dire
/ˈdi.re/
In Italian, 'tell' is translated as dire or raccontare.
Meaning: to pass information (verb)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| dire | /ˈdi.re/ |
| raccontare | /rak.konˈta.re/ |
The verb dire is a common way to say 'tell' in Italian, often used for stating facts or specific words. In contrast, raccontare is used specifically when you are telling a story, narrating a sequence of events or recounting a narrative.
Which one should you use?
Use dire when the focus is on the act of stating a fact or the specific words being spoken. Use raccontare when the intent is to relate a story or an event.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Italy, particularly in Naples and its surroundings, locals often use dìmme instead of dimmi to mean 'tell me'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Conversely, raccontare is a regular -are verb, which makes it much easier to conjugate.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdi.re/
Did you know?
- The verb dire is highly irregular in its past participle, becoming detto, which is the root of the English word 'dictation'.
- While raccontare means 'to tell a story', it shares a root with contare, which means both 'to count' and 'to tell'. This reflects an ancient time when stories were told as a series of counted items.
- The Italian verb dire originally meant 'to show' or 'to point out' in its Proto-Indo-European roots, rather than just 'to speak'.
Examples in context
- Non me lo dire.Don't tell me.Tatoeba #8670252 by Guybrush88, translation #239720 by CK
- Lo diremo a Tom.We'll tell Tom.Tatoeba #3205969 by Guybrush88, translation #2240321 by CK
- Lo direte a lei?Will you tell her?Tatoeba #5719585 by Guybrush88, translation #3908212 by CH
- Mi dica!Tell me!
- Le ho detto tutto.I told you everything.
- Ha detto la verità.He told the truth.
- Voglio raccontarti una storia.I want to tell you a story.
- Vorrei raccontarle un fatto interessante.I would like to tell you an interesting fact.
- Dimmi la verità, per favore.Tell me the truth, please.
- Dì a tutti che sto bene.Tell everyone I'm fine.
- Raccontami tutto quello che hai fatto oggi.Tell me everything you did today.
- Voglio che mi racconti le tue avventure.I want you to tell me about your adventures.
- Raccontami di quando eri piccolo.Tell me about when you were little.
- 1344 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are talking about a secret in a cafe.
- SofiaMatteo, puoi dire la verità?Matteo, can you tell the truth?
- MatteoNon posso dire niente ora.I cannot tell anything right now.
- SofiaPerché non vuoi dirlo a me?Why don't you want to tell it to me?
- MatteoTe lo dirò più tardi, Sofia.I will tell you later, Sofia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tell” translations and entries dire, raccontare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dire, raccontare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
