Inklingo

How to Say "telling" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “telling” is “diciendo” — use 'diciendo' when you are conveying information, stating facts, or speaking words directly to someone..

English → Spanish

diciendo

/dee-syen-doh//diˈsjendo/

Verb (Gerund)A2general
Use 'diciendo' when you are conveying information, stating facts, or speaking words directly to someone.
A colorful storybook illustration showing a child speaking directly to a listening adult. Small, abstract blue lines visually represent the sound or speech flowing from the child to the adult.

Examples

Le estoy diciendo la verdad sobre lo que pasó.

I am telling him the truth about what happened.

Estoy diciendo la verdad.

I am telling the truth.

¿Qué estás diciendo? No te entiendo.

What are you saying? I don't understand you.

Siguió hablando, diciendo que todo estaría bien.

He kept talking, saying that everything would be okay.

The Spanish '-ing' Form (Gerundio)

diciendo is the '-ing' form of the verb decir (to say/tell). You use it with a helper verb like estar to talk about an action that is happening right now, just like in English. For example, Estoy diciendo means 'I am saying'.

An Irregular Form

diciendo is irregular. Normally, verbs ending in -ir change to -iendo. But for decir, the 'e' in the stem also changes to an 'i' (dic-iendo) to make it sound right.

Using it for Future Plans

Mistake: “Estoy diciendo a mi jefe mañana. (I am telling my boss tomorrow.)”

Correction: Voy a decirle a mi jefe mañana. (I am going to tell my boss tomorrow.) In Spanish, the '-ing' form is almost always for actions happening *right now*, not for future plans like in English.

contando

kohn-TAHN-doh/konˈtando/

VerbA2general
Use 'contando' when you are narrating, recounting events, or telling a story.
An adult sitting comfortably, speaking with an expressive gesture to two attentive children sitting nearby, illustrating storytelling.

Examples

Mi abuela está contando historias de su juventud.

My grandmother is telling stories from her youth.

Ella pasó la noche contando todos sus problemas.

She spent the night recounting all her problems.

Storytelling vs. Informing

Learners often confuse 'contando' and 'diciendo'. Remember that 'contando' is for narratives and stories, while 'diciendo' is for direct speech or conveying factual information.

Related Translations

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