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How to Say "telling" in Spanish

English → Spanish

diciendo

dee-syen-dohdiˈsjendo

Verb (Gerund)A2General
Use 'diciendo' when you are actively informing someone of something, conveying a message, or stating a fact.
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 you 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-dohkonˈtando

VerbA2General
Use 'contando' when you are narrating a story, recounting events, or telling a tale.
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.

significativo

seeg-nee-fee-kah-TEE-bohsiɣnifikaˈtiβo

adjectiveB1Formal/General
Use 'significativo' when describing something as important, meaningful, or that reveals significant information.
A giant, bright red apple sitting next to a tiny green grape to show a significant difference in size.

Examples

Hubo un aumento significativo en las ventas este mes.

There was a significant increase in sales this month.

Recibir esa carta fue muy significativo para mi abuela.

Receiving that letter was very meaningful for my grandmother.

Ella me lanzó una mirada significativa y entendí que debíamos irnos.

She gave me a telling look and I understood we had to leave.

Matching the Ending

Since this is a word that describes things, the ending must change to match the item. Use 'significativo' for masculine items (un cambio) and 'significativa' for feminine items (una mejora).

Natural Sentence Order

In Spanish, you usually place 'significativo' after the thing you are describing. For example: 'un progreso significativo' sounds more natural than putting it before.

Confusing with 'Significante'

Mistake: “Ese es un cambio significante.”

Correction: Ese es un cambio significativo. 'Significante' is a very technical term used in linguistics; for 'important' or 'large,' always use 'significativo'.

Diciendo vs. Contando

The most common mistake is using 'diciendo' when you mean to narrate a story. Remember, 'diciendo' is for stating facts or information directly to someone, while 'contando' is specifically for telling a story or recounting events.

Related Translations

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