Question 1

Why use ello here instead of él, since el impacto is a masculine noun?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, ello does not just replace the noun el impacto. It refers to the entire preceding idea: the fact that the impact is obvious. We use the neuter pronoun ello to refer back to abstract concepts, statements, or whole situations rather than specific masculine or feminine nouns.

Question 2

Could I use eso instead of ello in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and in fact, de eso is much more common in everyday spoken Spanish. The pronoun ello is quite formal and is mostly used in written texts, formal speeches, or fixed expressions.

Question 3

Why can't we use the direct object pronoun lo here, as in de lo deducimos?

Accepted Answer

The word lo cannot be used right after a preposition. When a neuter pronoun is the object of a preposition like de, you must use a prepositional pronoun like ello (or eso, esto, aquello). The pronoun lo is strictly used as a direct object that goes with a verb.

Question 4

Since deducir ends in -ir, is deducimos in the present or the past tense?

Accepted Answer

It can be either! For -ir verbs, the nosotros form is exactly the same in the present tense and the preterite past tense. Here, because the first half of the sentence uses the present tense verb es, context tells us that deducimos is also in the present tense.

El impacto es obvio y de ello deducimos la hipótesis.

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