todo ello
/todo eʝo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "all it" is translated into Spanish as todo ello.
todo ello is used to refer to an entire group of things or a complex situation previously mentioned.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of todo (all) and ello (it/that). The word ello is a neuter pronoun used to refer to abstract concepts or entire situations.
Which one should you use?
While todo ello refers to an abstract situation or a collection of ideas, todo esto (all this) is used when the situation is physically present or more immediate.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
todo ello is a formal construction often found in written Spanish, such as in journalism, legal texts or academic writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun ello is neuter and cannot be used to refer to specific masculine or feminine nouns. It is strictly for referring back to a whole clause or an abstract concept.
How do you pronounce it?
/todo eʝo/
Did you know?
- The pronoun ello is a linguistic survivor of the neuter gender from Latin. Most Spanish nouns are only masculine or feminine, making ello a rare exception for abstract concepts.
- While ello is common in formal writing, you will rarely hear it in spoken Spanish. In conversation, speakers usually replace todo ello with todo eso or todo esto.
- If you were to say todo ello in a casual text message to a friend, it might sound as though you are writing a legal contract or a formal essay.
Examples in context
- El informe presentado por el comité resume todo ello de manera precisa.The report presented by the committee summarizes all of it accurately.
- Los estudiantes deben estudiar la totalidad del contenido antes del examen.Students must study all of it before the exam.
- Me encanta viajar y disfrutar de todo eso.I love traveling and enjoying all of it.
- ¡Vamos a divertirnos! Lo mejor de todo es estar juntos.Let's have fun! The best part of all of it is being together.
- Ella lo compra todo.She buys all of it.
- Nos divertimos aquí. Hay playa, sol, gente amigable y todo eso.We have fun here. There's the beach, sun, friendly people, and all of that.
- Él decidió ignorar todo ello.He decided to ignore all of it.
- Ella analizó todo ello con calma.She analyzed all of it calmly.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are discussing a complicated problem at work.
- ElenaEl proyecto tiene muchos fallos técnicos.The project has many technical flaws.
- DanielSí, todo ello es muy preocupante.Yes, all of it is very worrying.
- Elena¿Crees que podemos arreglarlo pronto?Do you think we can fix it soon?
- DanielCreo que necesitamos más tiempo, Elena.I think we need more time, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
