Learn Spanish (Latin America): Lo que necesita es una consulta, no un termómetro. - What he needs is a doctor's appointment, not a thermometer.

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?

While una cita means an appointment or date in a general sense, una consulta specifically refers to a medical consultation or doctor's visit. Because of the obvious medical context (a thermometer), consulta translates perfectly to 'a doctor's appointment.'

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?