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Le professeur dit aux élèves d'être polis.

Le professeur dit aux élèves d'être polis.
The teacher tells the pupils to be polite.
From Lesson 210:Indirect commands (de + infinitive)·French

Questions & Answers about Le professeur dit aux élèves d'être polis.

Why do we need the d' before être?
This is the standard way to report a command in French. When you want to say 'tell someone to do something,' you use dire à [someone] de [infinitive verb]. Because être starts with a vowel, de contracts to d'.
Why is it aux élèves instead of just les élèves?
The verb dire uses the preposition à for the person being spoken to, which is known as dire à quelqu'un. When the preposition à is followed by the plural definite article les, they must combine into the single word aux.
Why does polis have an s at the end if it comes directly after an infinitive verb?
Adjectives must always agree with the noun they describe, even if the connecting verb être (to be) is in its infinitive form. Since the state of being polite applies to les élèves (a plural noun), the adjective polis must also take a plural s.
Could I use raconte instead of dit to mean 'tells' here?
No, raconter specifically means to tell a story or recount an event. When reporting a command, instruction, or fact, you must use the verb dire.

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