te lo digo yo
/te lo diɡo ʝo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'I am telling you' can be translated into Spanish as te lo digo yo.
te lo digo yo is used to emphasize that the speaker is certain about the information they are providing. The addition of the pronoun yo at the end serves to emphasize the speaker's authority or certainty regarding the statement.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'to you it I say I', where the final yo (I) is added for emphasis.
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English 'I am telling you', which uses the continuous aspect, the Spanish version uses the simple present tense to convey the same sense of immediate emphasis. While te lo digo yo is highly emphatic, the phrase can be shortened to te lo digo without losing its core meaning.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear te lo aseguro to mean 'I am telling you.'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase te lo digo yo can be shortened to te lo digo without losing the core meaning, though the longer version is more emphatic.
How do you pronounce it?
/te lo diɡo ʝo/
Did you know?
- If you replace digo with juro to say te lo juro, you move from stating a certainty to swearing an oath, which is a common cultural escalation in Spanish arguments.
- The word digo comes from the Latin dīcō, which is a distant ancestor of the English word 'dictation'.
- The pronoun yo is usually omitted in Spanish because the verb digo already implies the subject is 'I'. Adding yo at the end of te lo digo yo is a deliberate grammatical choice to signal total authority.
Examples in context
- Te lo estoy diciendo, el informe debe ser entregado mañana a primera hora.I am telling you, the report must be submitted tomorrow morning.
- Les estoy diciendo, señores clientes, que nuestra compañía ofrece los mejores productos del mercado.I am telling you, gentlemen clients, that our company offers the best products on the market.
- Te lo digo, no deberías confiar en ellos.I am telling you, you shouldn't trust them.
- Les digo, muchachos, que esta es la mejor fiesta de la ciudad.I am telling you, guys, this is the best party in town.
- Te lo aseguro, no tienes que preocuparte.I am telling you, you don't have to worry.
- Es verdad, te lo digo yo.It is true, I am telling you.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are discussing a difficult task at work.
- Alejandro¿Es realmente tan complicado el proyecto?Is the project really that complicated?
- SofíaSí, te lo digo yo, es muy difícil.Yes, I am telling you, it is very difficult.
- AlejandroMe preocupa no terminar a tiempo.I am worried about not finishing on time.
- SofíaNo te preocupes, tú puedes hacerlo.Don't worry, you can do it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries digo, lo, te, yo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
