dímelo
/dimelo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "tell me it" is translated into Spanish as dímelo.
Which one should you use?
dímelo is an imperative (command) form, whereas me lo dices would be a statement meaning "you tell it to me".
How does it change in a sentence?
The accent mark on the first syllable of dímelo is mandatory because attaching object pronouns to an imperative verb creates a proparoxytone (esdrújula) word. Additionally, if you change the indirect object from "me" to "him", "her" or "them", the pronoun 'me' is replaced by se (forming díselo) to avoid the unpronounceable le lo sequence.
How do you pronounce it?
/dimelo/
Did you know?
- In some Caribbean dialects and urban slang, dímelo is used as a casual greeting similar to 'what is up' or 'tell me the news', rather than a literal request for information.
- While dímelo is a direct command, adding por favor can actually make the request feel more demanding or sarcastic depending on the tone. To be truly polite, speakers often switch to a question like ¿me lo podrías decir?
- The word di is an irregular imperative of decir, which is why it looks nothing like the infinitive form of the verb.
Example conversation
Daniel is holding a secret and Elena is curious.
- Elena¿Qué es ese secreto?What is that secret?
- DanielNo puedo, es una sorpresa.I can't, it's a surprise.
- Elena¡Por favor, dímelo ya!Please, tell me it now!
- DanielEstá bien, te lo diré mañana.Alright, I will tell it to you tomorrow.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
