ya lo sabía
/ʝa lo sabia/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I already knew that" is translated into Spanish as ya lo sabía.
The phrase ya lo sabía is used to tell someone that you already had the information they just shared. Other ways to express similar ideas include Estaba al tanto de eso, which means "I was aware of that" and Ya lo tenía fichado, an informal expression meaning "I already had it noted".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ya (already), lo (it/that) and sabía (I knew). In this context, the pronoun lo is used to represent the specific piece of information or the fact that was just mentioned.
Which one should you use?
While ya lo sabía expresses a continuous state of having information, using the preterite form ya lo supe would change the meaning to "I found out already", referring to the specific moment you acquired the knowledge.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb sabía is in the imperfect tense, which is used here to describe a continuous state of knowledge in the past.
Did you know?
- Spanish differentiates between 'knowing' a fact via sabía and 'knowing' a person or place via conocía, meaning you cannot use ya lo sabía to say you already knew a specific person.
- The word ya is a close relative of the French word déjà used in the English phrase 'déjà vu'. Both words share a common ancestor in the Latin word 'iam'.
- In Spain, the phrase ya lo tenía fichado uses a word derived from 'ficha' (an index card or token). It suggests the information was filed away in a mental archive like a police record.
Examples in context
- ¿Sabías que Mariana se mudó a otra ciudad? Sí, ya lo sabía. Siempre estuvo en sus planes.Did you know that Mariana moved to another city? Yes, I already knew that. It had always been her plan.
- Ya lo sabía, gracias por avisarme.I already knew that, thanks for letting me know.
- ¿De verdad? Ya lo sabía desde ayer.Really? I already knew that since yesterday.
- No te preocupes, ya lo sabía.Don't worry, I already knew that.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking in a café about a local news update.
- AlejandroElena, ¿sabías que van a cerrar la calle principal?Elena, did you know they are going to close the main street?
- ElenaSí, Alejandro, ya lo sabía por las noticias.Yes, Alejandro, I already knew that from the news.
- Alejandro¡Qué rápida eres!You are so fast!
- ElenaEs que siempre estoy pendiente de todo.It's just that I'm always keeping track of everything.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, ya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
