ya lo sé
/ʝa lo se/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I already know" is translated into Spanish as ya lo sé.
Use ya lo sé to tell someone that you already have the information they are providing. In both Spain and Latin America, you might also hear the phrase Lo sé de sobra, which is used to mean "I know it well enough" or "I know it more than enough."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ya (already), lo (it) and sé (I know).
Which one should you use?
While ya lo sé refers to a specific piece of information (it), you would use ya lo sé todo to say "I already know everything".
How does it change in a sentence?
In this construction, the direct object pronoun lo (it) must precede the conjugated verb sé.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝa lo se/
Did you know?
- The phrase lo sé de sobra uses the word sobra, which refers to leftovers or remnants, implying the knowledge is so abundant it is overflowing.
- The word ya shares a common Latin ancestor with the French word déjà, which is why both languages use a similar structure to express that an action has already occurred.
- In rapid conversation, ya lo sé is often shortened or blended, and in some regions, ya is used as a filler word to show the speaker is following along, even if they didn't actually know the information.
Examples in context
- Eso ya lo sé.I already know that.This sentence is useful for saying "I already know that."Tatoeba #1770973 by Shishir, translation #2291629 by CK
- Esto ya lo sé.I already know this.Tatoeba #5178203 by cueyayotl, translation #5165738 by CK
- Tom no tiene que decirme. Ya lo sé.Tom doesn't have to tell me. I already know.Tatoeba #6628166 by UsuarioX, translation #1094482 by CK
Example conversation
Sofía is telling Daniel about a change in the meeting time.
- SofíaLa reunión es a las tres.The meeting is at three.
- DanielGracias, Sofía, pero ya lo sé.Thanks, Sofía, but I already know.
- Sofía¿Viste el correo entonces?Did you see the email then?
- DanielSí, lo leí hace una hora.Yes, I read it an hour ago.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, sé, ya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
