Breakdown of ¿Qué ha dicho el testigo sobre el delito?
qué
what
decir
to say / to tell
sobre
on / about
haber
to have (auxiliary)
el delito
the crime
el testigo
the witness
Questions & Answers about ¿Qué ha dicho el testigo sobre el delito?
Why is the word for "said" dicho instead of "decido"?
Dicho is the irregular past participle of the verb decir (to say/tell). Normally, -ir verbs end in -ido in the perfect tense, but decir is one of a few important verbs that have an irregular -cho ending. Another common one you will see is hacer (to do/make), which becomes hecho.
Why does the subject el testigo come after the verb ha dicho?
In Spanish questions, it is very common to invert the word order, placing the subject after the verb. When you have a two-part verb like ha dicho (has said), those two words must stay glued together. You cannot put the subject between them like we do in English ("has the witness said"). Instead, the subject goes after the entire verb phrase.
Could I use de instead of sobre to say "about the crime"?
I've seen the word crimen, so why is delito used here for "crime"?
In Spanish, a delito is any legal offense or broken law, ranging from theft to fraud. The word crimen is usually reserved for very serious, violent crimes, especially murder. In general legal or police contexts, delito is the more common and accurate word to use.
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