Hi there!
[tex]\large\boxed{ \lim_{x \to 0} x^{2} - 2= -2}[/tex]
In direct substitution, simply plug in the x-value given to solve for the limit as x approaches zero:
[tex]\lim_{x \to 0} x^{2} - 2 \\\\ \lim_{x \to 0} (0)^{2} - 2\\\\ \lim_{x \to 0} x^{2} - 2= -2[/tex]