Spanish phrase of the week

Me di cuenta

I realised

B2, upper intermediateYou can talk with native speakers without much strain on either side, follow most conversations and give your view on a wide range of topics.

How to use it

Darse cuenta means to realise or to notice. It’s reflexive, so it needs me, te, se and so on: me doy cuenta, te das cuenta.

When you say what you realised, add de que: me di cuenta de que era tarde. Leaving out the de is a common slip, even among native speakers, but in writing and exams keep it in.

¿Te das cuenta? on its own is a bit like “Can you believe it?” or “See what I mean?”.

Examples

  • Me di cuenta de que había perdido las llaves.

    I realised I'd lost my keys.

  • No me había dado cuenta.

    I hadn't noticed.

  • ¿Te has dado cuenta de lo tarde que es?

    Have you seen how late it is?

Good to know

Realizar is a false friend. It means to carry out or to do: realizar un pago is to make a payment. You'll see it a lot in official letters and forms.

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