Present
| digo | |
| dices | |
| decís | |
| dice | |
| decimos | |
| decís | |
| dicen |
- Yo form with an added g: digo
- e → i in the stem: dices, dice, dicen
Spanish -ir verb
Decir conjugation, from digo to dicho
decir: to say
Decir changes in more places than almost any other verb: digo, e → i in dices, the j-stem preterite dije with dijeron (not dijieron), the future diré, the command di and the participle dicho.
At a glance
Where decir breaks the pattern
Decir is irregular in the present, preterite, future, conditional and affirmative imperative, and its past participle is dicho.
Yo form with an added g
digo · Present
e → i in the stem
dices, dice, dicen · Present
Strong preterite stem dij-
dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis · Preterite
J-stem dij- with ellos in -eron
dijeron · Preterite
Future stem dir-
diré, dirás, dirá, diremos, diréis, dirán, diría, dirías, diríamos, diríais, dirían · Future, Conditional
Short tú command
Irregular past participle dicho
dicho · all compound tenses
Irregular gerund diciendo
diciendo
The present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra), imperfect subjunctive (-se), future subjunctive and negative imperative are built from those forms, so they have nothing new to learn.
Quick facts
- dicho · irregular, not decido
- diciendo · not deciendo
- Only three affirmative commands have their own forms: tú di (irregular), vos decí and vosotros decid. Every other command, and every negative one, is the present subjunctive: diga, digamos, digan; no digas.
Focused practice
Practise decir now
Type the forms from memory, irregular ones first.
Conjugation tables for decir
Marked letters break the regular -ir pattern. Vosotros: Spain. Vos: voseo regions such as Argentina.
Indicative
Preterite
| dije | |
| dijiste | |
| dijiste | |
| dijo | |
| dijimos | |
| dijisteis | |
| dijeron |
- Strong preterite stem dij-: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis
- J-stem dij- with ellos in -eron: dijeron
Imperfect
| decía | |
| decías | |
| decías | |
| decía | |
| decíamos | |
| decíais | |
| decían |
Future
| diré | |
| dirás | |
| dirás | |
| dirá | |
| diremos | |
| diréis | |
| dirán |
- Future stem dir-: diré, dirás, dirá, diremos, diréis, dirán
Present Perfect
| he dicho | |
| has dicho | |
| has dicho | |
| ha dicho | |
| hemos dicho | |
| habéis dicho | |
| han dicho |
- haber + dicho
Past Perfect
| había dicho | |
| habías dicho | |
| habías dicho | |
| había dicho | |
| habíamos dicho | |
| habíais dicho | |
| habían dicho |
- haber + dicho
Future Perfect
| habré dicho | |
| habrás dicho | |
| habrás dicho | |
| habrá dicho | |
| habremos dicho | |
| habréis dicho | |
| habrán dicho |
- haber + dicho
Conditional
Conditional
| diría | |
| dirías | |
| dirías | |
| diría | |
| diríamos | |
| diríais | |
| dirían |
- Future stem dir-: diría, dirías, diría, diríamos, diríais, dirían
Conditional Perfect
| habría dicho | |
| habrías dicho | |
| habrías dicho | |
| habría dicho | |
| habríamos dicho | |
| habríais dicho | |
| habrían dicho |
- haber + dicho
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
| diga | |
| digas | |
| digas | |
| diga | |
| digamos | |
| digáis | |
| digan |
- Built on the present yo form digo
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| dijera | |
| dijeras | |
| dijeras | |
| dijera | |
| dijéramos | |
| dijerais | |
| dijeran |
- Built on the preterite ellos form dijeron
Imperfect Subjunctive (-se)
| dijese | |
| dijeses | |
| dijeses | |
| dijese | |
| dijésemos | |
| dijeseis | |
| dijesen |
- Built on the preterite ellos form dijeron
Future Subjunctive
| dijere | |
| dijeres | |
| dijeres | |
| dijere | |
| dijéremos | |
| dijereis | |
| dijeren |
- Built on the preterite ellos form dijeron
Present Perfect Subjunctive
| haya dicho | |
| hayas dicho | |
| hayas dicho | |
| haya dicho | |
| hayamos dicho | |
| hayáis dicho | |
| hayan dicho |
- haber + dicho
Past Perfect Subjunctive
| hubiera dicho | |
| hubieras dicho | |
| hubieras dicho | |
| hubiera dicho | |
| hubiéramos dicho | |
| hubierais dicho | |
| hubieran dicho |
- haber + dicho
Future Perfect Subjunctive
| hubiere dicho | |
| hubieres dicho | |
| hubieres dicho | |
| hubiere dicho | |
| hubiéremos dicho | |
| hubiereis dicho | |
| hubieren dicho |
- haber + dicho
Imperative
Affirmative Imperative
| di | |
| decí | |
| diga | |
| digamos | |
| decid | |
| digan |
- Short tú command: di
- Built on the present subjunctive
Negative Imperative
| no digas | |
| no digas | |
| no diga | |
| no digamos | |
| no digáis | |
| no digan |
- Built on the present subjunctive
Usage
Decir que with the indicative or the subjunctive
Decir que takes the indicative when it reports information and the subjunctive when it reports a request or an order: me dijo que venía (he told me he was coming), but me dijo que viniera (he told me to come).
Its preterite has a j-stem, and j-stems drop the i of the ending in the ellos form: dijeron, not dijieron. The same happens with traer and producir: trajeron, produjeron.
Di is the tú command (dime la verdad) and also the yo preterite of dar (le di el libro). The context, and often an attached pronoun, makes it clear.
When you report what someone said in the past, the tense shifts back with decir: dice que está cansado becomes dijo que estaba cansado, and dice que vendrá becomes dijo que vendría.
Es decir means “that is to say”. In Spain, many people answer the phone with ¿Diga? or ¿Dígame?
Easy to confuse
- di is the tú command of decir, but also the preterite yo of dar.
Check yourself
Try before revealing
Yo ___. (decir · present)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Try before revealing
Yo ___. (decir · preterite)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Try before revealing
Yo ___. (decir · future)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Try before revealing
Tú, ___. (decir · command)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Related verbs
Other verbs with strong preterite stems
Other verbs with irregular future and conditional
Other verbs with stem changes in the present
- entender to understand
- sentir to feel
- pensar to think
- almorzar to have lunch
Practise the pattern in context
- Preterite practice
- Present subjunctive practice
- Spanish commands practice
- Past participles as adjectives : using dicho as an adjective