dímelo a la cara
/dimelo a la kaɾa/from spelling rules
The phrase "say it to my face" in Spanish is translated as dímelo a la cara.
This phrase is used as a challenge to someone to say something critical directly to a person instead of behind their back.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative di (say), the indirect object pronoun me (to me), the direct object pronoun lo (it) and the prepositional phrase a la cara (to the face).
Which one should you use?
You may also see the informal variation Dímelo en la cara. If you want to say "say it to their face," you can use Díselo de frente.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, you may encounter the slang expression Decímelo en la jeta to mean "say it to my face".
How does it change in a sentence?
Use dígamelo a la cara if you are addressing someone formally using usted. Use díganmelo a la cara if you are addressing a group of people using ustedes.
Did you know?
- In the Rioplatense Spanish of Argentina and Uruguay, the word jeta replaces cara in this phrase. While cara is neutral, jeta often refers to the snout of an animal, making the challenge feel more aggressive or blunt.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, tener cara or tener mucha cara doesn't mean having a face, but refers to someone who is incredibly cheeky or shameless.
- If someone is described as cara dura, it literally means 'hard face' and describes a person who can lie or act shamelessly without blinking.
Examples in context
- Dímelo a la cara.Say it to my face.This example shows a direct use of dímelo a la cara.Tatoeba #5965243 by arh, translation #9525024 by DJ_Saidez
- Si tienes algo que decir, dímelo a la cara.If you have something to say, say it to my face.This example uses dímelo a la cara within a conditional statement.Tatoeba #2246935 by Shishir, translation #2234921 by Hybrid
- Si no te gusta mi trabajo, dímelo a la cara.If you don't like my work, say it to my face.
Example conversation
Alejandro confronts Lucía about rumors she spread.
- AlejandroHe oído que hablas mal de mí.I heard you are talking bad about me.
- LucíaNo es cierto, no sé de qué hablas.It's not true, I don't know what you're talking about.
- AlejandroNo me mientas, dímelo a la cara.Don't lie to me, say it to my face.
- LucíaEstá bien, es que no me gusta tu actitud.Fine, it's just that I don't like your attitude.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
