Mastering ‘Decir’: The Ultimate Spanish Conjugation Guide

Understanding how to conjugate verbs is crucial for fluency in any language, and Spanish is no exception. The verb decir, meaning “to say” or “to tell,” is one of the most frequently used verbs in Spanish. Mastering its conjugation is essential for effective communication. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed exploration of decir, covering its definition, structural breakdown, various conjugations across different tenses and moods, usage rules, common mistakes, and practice exercises. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, this article will equip you with the knowledge and practice needed to confidently use decir in your Spanish conversations and writing.

This guide will benefit students learning Spanish, travelers who want to communicate effectively, and anyone aiming for fluency in Spanish. By the end of this guide, you will be able to confidently conjugate and use the verb decir in a variety of contexts.

Table of Contents

1. Definition of ‘Decir’
2. Structural Breakdown of ‘Decir’
3. Conjugation Overview
   • Present Indicative
   • Preterite Indicative
   • Imperfect Indicative
   • Future Indicative
   • Conditional Indicative
   • Present Subjunctive
   • Imperfect Subjunctive
   • Future Subjunctive (Archaic)
   • Imperative
   • Progressive Tenses
   • Perfect Tenses
4. Examples of ‘Decir’ in Sentences
5. Usage Rules for ‘Decir’
6. Common Mistakes with ‘Decir’
7. Practice Exercises
8. Advanced Topics
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Conclusion

Definition of ‘Decir’

The Spanish verb decir is a versatile and essential verb that primarily means “to say” or “to tell.” It is used to express the act of communicating information, making statements, or giving instructions. Decir is an irregular verb, which means its conjugation patterns deviate from the standard rules for -ir verbs. Its irregularity is most prominent in the present tense, preterite tense, and the imperative mood.

Decir can be used in various contexts, including:

• Reporting speech or thoughts: “Ella dice que está cansada.” (She says that she is tired.)
• Giving instructions or commands: “Di la verdad.” (Tell the truth.)
• Making statements: “Digo la verdad.” (I am telling the truth.)
• Asking questions: “¿Qué dices?” (What are you saying?)

Understanding the nuances of decir and its conjugations is vital for constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences in Spanish. The verb’s irregularity makes it a key focus for Spanish learners aiming to achieve fluency.

Structural Breakdown of ‘Decir’

The infinitive form of the verb is decir. The root of the verb changes in several tenses, contributing to its irregularity. Here’s a breakdown:

• Infinitive: decir
• Root Variations: The root varies depending on the tense.
  • Present Tense: digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen (The ‘e’ changes to ‘i’ except in nosotros and vosotros forms, and the yo form is completely irregular, becoming ‘digo’.)
  • Preterite Tense: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron (The root changes to ‘dij-‘.)
  • Future and Conditional Tenses: The infinitive decir is used as the base, and endings are added.
• Irregular Forms: The irregularity is evident in the present tense (yo digo), the preterite tense (dije), and the imperative mood (di).

Understanding these root variations is crucial for accurate conjugation. The irregular forms must be memorized, as they do not follow standard conjugation patterns.

Conjugation Overview

Decir is an irregular verb, and its conjugation can be challenging. This section provides a detailed overview of its conjugation in various tenses and moods.

Present Indicative

The present indicative tense is used to describe actions happening now or habitual actions. The irregularity is prominent in the first-person singular (yo) form.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the present indicative:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	digo	I say / I tell
Tú	dices	You say / You tell (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dice	He/She/You say / He/She/You tell (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	decimos	We say / We tell
Vosotros/Vosotras	decís	You say / You tell (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dicen	They/You say / They/You tell (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the present indicative:

• Yo digo la verdad. (I tell the truth.)
• ¿Qué dices? (What are you saying?)
• Ella dice que está ocupada. (She says that she is busy.)
• Nosotros decimos que sí. (We say yes.)
• Vosotros decís tonterías. (You are saying nonsense.)
• Ellos dicen que no pueden venir. (They say that they cannot come.)

