How to Say ‘I told you’ in German
Ich sagte Ihnen
ikh ZAHG-teh IH-nen
[ikh ZAHG-teh IH-nen]
💬 Usage Tip: [Ihnen] is the formal way to say "to you." The same swap happens with informal [dir]: [Ich sagte dir].
🇩🇪 In Germany: In a dispute with a taxi driver, [Ihnen] keeps it formal even if you're annoyed. Dropping into [du] can sound confrontational unless the other person already did.
Phrase Breakdown
Ich
[ikh]
I told you
Expresses that the speaker informed the listener about something.
Ich sagte Ihnen, die Adresse stimmt.
I told you, the address is correct.
Sagte Ihnen
ZAHG-teh IH-nen
Words in this phrase
sagte
[ZAHG-teh]
Told
Past tense of 'tell', meaning to inform.
Er sagte Ihnen, er wird zu spät kommen.
He told you he will be late.
Ihnen
[IH-nen]
You
Directed at the person receiving the communication.
Die Information, die ich Ihnen sagte, war wichtig.
The information I told you was important.
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