Dicen que son versátiles, pero no lo son.

Questions & Answers about Dicen que son versátiles, pero no lo son.

Why is lo used here instead of los to match the plural adjective versátiles?
When replacing an attribute (an adjective, noun, or pronoun that follows verbs like ser, estar, or parecer), Spanish always uses the invariable neuter pronoun lo. Even though versátiles is plural, the pronoun replacing it never changes for gender or number.
Why is lo necessary in this sentence at all?
In English, we usually just drop the adjective and say 'they aren't'. In Spanish, you generally cannot leave the verb ser hanging without its attribute in this kind of sentence. The lo acts as a required placeholder replacing the adjective, making the Spanish sentence grammatically complete.
Who is the subject of Dicen here?
There is no specific subject. Using the third-person plural (Dicen) without a subject pronoun is a common way to express impersonal statements in Spanish. It is equivalent to 'People say' or the general 'They say' in English.
Why doesn't versátiles have separate masculine and feminine forms?
Adjectives ending in the consonant 'l', like the singular versátil, are gender-neutral. To make it plural, you just add -es, meaning versátiles is the correct form whether the things being described are masculine or feminine.

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