Meaning of lo

Question

Hola,What does “lo” mean below? Gracias, Shirley.
Carmen piensa que eres un cobarde. -________. -Carmen thinks you are a coward. -Well, its not like she isn't one as well.(HINT: This is expressing an ironic reproach)Como si ella no lo fuera

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Buenos días Shirley S.
Great question! In the sentence “Como si ella no lo fuera”, the “lo” is a pronoun that refers back to the idea of “ser un cobarde” (“being a coward”).
So literally, it means: “As if she weren’t one [=a coward]”. The “lo” here is standing in for the whole concept of “cobarde”.
This is very common in Spanish — using “lo” to replace an adjective or a whole quality, not just a direct object noun.
So the ironic reproach is: “Carmen thinks you’re a coward. – As if she weren’t one herself!”
I hope this clarifies how “lo” works in this context — it doesn’t translate literally, but it helps Spanish speakers avoid repeating the whole phrase.
Hasta pronto
Silvia