te lo mereces
/te lo meɾeθes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you deserve it" is translated into Spanish as te lo mereces.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they should have a particular reward or punishment because of their actions. While it can be used sarcastically for bad things, it is most commonly used to congratulate someone on a well-earned success.
Which one should you use?
If you want to specifically highlight someone's effort or achievement, you can use the informal phrase Te lo ganaste. Additionally, Te lo has ganado can be used informally to mean "you have earned it".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the expression Te lo merecés is used instead of te lo mereces. In Spain, the phrase Lo mereces, chaval is used to mean "you deserve it, dude".
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this phrase with 'usted' (formal you) or with 'he/she', change te to se and mereces to merece, resulting in se lo merece.
How do you pronounce it?
/te lo meɾeθes/
Did you know?
- While te lo mereces can be a compliment, saying it in response to someone's misfortune can sound much harsher than the English 'you deserve it' and may be perceived as an aggressive 'serves you right'.
- In some contexts, the verb merecer is used in the phrase merecer la pena, which translates to 'to be worth the effort' or 'to be worth the pain'.
- The word lo comes from the Latin illum, which originally meant 'that' or 'that one'.
Examples in context
- Te lo mereces.You deserve it.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase te lo mereces.Tatoeba #1173846 by Shishir, translation #1165632 by mookeee
- Recibió una promoción en el trabajo. ¡Felicitaciones! Usted se lo merece.You received a promotion at work. Congratulations! You deserve it.
- Su dedicación y esfuerzo son notables. Es usted digno/a de ello.Your dedication and effort are remarkable. You deserve it.
- Ha trabajado arduamente durante años. Esta victoria le corresponde.You have worked hard for years. This victory is rightfully yours.
- ¡Ganaste la competencia! ¡Te lo mereces, amigo!You won the competition! You deserve it, buddy!
- Has trabajado duro para esto. ¡Te lo ganaste!You have worked hard for this. You deserve it!
- Tu dedicación y perseverancia son admirables. ¡Te lo has ganado!Your dedication and perseverance are admirable. You have earned it!
- ¡Felicidades por el ascenso, te lo mereces!Congratulations on the promotion, you deserve it!
- Después de tanto trabajo, te lo mereces.After so much work, you deserve it.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are celebrating Elena's academic award.
- Mateo¡Qué alegría por tu premio, Elena!What a joy regarding your award, Elena!
- ElenaMuchas gracias, Mateo.Thank you very much, Mateo.
- MateoEres muy inteligente, te lo mereces.You are very intelligent, you deserve it.
- ElenaEres muy amable.You are very kind.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
