Picking up what has been said
Every sentence links back to the one before. You have three tools for this: a pro-form, a short stand-in such as dicho, este último or hacerlo; a new noun that names the thing differently; and repetition of the same word. Each choice has its own effect.
Pro-forms by register
| Form | Use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| dicho / dicha + noun | picks up a noun exactly | formal, administration and law |
| tal + noun | sums up something described | elevated, press and academic |
| el citado / el mencionado + noun | refers to something further up | formal |
| el primero… el segundo · este último | tells apart two things just mentioned | neutral to elevated |
| ello · esto · lo | picks up a whole situation | ello elevated, esto and lo neutral |
| hacerlo | replaces an action with its verb | neutral |
Pro-forms in a text
El Gobierno subirá el impuesto sobre los billetes de avión. Tal medida afectará sobre todo a los vuelos cortos.
The government is raising the tax on plane tickets. Such a measure will mainly affect short-haul flights.
tal medida sums up the whole previous sentence.
Se presentaron Marta Ruiz y Carlos Vega. Este último retiró su candidatura una semana después.
Marta Ruiz and Carlos Vega stood as candidates. The latter withdrew a week later.
este último points to the one mentioned last.
La empresa prometió indemnizar a los afectados, pero todavía no lo ha hecho.
The company promised to compensate those affected, but it still hasn't done so.
lo ha hecho stands for ha indemnizado.
Los plazos no se cumplieron y, por ello, se rescindió el contrato.
The deadlines were not met and, for that reason, the contract was terminated.
ello stands for the whole previous clause.
Like English do so, hacerlo usually stands for deliberate actions. Qualities and states are picked up with lo plus ser, estar or parecer, where English simply uses the auxiliary: Parece fácil, pero no lo es. It looks easy, but it isn't.
A new word or the same word?
Spanish style guides frown on repetition even more than English ones. In journalism and essays you therefore vary the label: a general term (el museo for the Prado), a synonym or a descriptive phrase (la capital del Turia for Valencia). Contracts, regulations and technical texts do the opposite: the term stays, because a new word suggests a new thing.
Variation in the press
El Prado amplía su horario en verano. La pinacoteca abrirá hasta las diez de la noche.
The Prado is extending its opening hours in summer. The gallery will stay open until 10 pm.
New word, same thing.
Repetition in a contract
El arrendatario abonará la renta por meses anticipados. El arrendatario no podrá subarrendar la vivienda.
The tenant shall pay the rent monthly in advance. The tenant may not sublet the property.
The same term rules out any confusion.
A particularly strong tool is the summarising noun: it picks up a whole event and evaluates it at the same time. Whether, after a wave of layoffs, you write esta decisión, este ajuste or este atropello pins down your stance.
