dimmi
In Italian, 'tell me' is said as dimmi.
Dimmi is a request for someone to provide information or to speak their mind.
Which one should you use?
While dimmi is used for a single person you know well, use ditemi if you are addressing a group of people. If you want to say 'tell me' or 'please, tell me' in a formal context, use mi dica.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form dimmi is the informal singular imperative, which is used when you are speaking to one person you know well.
Did you know?
- When answering a phone in an informal way, an Italian might say dimmi to mean 'I am listening' or 'what do you want'.
- The word dimmi is actually a contraction of two words: the imperative di' and the pronoun mi.
- In Italian songs, you will often hear dimmi used in romantic lyrics to plead for a lover's truth, often carrying a much more dramatic weight than the English 'tell me'.
Examples in context
- Dimmi chi è Tom.Tell me who Tom is.This sentence shows how to use dimmi to ask for someone's identity.Tatoeba #13940525 by unforgiven95, translation #7733932 by CK
- Dimmi che è vero.Tell me it's true.This sentence uses dimmi to ask for confirmation of a fact.Tatoeba #5227832 by Guybrush88, translation #3199831 by CK
- Dimmi se fa male.Tell me if it hurts.This sentence uses dimmi to ask about a sensation of pain.Tatoeba #12449800 by Guybrush88, translation #5137167 by Joseph
- Mi dica di piùTell me more
- Mi faccia sapere i dettagliLet me know the details
- Dimmi tuttoTell me everything
- Dimmi il tuo segretoTell me your secret
- Dimmi la veritàTell me the truth
- 286 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Giulia are sitting in a café discussing a surprise party.
- MatteoDimmi tutto, Giulia.Tell me everything, Giulia.
- GiuliaNon posso ancora dirti nulla!I can't tell you anything yet!
- MatteoMa dai, dimmi almeno un indizio.Oh come on, at least tell me a clue.
- GiuliaVa bene, ti darò un piccolo indizio.Fine, I will give you a little clue.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dimmi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
