Promise == prometer

[aleCcowaN]

There are Spanish speakers that use the verb prometer with the same meaning of asegurar ("¡Te prometo que es así!"). In Buenos Aires' language the last is considered to be a mistake though 40 miles away begins a region where that meaning is everyday and sound Spanish, as DRAE also shows.

So far, I supposed 'to promise' was prometer, but I was surprised to know that it's "also" used with the meaning of prometer (asegurar), that is "to assure (someone) of the authenticity or inevitability of something (often in the parenthetic phrase I promise you, used to emphasize a statement)" as explained in Collins English Dictionary.

I've heard that from a British TV host. Is that common? What about this side of the Atlantic?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Ese uso de prometer es horrible, aunque cada vez se usa más. Antes se usaba la expresión "te lo juro", pero como es blasfemia, entonces lo cambiaron a "te lo prometo" en vez de "te lo aseguro".

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

I've heard that from a British TV host. Is that common?

Yes, quite common in BrE, I promise you.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Two questions:

Is it used like here, as a euphemism of "I swear"?
Can it be a synonym of "I tell you"?

[rparmst]

I promise to mean "I swear" or "I assure you" is VERY common in US English--probably because we Americans are always so sure of ourselves while at the same time very defensive. ("I promise" is also used a lot by habitual liars.)
"Are you sure you turned off the lights?" "I promise I did."

(A mother to her teenage son) "Did you take the car out for a drive without asking?" "No Mom. I promise I didn't."

(A student to a teacher) "I promise (asegurar) I tried to do my homework, but my computer crashed before I could save my work. I promise (prometer) I will have it done by tomorrow."

As far as "I tell you."
"I tell you" often follows a long sigh by a person trying to answer a difficult question, and usually means, "Let me explain."
(wife to husband) "How did our lives end up like this?" "I tell you, I think it all started when your mom moved in with us."
It can occasionally mean I promise-
(coach to the team) "I tell you/I promise if you guys keep coming to practice late you will never win."


However, "I AM TELLING you" can often be replaced by "I promise" to mean both prometer and asegurar (and because we like the progressive tenses in English it is probably more often heard than "I tell you"):
(mother to daughter) "I can't believe you are going out with your hair like that!" "Mom, I'm telling you/I promise you all my friends do this with their hair."

(boss to employee) "This is the third time I have had to address you coming to work late." "I know. I am telling you/I promise it won't happen again."

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Thank you!