Highlighting with "Lo que"
To focus attention on the most important part of a sentence, use the phrase lo que (what). Follow it with a verb phrase, the verb es (is) or fue (was), and finally the specific detail you want to highlight.
You will often use this structure to express personal preferences with verbs like agradar (to please), entusiasmar (to excite), disgustar (to displease), and apasionar (to be passionate about). Remember that these work like gustar, requiring an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les).
| What pleases me is the charm of the city. | Lo que me agrada es el encanto de la ciudad. |
| What displeased him was the boredom. | Lo que le disgustó fue el aburrimiento. |
| What she is passionate about is her vocation. | Lo que le apasiona es su vocación. |
Clarifying intentions and actions
You can also pair lo que with conditional verbs like diría (would say) or harías (would do) to clarify your intentions or point out the crucial element of an action.
| What I would say is that the essence is the key. | Lo que yo diría es que la esencia es la clave. |
| What you would do is look for the key to your vocation. | Lo que tú harías es buscar la clave de tu vocación. |
Drawing contrasts
Because this structure strongly isolates a specific point, it is perfect for contrasting different experiences. You can link these contrasting points using phrases like mientras que (whereas).
| What displeased me was the boredom, whereas what excites her is the thrill. | Lo que me disgustó fue el aburrimiento, mientras que lo que le entusiasma es la ilusión. |