Preterite Indicative

The preterite indicative tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. Decir has an irregular stem change in this tense.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the preterite indicative:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	dije	I said / I told
Tú	dijiste	You said / You told (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dijo	He/She/You said / He/She/You told (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	dijimos	We said / We told
Vosotros/Vosotras	dijisteis	You said / You told (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dijeron	They/You said / They/You told (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the preterite indicative:

• Yo dije la verdad. (I told the truth.)
• ¿Qué dijiste? (What did you say?)
• Ella dijo que estaba cansada. (She said that she was tired.)
• Nosotros dijimos que sí. (We said yes.)
• Vosotros dijisteis la respuesta. (You said the answer.)
• Ellos dijeron que no podían venir. (They said that they could not come.)

Imperfect Indicative

The imperfect indicative tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Decir is irregular in the imperfect indicative, but its irregularity is straightforward.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the imperfect indicative:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	decía	I used to say / I was saying / I told
Tú	decías	You used to say / You were saying / You told (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	decía	He/She/You used to say / He/She/You were saying / He/She/You told (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	decíamos	We used to say / We were saying / We told
Vosotros/Vosotras	decíais	You used to say / You were saying / You told (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	decían	They/You used to say / They/You were saying / They/You told (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the imperfect indicative:

• Yo decía la verdad siempre. (I always told the truth.)
• ¿Qué decías? (What were you saying?)
• Ella decía que estaba bien. (She used to say that she was okay.)
• Nosotros decíamos que sí. (We used to say yes.)
• Vosotros decíais la respuesta correcta. (You were saying the correct answer.)
• Ellos decían que no podían venir. (They used to say that they could not come.)

Future Indicative

The future indicative tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. For regular verbs, you simply add the future endings to the infinitive. This holds true for decir as well.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the future indicative:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	diré	I will say / I will tell
Tú	dirás	You will say / You will tell (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dirá	He/She/You will say / He/She/You will tell (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	diremos	We will say / We will tell
Vosotros/Vosotras	diréis	You will say / You will tell (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dirán	They/You will say / They/You will tell (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the future indicative:

• Yo diré la verdad. (I will tell the truth.)
• ¿Qué dirás? (What will you say?)
• Ella dirá que está ocupada. (She will say that she is busy.)
• Nosotros diremos que sí. (We will say yes.)
• Vosotros diréis la respuesta. (You will say the answer.)
• Ellos dirán que no pueden venir. (They will say that they cannot come.)

Conditional Indicative

The conditional indicative tense is used to express what would happen under certain conditions. Like the future indicative, it uses the infinitive as its base.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the conditional indicative:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	diría	I would say / I would tell
Tú	dirías	You would say / You would tell (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	diría	He/She/You would say / He/She/You would tell (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	diríamos	We would say / We would tell
Vosotros/Vosotras	diríais	You would say / You would tell (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dirían	They/You would say / They/You would tell (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the conditional indicative:

• Yo diría la verdad si me preguntaran. (I would tell the truth if they asked me.)
• ¿Qué dirías tú? (What would you say?)
• Ella diría que está cansada. (She would say that she is tired.)
• Nosotros diríamos que sí. (We would say yes.)
• Vosotros diríais la respuesta correcta. (You would say the correct answer.)
• Ellos dirían que no pueden venir. (They would say that they could not come.)

Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used to express doubts, wishes, possibilities, and subjective opinions. Decir is irregular in the present subjunctive.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the present subjunctive:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	diga	That I say / That I tell
Tú	digas	That you say / That you tell (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	diga	That he/she/you say / That he/she/you tell (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	digamos	That we say / That we tell
Vosotros/Vosotras	digáis	That you say / That you tell (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	digan	That they/you say / That they/you tell (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the present subjunctive:

• Es importante que yo diga la verdad. (It is important that I tell the truth.)
• Espero que tú digas la verdad. (I hope that you tell the truth.)
• Es necesario que ella diga algo. (It is necessary that she says something.)
• Es bueno que nosotros digamos la verdad. (It is good that we tell the truth.)
• Espero que vosotros digáis la verdad. (I hope that you tell the truth.)
• Es importante que ellos digan la verdad. (It is important that they tell the truth.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used to express hypothetical situations, past wishes, and polite requests. There are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive: –ra and –se.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra form):

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	dijera	That I said / That I told
Tú	dijeras	That you said / That you told (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dijera	That he/she/you said / That he/she/you told (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	dijéramos	That we said / That we told
Vosotros/Vosotras	dijerais	That you said / That you told (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dijeran	That they/you said / That they/you told (formal plural)

