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Je dis la vérité.

Je dis la vérité.
I am telling the truth.
From Lesson 86:Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)·French

Breakdown of Je dis la vérité.

je
I
dire
to say, to tell
la vérité
the truth

Questions & Answers about Je dis la vérité.

Why is 'dire' translated as 'telling' here? I thought it meant 'to say'.
In French, dire covers both "to say" and "to tell". You use dire for sharing information, facts, or stating words. So, "to tell the truth" is always dire la vérité. (Note: French does have the verb raconter, but that is strictly used for "telling" a story, a joke, or a tale).
Is 'dis' a regular verb form?
No, dire is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the singular forms are je dis, tu dis, and il/elle dit. The good news? The -s and -t at the ends are silent, so all three of these forms are pronounced exactly the same (they sound just like the English letter "D").
Why doesn't the French sentence have a word for 'am'?
The French present tense covers both the simple present ("I tell") and the continuous present ("I am telling"). Je dis translates to whichever one makes the most sense in your English context. You never translate "am" or "is" when talking about an action happening right now!
How can I remember that 'vérité' is feminine and needs 'la'?
A great trick for A2 learners: almost all French abstract nouns ending in -té are feminine! They very often match up with English words ending in "-ty". For example: la vérité (truth/verity), la beauté (beauty), and la société (society).

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