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Learn Decir in the Spanish present tense

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Decir

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Present · Yo → -GO

Decir in the Spanish present tense

Decir means to say or to tell. The recipient is often expressed with an indirect object pronoun: me dice, te digo or les decimos.

Its yo form is digo. The stressed forms dices, dice and dicen change e to i, while decimos and decís keep dec-.

decirto say / to tell
Digo plus an E → I change in stressed forms

Use digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís and dicen. Keep any object pronoun before the conjugated verb.

Subject or verbPatternExample
yocomplete special formdigo
túcomplete special formdices
él / ella / ustedcomplete special formdice
nosotros / nosotrascomplete special formdecimos
vosotros / vosotrascomplete special formdecís
ellos / ellas / ustedescomplete special formdicen
1. Meaning and form in context

Decir combines digo with an E → I change in dices, dice and dicen. Nosotros and vosotros use decimos and decís without the stem change.

Yo siempre digo la verdad.I always tell the truth.
¿Qué dices cuando contestas el teléfono?What do you say when you answer the phone?
Marta dice que la tienda está cerrada.Marta says that the store is closed.
2. A contrast worth noticing

Use decir algo for what is said and decirle algo a alguien for the recipient. Hablar focuses on speaking or talking; decir introduces the words, message or information.

Usted me dice la dirección despacio.You tell me the address slowly.
Nosotros decimos nuestros nombres al comienzo de la clase.We say our names at the beginning of class.
Mi compañera y yo le decimos lo mismo al cliente.My colleague and I tell the client the same thing.
3. Let the subject guide the form

Spanish often omits a subject pronoun, but each exercise provides enough context to identify the person. Choose the form from meaning and agreement, not from the nearest noun.

4. Common mistakes
Yo siempre decir la verdad.Yo siempre digo la verdad.

The infinitive decir must change to digo for this subject and context.

¿Qué decir cuando contestas el teléfono?¿Qué dices cuando contestas el teléfono?

The infinitive decir must change to dices for this subject and context.

Marta decir que la tienda está cerrada.Marta dice que la tienda está cerrada.

The infinitive decir must change to dice for this subject and context.

5. A reliable method
  1. Identify the subject and any recipient.
  2. Use digo for yo.
  3. Use dic- in stressed forms and dec- with nosotros or vosotros.
  4. Place me, te, le, nos or les before the conjugated form.

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