lo sabía
/lo sabia/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I knew it" is translated as lo sabía.
lo sabía is an expression used when something happens that you expected or suspected would occur. You can use ¡Lo sabía! with exclamation marks to express a triumphant tone or an "I told you so" feeling. If you want to express a stronger degree of confidence, you might say Estaba seguro/a desde el principio (I was sure from the beginning), whereas Me lo imaginé (I imagined it) can be used to express a lesser degree of certainty.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the direct object pronoun lo (it) and the imperfect tense of the verb saber (to know).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear Ya lo veía venir, which translates to "I could already see it coming." In Argentina, the expression Lo tenía re claro. is used to mean "I had it very clear."
How does it change in a sentence?
There is a distinction between lo sabía and lo supe. While lo sabía refers to an ongoing state of knowledge (I knew it), lo supe refers to the specific moment of discovery (I found out).
Did you know?
- The verb saber in lo sabía is fundamentally different from conocer. You use sabía for facts or information, but you could never use lo conocía to mean 'I knew that fact'.
- The word lo in lo sabía traces its ancestry back to the Latin word illud, which served as a way to point to something as 'that' or 'that one'.
- Spanish speakers often use Me lo imaginé when they suspected something but lacked proof. Unlike the English 'I imagined it', which can imply a fantasy, this Spanish phrase functions as a cautious 'I figured as much'.
Examples in context
- Lo sabía desde el comienzo.I knew it from the start.This sentence shows how to say you knew something from the start using lo sabía.Tatoeba #1703071 by marcelostockle, translation #3763343 by cromwellt
- Lo sabía.I knew it.This is a simple way to state that you knew it using lo sabía.Tatoeba #1661003 by wallebot, translation #1209117 by CK
- ¡Lo sabía!I knew it!This sentence uses lo sabía to express the triumphant "I knew it!" tone.Tatoeba #2442006 by Shishir, translation #1953109 by ozzie
- Claro, ya lo sabía.Of course, I knew it.
- Lo tenía claro desde un principio.I had it clear from the beginning.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing a surprise party outcome.
- Javier¡Mira, ella ya llegó!Look, she already arrived!
- SofíaLo sabía, siempre llega temprano.I knew it, she always arrives early.
- JavierNo creí que viniera hoy.I didn't think she would come today.
- SofíaYo lo sabía desde ayer.I knew it since yesterday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
