lo tienes
/lo tjenes/from spelling rules
In Spanish, lo tienes is used to say "you got it".
lo tienes is used to tell someone that they have correctly understood or guessed something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "you have it", where lo means "it" and tienes means "you have".
Which one should you use?
While lo tienes is used for understanding a concept, lo has pillado is a more colloquial way to say someone has "caught on" to a joke or a trick.
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'you got it' as in 'I will do that for you', Spanish speakers avoid lo tienes and instead use está bien or cuenta con ello.
- In Spain, the colloquial lo has pillado uses the verb pillar, which literally means 'to catch' or 'to steal'.
- The word lo traces back to the Latin 'illud', which was a neuter pronoun used for things that were not specifically masculine or feminine.
Examples in context
- ¿Es la respuesta C? ¡Eso es, lo tienes!Is the answer C? That's it, you got it!
- ¡Eso es, lo tienes!That's it, you got it!
Example conversation
Javier is explaining a game rule to Elena.
- JavierEntonces, ¿el jugador rojo empieza primero?So, the red player goes first?
- Elena¡Lo tienes, Elena!You got it, Elena!
- JavierPerfecto, ya entiendo cómo jugar.Perfect, now I understand how to play.
- ElenaGenial, empecemos la partida.Great, let's start the game.
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.
