Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "lo" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce lo in Spanish?

lo is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lo/. It means “him / it (direct object pronoun).” loh, one crisp syllable with a bright l and a pure o that does not slide.

loh, one crisp syllable with a bright l and a pure o that does not slide.

lo /lo/

A single unstressed syllable. Like other object pronouns, "lo" attaches itself to the verb rhythmically and never carries the beat, so "lo veo" is heard as one word with the stress on VE.

Listen: lo

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Sound it out

l A light, forward l with the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth. English has a second, darker l — the heavy one at the end of "full" — and Spanish never uses it. Keep this one bright.

o A short, pure "oh". The lips find their position and stay there; no drift toward "oo" at the end.

Hear it in a sentence

Lo veo mañana.

I'm seeing him tomorrow.

Listen: Lo veo mañana.

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"Lo veo mañana" puts the object pronoun before the verb, which is standard Spanish word order and the reverse of English "I see him". The "lo" can mean him or it depending on context. Listen for the ñ in "mañana" — one fused sound, not "n" plus "y" — and note that all three a's in that word stay fully open.

Where English speakers slip

English "low" glides from "oh" into "oo", and speakers carry that habit straight across, so the word arrives as "low" rather than the tight Spanish "loh". The l is the quieter problem — because this l sits at the start of a syllable it should be bright and forward, but many learners produce a slightly dark, back-of-the-mouth English l that gives the word an unmistakably foreign colour.