two nouns directly. You don't need to add a verb and say no es un termómetro (it is not a thermometer). Stating the thing you need followed by a comma and no plus the rejected thing is the most natural, concise way to phrase this contrast.
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