Paul accepte, c’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui.

Because Paul is he, and in French the verb changes depending on the subject.

• j’accepte = I accept
• tu acceptes = you accept
• il / elle / on accepte = he / she / one accepts

So Paul accepte means Paul accepts.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

• Paul ≈ pohl
• accepte ≈ ak-sept

So the phrase sounds roughly like pohl ak-sept.

A few notes:

• The final -e in accepte is usually not pronounced.
• The p in accepte is pronounced.
• In careful speech, the two words may flow together smoothly, but there is no mandatory special linking sound here.

C’est-à-dire means that is to say, in other words, or I mean.

It is used to explain, clarify, or rephrase something.

So:

• Paul accepte, c’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui.

means something like:

• Paul accepts, that is to say, Paul says yes.
• Paul accepts — in other words, Paul says yes.

Because c’est-à-dire is a fixed expression in French. It is normally written with hyphens.

It is made up of:

• c’ = shortened form of ce
• est = is
• à = to
• dire = say

Literally, it comes from something like that is to say.

In this sentence, que introduces a full clause:

• c’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui

Here, que works like that in English:

• that is to say that Paul says yes

In English, that is often omitted, but in French que is very common and often required in this structure when a full sentence follows.

Compare:

• C’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui. = That is to say that Paul says yes.

Yes. French often repeats the noun for clarity, but it is not always necessary.

You could also say:

• Paul accepte, c’est-à-dire qu’il dit oui.

That means:

• Paul accepts, that is to say, he says yes.

Both are correct. Repeating Paul can make the sentence extra clear, especially for learners or in explanatory contexts.

Because que becomes qu’ before a vowel sound.

• que Paul → keeps que because Paul starts with a consonant sound
• que il → becomes qu’il because il starts with a vowel sound

This shortening is called elision.

Examples:

• Je pense que Paul vient.
• Je pense qu’il vient.

Literally, dit oui means says yes.

• dit = says
• oui = yes

So Paul dit oui is literally Paul says yes.

In many contexts, to say yes means to agree or to accept, which is why it is being used to explain accepte.

Because dire means to say, while parler means to speak.

• dire oui = to say yes
• parler = to speak, to talk

So if someone agrees, French normally says:

• Il dit oui. = He says yes.

Not:

• Il parle oui. ✘

Dit is the third-person singular present tense of dire.

Conjugation of dire in the present:

• je dis = I say
• tu dis = you say
• il / elle / on dit = he / she / one says
• nous disons = we say
• vous dites = you say
• ils / elles disent = they say

So Paul dit oui means Paul says yes.

The comma separates the main statement from the explanation.

• Paul accepte = the main statement
• c’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui = the clarification

So the comma works much like in English when you add that is to say or in other words.

Yes. Depending on context, it can mean:

• that is to say
• that means
• in other words
• I mean

In this sentence, the most natural English choices are:

• in other words
• that is to say

Not always in every situation, but here it is being used as a clear explanation.

Often:

• dire oui = to agree / to say yes
• accepter = to accept

They overlap a lot, but they are not identical in every possible context.

For example:

• Il accepte l’offre. = He accepts the offer.
• Il dit oui à l’offre. = He says yes to the offer.

These are very close in meaning, but accepter is a bit more direct and formal, while dire oui is more like describing the act of agreeing.

That version is generally not the normal choice here.

When c’est-à-dire is followed by a full clause, French usually uses que:

• Paul accepte, c’est-à-dire que Paul dit oui.

Without que, the sentence sounds incomplete or awkward in standard French.

Yes. Both verbs are in the present tense:

• accepte = accepts
• dit = says

So the sentence describes what Paul is doing or what is true now:

• Paul accepts; in other words, Paul says yes.

Yes, grammatically you can:

• Paul dit non. = Paul says no.

But the meaning changes completely:

• Paul accepte matches Paul dit oui
• Paul refuse would match Paul dit non

So:

• Paul refuse, c’est-à-dire que Paul dit non. = Paul refuses, that is to say, Paul says no.

It is very close, but the French pronunciation is a bit different.

A simple approximation is pohl.

The l is pronounced, and the vowel is smoother and rounder than in many English accents. But for a beginner, saying something close to English Paul is usually understood.