¿Cómo sabes lo que estoy diciendo?
The English phrase "how do you know what I'm saying?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Cómo sabes lo que estoy diciendo?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase contains lo que, which is used to mean "what" in the sense of "that which" or "the thing that".
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question formal or polite when addressing someone, use the form sabe instead of sabes. You can also express the same idea more concisely by replacing the present continuous estoy diciendo with the simple present digo, resulting in ¿Cómo sabes lo que digo?
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a person might answer ¿Cómo sabes lo que estoy diciendo? not with words, but with a shrug and a clicking sound of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
- The word que in this phrase shares a common ancestor with the English word 'who', both descending from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- While sabes means 'you know', Spanish uses a different verb conocer for knowing people or places. You cannot use conoces in this phrase because you are talking about information, not a person.
Examples in context
- No entiendo, ¿cómo sabes lo que estoy diciendo?I don't understand, how do you know what I'm saying?
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are talking in a crowded cafe.
- LucíaJavier, ¿cómo sabes lo que estoy diciendo?Javier, how do you know what I'm saying?
- JavierPuedo leer tus labios, Lucía.I can read your lips, Lucía.
- Lucía¡Qué increíble!That's amazing!
- JavierEs un truco muy útil.It is a very useful trick.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, lo, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
