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Lo principal es que hay que estudiar siempre.

Lo principal es que hay que estudiar siempre.
The main thing is that one must always study.
From Lesson 111:The neuter article (lo)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Lo principal es que hay que estudiar siempre.

Why is it Lo principal and not El principal?
Lo is the neuter article. We use it with a masculine singular adjective to talk about an abstract idea, rather than a specific object. Here, lo principal means the main thing. If you used el principal, it would have to refer back to a specific masculine noun mentioned earlier.
Why use hay que instead of tienes que?
Hay que is an impersonal phrase meaning one must or it is necessary to, without pointing at any specific person. Tienes que specifically means you have to. Since this sentence states a general rule for everyone, hay que is the perfect choice.
Why is there a que right after es?
In English, we can often drop the word that in phrases like The main thing is [that].... In Spanish, you can never skip this connecting word. You must use que to link the introduction (Lo principal es) to the rest of the sentence.
Can I put siempre before estudiar?
You will be understood if you say siempre estudiar, but it sounds much more natural in Spanish to put time words like siempre immediately after the infinitive verb they modify, making estudiar siempre the most natural word order here.

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