1. Holly Riggs Junior Member

    English - United States
    What does "Lo estoy" mean? Like in the phrase, "Si, lo estoy."
    I can work out the meaning of estoy (I am), but lo appears ambiguous to me. I can assume it could be a direct object pronoun (it), but I absolutely don't understand the role it plays in this particular sentence. If this is an answer to a question, then what could the question be like?
  2. Wandering JJ

    Wandering JJ Senior Member

    British English
    Perhaps a statement:

    -You look tired.
    -Yes, I am.

    -Te ves cansado.
    -Lo estoy.
  3. blasita

    blasita Senior Member

    Spanish - Spain (Madrid)

    Lo, as a personal pronoun, can be masculine (when it refers to a masculine noun). And neuter, when the antecedent is a neuter pronoun (e.g. eso) or a noun group beggining with the article lo.

    The neuter pronoun lo can also replace a phrase, a sentence. Taking JJ's example:
    Parece que estás cansado, contento, agobiado, etc.
    (Sí,/No,) lo estoy.

    Also, for example:
    ¿Estás mejor?
    (Sí,/No,) lo estoy.

    And just add what María Moliner (DUE) says about this:
  4. FromPA

    FromPA Senior Member

    Philadelphia area
    USA English
    The phrase "I am" is not a complete thought ("I am what?"). English allows you to leave the thought incomplete (the rest of the phrase is understood from the context), but Spanish requires you to complete the thought -- "I am that (lo)," with "that/lo" referring to the previously stated condition.
  5. donbeto

    donbeto Senior Member

    Vancouver (Canada)
    Eng (Canada)
    Yes. Another example is "I know.". In Spanish, it's "Lo sé.".

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