You may have heard it in Enrique Iglesias’ heart-wrenching dimelo or José Luis Perales’ profound dime, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when saying “tell me” in Spanish. As you learn Spanish with Rosetta Stone, you’ll find that Spanish is a diverse language with multiple translations for the same word in English. An immersive learning approach can help you navigate between dime, cuéntame, and avísame to choose correctly in any situation.
Table of Contents
How to use decir for ‘tell me’
Decir is a verb, an essential Spanish part of speech that means “to tell.” You’ll use decir to ask for information, and most of the time you’ll have to conjugate it based on who you’re talking to. Being able to conjugate decir in different forms is a fundamental step in how to learn Spanish and how to use the phrase “tell me” in Spanish.
Dime
Decir is an irregular verb, so when you conjugate it in the imperative mood for “tell,” it doesn’t follow predictable conjugation patterns. When saying “tell me” to one person informally, use di followed by the Spanish indirect object pronoun me.
- Dime la verdad. = Tell me the truth.
- Dime que me extrañas. = Tell me that you miss me.
For an extra sense of urgency or to be polite, you can add por favor (please), one of the most important Spanish words.
- Dime, por favor. = Tell me, please.
Dígame
One of the fundamental rules of basic Spanish grammar is knowing when to use tú or usted, and in turn, knowing when to use dígame instead of dime. Use dígame when speaking to one person in formal settings.
- Señor, dígame. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? = Sir, tell me. How can I help you?
Use the plural form díganme when speaking to a group of people in both formal and informal settings.
- Díganme lo que quieren por Navidad. = Tell me what you want for Christmas.
Decirme
For the affirmative command “tell me,” the Spanish pronoun is attached to the verb (dime). In contrast, within questions like “Could you tell me?” in Spanish, the pronoun can precede the first conjugated verb or follow the infinitive.
For example:
- ¿Me podría decir la hora? = Could you tell me what time it is?
- ¿Podría decirme la hora? = Could you tell me what time it is?
How to use contar for ‘tell me’
Contar, another common Spanish verb, is used instead of decir for “tell me” in Spanish when you want someone to share a story or give a more detailed description of an event.
Cuéntame
If you’re stuck on how to say “tell me” in Spanish, remember that cuéntame is your best option for asking a friend or family member for details about something interesting that happened. For example:
- ¿Qué tal estuvo el viaje? Cuéntame todo. = How was your trip? Tell me everything.
- Cuéntame qué pasó en la fiesta. = Tell me what happened at the party.
Cuénteme
Translate “tell me” in Spanish as cuénteme when asking someone you just met to tell you about themselves.
- Cuénteme un poco sobre usted. = Tell me a little about yourself.
You’ll use cuénteme when asking a group of people to share their thoughts or recount an event, which is a good opportunity to work in a Spanish adjective like interesante (interesting). For example, you could say:
- Cuéntenme una historia interesante. = Tell me an interesting story.
Contarme
To use contar in a question instead of a command, you can conjugate it or use it as an infinitive.
- ¿Me contarás tu secreto? = Will you tell me your secret?
- ¿Por qué no quieres contarme qué pasó? = Why don’t you want to tell me what happened?
How to use avisar for ‘tell me’
The Spanish verb avisar is also used to say “tell me” when the purpose is to warn, notify, or inform.
You can use avisar as a command:
- Avísame cuando termines el proyecto. = Tell me when you’re done with the project.
- Avíseme cuando esté listo. = Tell me when you’re ready.
- Avísenme cuando lleguen. = Tell me when you arrive.
Or it can be used in a question, for example:
- ¿Por qué no me avisas cuando necesitas mi ayuda? = Why don’t you tell me when you need my help?
Avisar, as well as decir and contar, are versatile and have many uses and translations beyond “to tell” in Spanish. For more examples of how these verbs can be used, you can look them up in an online Spanish dictionary.
Learn ‘tell me’ in Spanish the natural way with Rosetta Stone
The subtle differences between decir, contar, and avisar can make learning how to say “tell me” in Spanish challenging. With Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion, you can hear these verbs used naturally through context. For example, you might see images of people sharing stories while hearing phrases like Ella está contando una historia (She is telling a story). Soon, you’ll be able to tell your own story in Spanish!
