Decir: Full Conjugation

Decir means "to say" or "to tell." It's the default verb for reporting speech and is essential for conversation, narration, and indirect discourse.

Decir is one of the most heavily irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present it combines an e → i stem change with the -go yo form (digo). It takes the -ij- preterite dije/dijeron, the shortened future stem dir-, and the irregular past participle dicho.

Present Indicative

Preterite

Note that the ellos form is dijeron, not dijieron — verbs with a j stem drop the i in the third-person plural preterite ending.

Imperfect

Future

Conditional

Present Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Imperative

Non-Finite Forms

• Infinitive: decir
• Gerund: diciendo
• Past participle: dicho (irregular)

Compound Tenses

The compound tenses use haber plus the irregular past participle dicho.

Present Perfect

Pluperfect

Future Perfect

Conditional Perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Progressive Forms

Progressive forms use estar with the gerund diciendo.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Future Progressive

Common Collocations and Expressions

• es decir — that is to say, in other words
• querer decir — to mean
• ¡no me digas! — you don't say! (expressing surprise)
• dicho y hecho — said and done, no sooner said than done
• mejor dicho — rather, or rather
• dicho sea de paso — by the way, in passing
• al decir de — according to (a person)
• ni que decir tiene — it goes without saying
• decir tonterías — to talk nonsense
• decir mentiras / decir la verdad — to lie / to tell the truth
• ¿cómo se dice...? — how do you say...?
• el qué dirán — what people will say (gossip)
• decir adiós / hola — to say goodbye / hello
• se dice que — they say that, it is said that
• decir entre dientes — to mutter
• a decir verdad — to tell the truth, frankly

Common Errors (for English speakers)

• ❌ Habla que viene mañana. / ✅ Dice que viene mañana. — Use decir (specific words/content) for reporting speech, not hablar (general talking).
• ❌ He decido la verdad. / ✅ He dicho la verdad. — The past participle is the irregular dicho, not decido.
• ❌ Diciste tú lo siento? / ✅ ¿Dijiste lo siento? — The preterite tú form is dijiste, not diciste.
• ❌ Me dijo a venir. / ✅ Me dijo que viniera. — When decir introduces a command, use que + subjunctive, not an infinitive with a.
• ❌ Dije la verdad a él. / ✅ Le dije la verdad. — Use the indirect object pronoun le, not a tonic prepositional phrase.
• ❌ Se dijieron muchas cosas. / ✅ Se dijeron muchas cosas. — Don't add an i: dijeron, not dijieron.

Related Verbs

• hacer — shares the -go yo form pattern and has an irregular past participle (hecho).
• hablar — "to speak/talk" (about speaking in general, not specific words).
• contar — "to tell" (a story); narrower than decir.
• comentar — "to comment / mention."
• mencionar — "to mention."
• avisar — "to let know, warn."

Cross-references

• Stem-changing verbs e → i
• Irregular past participles
• Reported speech overview
• Hacer: full conjugation
• Imperative overview