We Tell Them the Answers in Spanish Translation to English | Say It Naturally

“Les decimos las respuestas” is the direct Spanish rendering, though “les damos las respuestas” can sound more natural in some contexts.

The phrase we tell them the answers looks easy on paper. Then Spanish steps in and makes you choose. Do you want a direct, word-for-word match? Do you want the version a native speaker would reach for in a classroom, quiz, or chat? Those are not always the same thing.

If you want the closest plain translation, les decimos las respuestas does the job. It keeps the same pieces: we tell becomes decimos, them becomes les, and the answers becomes las respuestas. That’s correct Spanish. Still, real speech often shifts a little. In many situations, Spanish prefers dar la respuesta or decir la respuesta depending on tone and setting.

This is where a lot of learners get tripped up. They’re not wrong. Spanish just asks sharper questions than English does. Who receives the action? What kind of answer is it? Is this a one-time act, a habit, or a future promise? Once you sort that out, the phrase gets much easier to use.

What The Spanish Translation Means In Plain English

Les decimos las respuestas means “we tell them the answers.” It is grammatically clean and easy to understand. The pronoun les marks the people receiving the answers, and las respuestas names the thing being given or spoken.

You can also hear these close variants:

• Les damos las respuestas — “We give them the answers.”
• Les decimos la respuesta — “We tell them the answer,” singular.
• Les contamos las respuestas — “We tell them the answers,” with a more narrative feel.

Spanish dictionaries back up the core pieces here. Cambridge lists tell with Spanish verbs such as decir and contar, while the RAE defines respuesta as a reply that satisfies a question or doubt. You can check Cambridge’s entry for “tell” and the RAE’s entry for “respuesta” to see how those meanings line up.

That said, a direct translation is not always the best translation. If you are writing subtitles, schoolwork, or a clean bilingual sentence, the direct version fits. If you are trying to sound natural in speech, a context-based choice often lands better.

We Tell Them The Answers In Spanish Translation To English In Real Use

Let’s break the sentence into working parts.

Why “Les” Matters

In English, “them” stays the same whether it feels direct or indirect. Spanish is stricter. In this sentence, “them” is the receiver of the answers, so Spanish uses the indirect object pronoun les. That pattern is standard in academic Spanish, and the RAE explains it in its note on third-person object pronouns.

That is why los decimos las respuestas sounds off here. The answers are the direct object. The people are the indirect object. Spanish marks that difference.

Why “Decimos” Is Correct But Not Always Best

Decir means “to say” or “to tell.” So decimos is a valid match for “we tell.” Yet Spanish speakers often bend toward the phrase that sounds more idiomatic in the scene. In a test room, les damos las respuestas may feel smoother than les decimos las respuestas. In a spoken explanation, les decimos cuál es la respuesta can sound cleaner still.

That does not make the direct version wrong. It just means Spanish cares about flow, not only accuracy.

Singular Or Plural Changes The Feel

If the source sentence means one answer, use la respuesta. If it means several, use las respuestas. English can blur that line in casual speech. Spanish usually does not.

So the right choice depends on what is being handed over: one solution, many solutions, or the whole answer set.

Spanish Version	English Meaning	Best Use
Les decimos las respuestas	We tell them the answers	Direct translation, neutral wording
Les damos las respuestas	We give them the answers	Quiz, homework, answer sheet context
Les decimos la respuesta	We tell them the answer	One answer only
Les damos la respuesta	We give them the answer	Single solution, plain speech
Les contamos las respuestas	We tell them the answers	Story-like or spoken retelling
Les diremos las respuestas	We will tell them the answers	Future action or promise
Les estamos diciendo las respuestas	We are telling them the answers	Action happening right now
Vamos a decirles las respuestas	We are going to tell them the answers	Near-future spoken Spanish

When A Literal Translation Works And When It Feels Stiff

A literal translation works best when your job is faithfulness. That includes school translation drills, dual-language worksheets, subtitles with tight wording, and grammar practice. In those cases, les decimos las respuestas is clean and safe.

It can feel stiff when the speaker’s real intent is “we give them the answer key,” “we feed them the answers,” or “we explain the correct response.” English packs all of that into “tell.” Spanish tends to spread those shades across several verbs.

Here’s a useful rule of thumb:

• Use decir when the act is verbal.
• Use dar when the answers are being handed over or supplied.
• Use contar when the tone feels more like sharing or narrating.

That one small choice can make your sentence sound textbook-clean or naturally spoken.

Common Situations And Better Fits

In a classroom, “The teachers tell them the answers” may sound odd in English unless the point is cheating or coaching. Spanish reacts the same way. A native speaker may reshape the line to fit the event:

• Los profesores les dan las respuestas.
• Los profesores les dicen cuál es la respuesta.
• Les explicamos las respuestas.

Each one carries a slightly different feel. One gives the answer. One states it. One explains it.

Natural Sentence Patterns You Can Reuse

Once you know the base pattern, you can swap in tense and context without much effort. That is the part that makes this phrase handy for daily study.

Present Tense

Les decimos las respuestas. This means “we tell them the answers” as a present habit or a present fact.

Future Tense

Les diremos las respuestas. Use this when the action will happen later.

Near Future

Vamos a decirles las respuestas. This often sounds more natural in conversation than the simple future.

Progressive Form

Les estamos diciendo las respuestas. Use this when the act is in progress right now.

English Idea	Natural Spanish	Tone
We tell them the answers	Les decimos las respuestas	Direct and neutral
We give them the answers	Les damos las respuestas	Smooth in school or quiz settings
We will tell them the answers	Les diremos las respuestas	Promise or plan
We are going to tell them the answers	Vamos a decirles las respuestas	Natural spoken future
We are telling them the answers	Les estamos diciendo las respuestas	Action in progress

Mistakes That Make The Phrase Sound Off

The most common slip is using the wrong pronoun. Spanish learners often grab los or las for “them” because that feels direct in English. In this structure, that is not the right match. The people receive the answers, so les is the form you want.

The next slip is translating every word while missing the scene. If the real meaning is “we hand them the answer key,” les damos las respuestas may fit the situation better. Native-level Spanish is full of these small adjustments.

Another issue is overusing one verb for every case. Decir is broad, but it is not the only good choice. If your Spanish feels flat, this is often the reason.

Best Final Translation Choices

If you need one solid translation for general use, go with les decimos las respuestas. It is correct, clear, and easy to defend in class or in writing.

If you want the version that often sounds more natural in test, classroom, or answer-sheet settings, go with les damos las respuestas.

A tidy way to think about it is this:

• Direct translation:Les decimos las respuestas
• More idiomatic in many real scenes:Les damos las respuestas
• Future meaning:Les diremos las respuestas

So if your aim is accuracy, the direct version is fine. If your aim is natural flow, let the context choose the verb.