me pillaste
/me piʝaste/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "you got me" is expressed as me pillaste.
This phrase is used when someone discovers you are lying or catches you doing something you should not.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the direct object pronoun me (me) and the second-person singular preterite form of the verb pillar (you caught).
Which one should you use?
You can also use the synonym me atrapaste (you caught me), though pillar is more common in many dialects for being 'caught' in a lie or trick. If you want to say "You got one over on me" or "You pulled a fast one on me", you can use the informal phrase Me la has colado.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form me pillaste uses the tú conjugation and is appropriate for friends or peers. In formal settings, you would use the usted form me pilló usted to say 'you caught me'.
How do you pronounce it?
/me piʝaste/
Did you know?
- While me pillaste is common, you might also hear me pillaste con las manos en la masa. This expands the phrase to mean 'you caught me with my hands in the dough', which is the Spanish equivalent of 'caught red-handed'.
- In Spain, pillar is also used as a slang term to mean 'to understand' or 'to get' a joke, similar to how English speakers say 'I get it'.
- The verb pillar originally meant to 'pluck' or 'pick' something, like a fruit from a tree. Over time, it evolved to mean catching a person in the act of doing something wrong.
Examples in context
- ¡Me pillaste!You got me!This example shows how to use the phrase me pillaste to express being caught.Tatoeba #1769194 by marcelostockle, translation #17515 by dawnbreaksopen
- ¡Me la hiciste! Nunca me lo esperabaYou got me! I never expected that
- ¡Me la has colado! No puedo creer que me hayas hecho esoYou got me! I can't believe you did that to me
- Me pillaste con la caja de chocolates.You caught me with the box of chocolates.
- Me pillaste, no estaba trabajando.You got me, I wasn't working.
Example conversation
Lucía finds Javier eating the last piece of cake.
- JavierNo es lo que parece, Lucía.It's not what it looks like, Lucía.
- LucíaTienes chocolate en la cara, Javier.You have chocolate on your face, Javier.
- JavierEstá bien, me pillaste.Alright, you got me.
- LucíaSabía que eras tú.I knew it was you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
