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A small, friendly character leans in and whispers a secret into the ear of a second character, illustrating the concept of 'to tell me.'

decirme

/deh-SEER-meh/

VerbA1irregular ir
to tell me?General use
Also:to say to me?Slightly more literal

Quick Reference

infinitivedecir
gerunddiciendo
past Participledicho

📝 In Action

¿Puedes decirme la hora, por favor?

A1

Can you tell me the time, please?

Él va a decirme un secreto.

A2

He is going to tell me a secret.

Gracias por decirme la verdad.

B1

Thank you for telling me the truth.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • contarme (to tell me (a story))
  • informarme (to inform me)
  • comunicarme (to communicate to me)

Antonyms

  • ocultarme (to hide from me)
  • callar (to be silent)

Common Collocations

  • decirme la verdad – to tell me the truth
  • decirme un secreto – to tell me a secret
  • olvidar decirme – to forget to tell me

💡 Grammar Points

Verb + 'Me' = Action For Me

'Decirme' is a mashup of the verb 'decir' (to tell) and 'me' (me). In Spanish, you can attach 'me' to the end of a verb's original form (its infinitive) to show the action is directed at 'me'.

Where Does the 'Me' Go?

The 'me' only sticks to the end like this when the verb is in its original form (like 'decirme') or is a positive command (like '¡dime!'). If the verb is the main action, the 'me' moves to the front: 'Él me dice la verdad' (He tells me the truth).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Sticking 'me' to a conjugated verb

Mistake: "Yo diceme la historia."

Correction: Yo le digo la historia. When 'decir' is the main verb, the part that shows who is receiving the action (like 'me', 'te', 'le') goes *before* the verb. So, 'Él me dice' (He tells me), not 'Él diceme'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use After Another Verb

You'll almost always see 'decirme' used right after another verb. For example: 'Puedes decirme' (Can you tell me?), 'Quieres decirme' (You want to tell me?), 'Vas a decirme' (You are going to tell me?).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: decirme

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses the idea of 'telling me'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

decir(to say, to tell) - verb
dicho(saying, proverb) - noun
dicción(diction) - noun
contradecir(to contradict) - verb
predecir(to predict) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'decirme' and 'dime'?

'Decirme' means 'to tell me' and is the basic, original form of the verb. You use it after other verbs, like 'Vas a decirme' (You are going to tell me). 'Dime' is a direct command: 'Tell me!'

Why isn't it 'decir yo'?

In Spanish, to show that the action of the verb is happening to you, you use 'me', not 'yo'. 'Yo' is for when you are the one doing the action (e.g., 'Yo digo' - I say). 'Me' is for when you are receiving the action (e.g., 'Él me dice' - He tells me).