tenía razón
/tenia ɾaθon/from spelling rules
To say "I was right" in Spanish, you use tenía razón.
The phrase is used to state that one's previous opinion or belief about a situation was correct.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tenía razón literally translates to "I had reason".
Which one should you use?
While tenía razón describes being right as an ongoing state or continuous condition in the past, tuve razón is used to emphasize that you were right at a specific, completed moment in time.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form tenía razón uses the imperfect tense to describe a continuous state of being right in the past.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying era correcto to mean "I was right". In Spanish, correcto is typically used for objects or answers, whereas tener razón is used for people holding opinions.
Did you know?
- The word razón is a doublet of ración, meaning 'portion' or 'ration'. Both words share the same Latin root, ratiōnem, which originally referred to an account or a calculation.
- In Spanish, you cannot be 'right' in the sense of direction using tener razón. To say you are on the right side of the street, you must use derecha, as razón only applies to intellectual correctness.
- If you say soy correcto, you are not saying 'I am right', but rather that you are a 'correct' or 'proper' person in terms of manners.
Examples in context
- Sabía que tenía razón.I knew I was right.This sentence shows how to use tenía razón to express that you knew you were right.Tatoeba #4554777 by swyter, translation #3736499 by CK
- Resultó que yo tenía razón.It turned out that I was right.This sentence shows how to use tenía razón to describe a situation where it turned out you were right.Tatoeba #1312577 by marcelostockle, translation #246863 by CK
- ¿Quieres decir que yo tenía razón?Are you saying I was right?This sentence shows how to use tenía razón in a question to ask if someone is agreeing that you were right.Tatoeba #748792 by Shishir, translation #4013514 by CK
- Yo tenía razón. Dije que iba a llover hoy y así fue.I was right. I said it would rain today, and it did.
- Yo estaba en lo correcto. Mi información histórica era precisa.I was right. My historical information was accurate.
- Yo acerté. Sabía que elegirías esa película.I got it right. I knew you would choose that movie.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing a recent decision about a restaurant.
- MaríaAl final, tenía razón sobre ese lugar.In the end, I was right about that place.
- MateoSí, la comida estaba excelente.Yes, the food was excellent.
- MaríaTe dije que sería una buena idea.I told you it would be a good idea.
- MateoTienes razón, María.You are right, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries razón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
