ya te lo dije
/ʝa te lo dixe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I told you so" is expressed in Spanish as ya te lo dije.
The inclusion of the word ya is essential to convey the sense that you said this previously.
Meaning: told you so! (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ya te lo dije translates to "already to you it I said".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ya te lo dije uses the informal te for a single person. If you are speaking to a group of people or to someone you address formally, you should use ya se lo dije.
Did you know?
- The word dije comes from the Latin verb dicō, which is a distant relative of the English word 'dictate' and 'dictionary'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying ya te lo dije can be accompanied by a shrug or a specific hand gesture to emphasize the 'I warned you' aspect of the phrase.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you want to be extra dramatic or emphatic when saying ya te lo dije, you might add ¡te lo advertí! which means 'I warned you!'
Examples in context
- Le aconsejé que no invirtiera en esa empresa, pero no me hizo caso. Te lo dije ahora ha perdido mucho dinero.I advised him/her not to invest in that company, but he/she didn't listen to me. I told you so now he/she has lost a lot of money.
- Ya te lo dije, pero no me escuchaste.I told you so, but you didn't listen to me.
- ¡Ya te lo dije hace meses!I told you so months ago!
- No te quejes, ya te lo dije.Don't complain, I told you so.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about a broken umbrella during a storm.
- DanielEl paraguas se rompió con el viento.The umbrella broke in the wind.
- MaríaEs verdad, era muy viejo.It's true, it was very old.
- DanielYa te lo dije, María.I told you so, María.
- MaríaTienes razón, lo siento.You are right, I'm sorry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I told you so” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dije, lo, te, ya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
