'Lo siento. Lo dicho, dicho esta.'

Question

I just received this in an email:

"Lo siento. Lo dicho, dicho esta."

Although it appears simple, it's lost on me. "I'm sorry. It's said, this is said"? I feel like a real dunce, but I can't figure this out.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

Is it something like the English, "What's said is said"? - mapletw, Jan 27, 2011

Which would mean the writer had a typo, should be está. That's if I'm anywhere close to correct! - mapletw, Jan 27, 2011

Answer 1

I would probably translate it as, "I'm sorry. What's said is said." I could very well be wrong, though.

This is perfectly correct. - Gekkosan, Jan 27, 2011

"We're done talking or discussing this" can be another option. - gone, Jan 27, 2011

Answer 2

I have to agree with Josh as well. The reason for the confusion is the missing accent mark over está.

Lo siento. Lo dicho, dicho está ...... I´m sorry. What is said is said.

(We can´t go back and change what we have said)

Exactly right. - Gekkosan, Jan 27, 2011

Answer 3

Lo dicho = The (thing) said.

There's no error. Lo can mean several things and is used two different ways in your message, but here it means "the."

To be clear, I had to puzzle over it a couple of minutes. I wanted it to be "Lo he dicho" (I said it) or something at first.

This is along the lines of lo mejor (the best thing), lo primero (the first thing), etc. The pattern being lo + adjective. The adjective in this case is a past participle, but those are fine adjectives in Spanish.

Answer 4

"We're done talking or discussing this" can be another option. - usarenzo

I don't think this is what he means.

I would rephrase this:

I said something which can't be undone (unsaid), I am sorry.

Now, he can mean, he is sorry for not being able to undo it...or he is sorry for what he said.

Hmmmmm

Entre gustos y colores... - gone, Jan 27, 2011

Answer 5

"I'm sorry. What's said is said." I could very well be wrong, though A quite reasonable translation. A somewhat more "poetic" way of saying the same thing might be "What's said can't be unsaid." Getting even more fanciful, one might recall Omar Khayyam's lines:
"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it."

Answer 6

Thank you for your help, everyone! "What's said is said" works well considering I said something completely embarrassing in Spanish (stupid false friends...again), tried to take it back, and my reader seems to be having a bit of fun with me here.

Thanks!