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I'm thinking of a translation of

Let me tell you.

One thing that comes to mind is

(a) Lassen Sie mich Ihnen sagen.

but it doesn't sound quite correct. Another possibility is

(b) Lassen Sie sich gesagt werden.

(c) Lassen Sie sich gesagt sein.

both of which sound better, but might not necessarily convey the word "me" (although that should be clearly implied?) What do you think?

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    In what context? The idiomatic English "let me tell you" is rarely used verbatim in German.
    – Emanuel
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:14
  • @Emanuel Maybe this: "Do you know the answer? No? Then let me tell you."
    – boaten
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:27
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    This question is a good example of where we definitely need context. There are so many different ways we would say that in German...
    – Takkat
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 17:52
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    @Takkat: To add to this: Without the context, I would have suggested something along the lines of “Glaub mir”.
    – Wrzlprmft
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 18:33
  • Context, please! Depending on where you use this, any of the answers given might be appropriate. Or something else might be appropriate, e.g. "Das will ich dir sagen!" or "Ich muß dir was sagen..." Commented Oct 3, 2014 at 8:01

3 Answers 3

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I'm not sure (mostly because of missing context), but I think the corresponding phrase in German is

Ich sag dir was

Literally it would be

Lass mich dir (et)was sagen

Both probably followed by a comma or a colon, polite form with Ihnen instead of dir.
Dict.cc lists another possibility:

Lass (es) dir gesagt sein

which is also fine, yet more imperative than the others.

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    Dazu sollte man aber wissen, dass die letzte Phrase gegenüber Fremden und Respektspersonen nicht angebracht ist.
    – jawo
    Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 18:02
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In case “let me tell you” is used with the meaning “let me assure you”:

“…, let me tell you.” → „…, das kann ich dir sagen.“

“Let me tell you that …” → „Ich kann dir versichern, dass …“

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Let me tell you ...

I don't think that "Lassen Sie mich Ihnen sagen ..." is a typical German formula. Without knowing what follows it is hardly possible to find a typical equivalent. If some advice is given I would begin with "Darf ich Ihnen einen Rat geben?"

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  • Oder möglicherweise einfach das aktuelle "ich sach mal". Commented Oct 4, 2014 at 12:11
  • Without a clear situation and complete example sentences
    – rogermue
    Commented Oct 4, 2014 at 16:24
  • Without clear situations and complete example sentences it's no use trying to give translations.
    – rogermue
    Commented Oct 4, 2014 at 16:26

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