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the imperfect subjunctive (-se form):

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	dijese	That I said / That I told
Tú	dijeses	That you said / That you told (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dijese	That he/she/you said / That he/she/you told (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	dijésemos	That we said / That we told
Vosotros/Vosotras	dijeseis	That you said / That you told (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dijesen	That they/you said / That they/you told (formal plural)

Examples of decir in the imperfect subjunctive:

• Si yo dijera la verdad, ¿me creerías? (If I told the truth, would you believe me?)
• Si tú dijeras la verdad, todo sería diferente. (If you told the truth, everything would be different.)
• Si ella dijera algo, la escucharíamos. (If she said something, we would listen to her.)
• Si nosotros dijéramos la verdad, estaríamos más tranquilos. (If we told the truth, we would be calmer.)
• Si vosotros dijerais la respuesta, os felicitaría. (If you said the answer, I would congratulate you.)
• Si ellos dijeran que no, no iríamos. (If they said no, we would not go.)

Future Subjunctive (Archaic)

The future subjunctive is rarely used in modern Spanish. It is mostly found in legal or literary contexts.

While knowing it isn’t essential for everyday conversation, it’s helpful for understanding older texts.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the future subjunctive:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Yo	dijere	If I should say / If I should tell
Tú	dijeres	If you should say / If you should tell (informal)
Él/Ella/Usted	dijere	If he/she/you should say / If he/she/you should tell (formal)
Nosotros/Nosotras	dijéremos	If we should say / If we should tell
Vosotros/Vosotras	dijereis	If you should say / If you should tell (informal plural, Spain)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	dijeren	If they/you should say / If they/you should tell (formal plural)

Example of decir in the future subjunctive:

• Si alguien dijere lo contrario, no le creas. (If someone should say otherwise, do not believe them.)

Imperative

The imperative mood is used to give commands or instructions. The imperative form of decir is irregular.

Here’s the conjugation of decir in the imperative mood:

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Tú (informal)	di	Say / Tell
Usted (formal)	diga	Say / Tell
Nosotros/Nosotras	digamos	Let’s say / Let’s tell
Vosotros/Vosotras (informal plural, Spain)	decid	Say / Tell
Ustedes (formal plural)	digan	Say / Tell

Examples of decir in the imperative mood:

• Di la verdad. (Tell the truth.)
• Diga su nombre, por favor. (Say your name, please.)
• Digamos la verdad. (Let’s tell the truth.)
• Decid la respuesta. (Tell the answer.)
• Digan la respuesta. (Tell the answer.)

Progressive Tenses

Progressive tenses are formed using the auxiliary verb estar and the present participle (gerund) of decir, which is diciendo.

Examples of decir in progressive tenses:

• Estoy diciendo la verdad. (I am telling the truth.)
• Estaba diciendo la verdad. (I was telling the truth.)
• Estaré diciendo la verdad. (I will be telling the truth.)

Perfect Tenses

Perfect tenses are formed using the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of decir, which is dicho.

Examples of decir in perfect tenses:

• He dicho la verdad. (I have told the truth.)
• Había dicho la verdad. (I had told the truth.)
• Habré dicho la verdad. (I will have told the truth.)

Examples of ‘Decir’ in Sentences

This section provides more extensive examples of how decir is used in various contexts.

