Breakdown of La esperanza es lo último que se pierde.
ser
to be
perder
to lose
último
last / final (in a sequence)
la esperanza
the hope
Questions & Answers about La esperanza es lo último que se pierde.
Why does it say La esperanza instead of just esperanza?
In Spanish, when you talk about an abstract concept or a general noun like hope, love, or life as a whole, you must include the definite article (la, in this case). English drops it and just says 'Hope', but Spanish requires La esperanza.
How does lo último mean 'the last thing'?
By putting the neuter article lo in front of a masculine singular adjective like último, you turn it into a noun meaning 'the [adjective] thing'. Therefore, lo último means 'the last thing', just like lo mejor means 'the best thing'.
Why use se pierde instead of just pierdes if the translation says 'you lose'?
Since this lesson is about hopes and wishes, why isn't the subjunctive used here?