lo adivinaste
/lo adibinaste/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you guessed it" translates to Spanish as lo adivinaste.
This expression is used to confirm that someone has correctly guessed an answer or a secret.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the direct object lo (it) and the verb adivinaste (you guessed). It contains no extra words such as "is" or "was".
Which one should you use?
Lo adivinaste is used for a specific instance of guessing, whereas lo adivinas would imply 'you always guess it' or 'you are guessing it' in the present tense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form lo adivinaste uses the second-person singular preterite, which is the informal tú form.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American cultures, if you guess a secret too quickly, someone might jokingly respond with ¡Qué brujo! or ¡Qué bruja!, meaning 'What a witch!', suggesting your guess was magically accurate.
- The word adivinar shares a distant root with the concept of 'divination', implying that a good guess is almost like having a prophetic or mystical power.
- In many parts of Latin America, you might hear lo adivinaste replaced by le atinaste, which uses the verb atinar to mean 'to hit the mark' or 'to be right'.
Examples in context
- ¡Exacto, lo adivinaste!Exactly, you guessed it!
- Sí, lo adivinaste por completo.Yes, you guessed it completely.
- Vaya, lo adivinaste muy rápido.Wow, you guessed it very quickly.
Example conversation
Daniel tries to guess where Maria is going on vacation.
- María¡Tengo una sorpresa para el verano!I have a surprise for the summer!
- Daniel¿Te vas a ir a Italia?Are you going to Italy?
- María¡Lo adivinaste, Daniel!You guessed it, Daniel!
- Daniel¡Qué bien! Me encanta ese país.That's great! I love that country.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