Sentence	Translation	Tense/Mood
Ella me dice que está feliz.	She tells me that she is happy.	Present Indicative
Te dije que iba a llover.	I told you it was going to rain.	Preterite Indicative
Siempre decíamos la verdad.	We always told the truth.	Imperfect Indicative
Les diré la verdad mañana.	I will tell them the truth tomorrow.	Future Indicative
Yo diría que sí.	I would say yes.	Conditional Indicative
Es necesario que digas algo.	It is necessary that you say something.	Present Subjunctive
Si yo dijera la verdad, ¿me creerías?	If I told the truth, would you believe me?	Imperfect Subjunctive
Di la verdad.	Tell the truth.	Imperative
Estoy diciendo la verdad.	I am telling the truth.	Present Progressive
He dicho todo lo que sé.	I have said everything I know.	Present Perfect
¿Qué quieres que te diga?	What do you want me to tell you?	Present Subjunctive
No me dijas mentiras.	Don’t tell me lies.	Present Subjunctive (Negative Command)
Me dijo que vendría.	He/She told me that he/she would come.	Preterite Indicative
Me lo había dicho antes.	He/She had told me before.	Past Perfect
Te lo habré dicho mil veces.	I will have told you a thousand times.	Future Perfect
No se lo digas a nadie.	Don’t tell it to anyone.	Present Subjunctive (Negative Command)
Si me lo hubieras dicho antes, te habría ayudado.	If you had told me before, I would have helped you.	Pluperfect Subjunctive
A mí me dijeron que la reunión era mañana.	I was told that the meeting was tomorrow.	Preterite Indicative
¿Dices la verdad o estás mintiendo?	Are you telling the truth or are you lying?	Present Indicative
Decimos la verdad, aunque sea difícil.	We tell the truth, even if it’s difficult.	Present Indicative
No decís nada interesante.	You (vosotros) are not saying anything interesting.	Present Indicative
Dicen que va a nevar mañana.	They say that it’s going to snow tomorrow.	Present Indicative
¿Por qué no me lo dices?	Why don’t you tell me?	Present Indicative
No te lo digo.	I’m not telling you.	Present Indicative
¿Qué te dijo el médico?	What did the doctor tell you?	Preterite Indicative
Me dijo que no podía venir.	He/She told me that he/she couldn’t come.	Preterite Indicative

Usage Rules for ‘Decir’

Decir is a versatile verb with specific usage rules. Here are some key points to remember:

• Direct and Indirect Objects: Decir often requires both a direct and an indirect object. The direct object is what is being said, and the indirect object is to whom it is being said. For example: “Le digo la verdad a Juan.” (I tell the truth to Juan.) Here, “la verdad” is the direct object, and “a Juan” is the indirect object. The indirect object pronoun “le” replaces “a Juan”.
• Reporting Speech: Decir is commonly used to report what someone said. It is often followed by que (that). For example: “Ella dice que está cansada.” (She says that she is tired.)
• Giving Instructions: Decir can be used to give instructions or commands. In this case, use the imperative mood. For example: “Di la verdad.” (Tell the truth.)
• Reflexive Use Decirse can be used reflexively to mean “to say to oneself” or “to think.” For example: “Me dije a mí mismo que todo estaría bien.” (I said to myself that everything would be alright.)
• Idiomatic Expressions: Decir appears in many idiomatic expressions:
  • Es decir (That is to say)
  • Por decirlo así (So to speak)
  • Qué sé yo (What can I say?)

Common Mistakes with ‘Decir’

Here are some common mistakes learners make when using decir and how to correct them:

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
Yo decí la verdad.	Yo digo la verdad.	The first-person singular form of decir in the present tense is digo, not decí.
Yo dije la verdad a Juan.	Le dije la verdad a Juan.	When using an indirect object, you should use the indirect object pronoun (le) in addition to the prepositional phrase (a Juan).
Decir la verdad!	¡Di la verdad!	The informal command form for tú is di, not decir.
Estaba deciéndo la verdad.	Estaba diciendo la verdad.	The gerund of decir is diciendo, not deciéndo.
He dicido la verdad.	He dicho la verdad.	The past participle of decir is dicho, not dicido.

Practice Exercises

Test your knowledge of decir with these practice exercises. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of decir.

Advanced Topics

For advanced learners, here are some more complex topics related to the use of decir:

• Decir vs. Contar: While both verbs can translate to “tell” in English, decir is generally used for conveying information or making statements, while contar is used for narrating stories or counting. For example: “Ella dice la verdad.” (She tells the truth.) vs. “Él cuenta una historia.” (He tells a story.)
• Decirle a uno que…: This construction is used to express telling someone to do something. For example: “Le dije a Juan que viniera.” (I told Juan to come.)
• Uses of decirse: Explore reflexive uses of decir, such as “se dice” (it is said) or “me digo a mí mismo” (I say to myself).

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Mastering the conjugation and usage of decir is crucial for effective communication in Spanish. This guide has provided a comprehensive overview of decir, covering its definition, structural breakdown, conjugations in various tenses and moods, usage rules, common mistakes, and practice exercises. By studying and practicing the concepts presented in this guide, you can confidently use decir in your Spanish conversations and writing. Keep practicing, and you’ll soon find yourself using decir with ease and accuracy.