Decir Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Decir (to say, to tell) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is irregular in several ways: yo digo in the present, e→i stem change (dices, dice, dicen), the stem dij- in the preterite (dije, dijeron - with no i), the stem dir- in the future and conditional (diré, diría), the tú imperative di, the irregular participle dicho and the gerund diciendo.

Indicative Tenses of Decir

Decir in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: ¿Cómo se dice esto en español? (How do you say this in Spanish?).

Present tense rules →

Decir in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ana dijo que llegaría tarde (Ana said she would arrive late).

Preterite rules →

Decir in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: El médico ha dicho que todo está bien (The doctor has said that everything is fine).

Present perfect rules →

Decir in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: Mi abuela siempre decía que la paciencia lo cura todo (My grandmother always used to say that patience cures everything).

Imperfect rules →

Decir in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Nadie me había dicho la verdad hasta ese día (Nobody had told me the truth until that day).

Past perfect rules →

Decir in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Te diré el resultado mañana (I will tell you the result tomorrow).

Future tense rules →

Decir in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para el lunes ya nos habrán dicho la respuesta (By Monday they will have already told us the answer).

Future perfect rules →

Decir in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice, soft opinions and hypothetical situations: Yo diría que es una buena idea (I would say it is a good idea).

Conditional rules →

Decir in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Yo no habría dicho eso en la reunión (I would not have said that in the meeting).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Decir

Present Subjunctive of Decir (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: No quiero que digas nada todavía (I don't want you to say anything yet).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Decir (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Me alegra que hayas dicho tu opinión (I'm glad you have given your opinion).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Decir (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si dijeras la verdad, te perdonarían (If you told the truth, they would forgive you).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Decir (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si me lo hubieras dicho antes, te habría ayudado (If you had told me earlier, I would have helped you).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Decir

Affirmative Commands of Decir (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Di la verdad de una vez! (Tell the truth once and for all!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Decir (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No digas eso, no es justo (Don't say that, it's not fair).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Decir

• Es decir - that is, in other words
• No me digas - you don't say!, really? (surprise or disbelief)
• Querer decir - to mean (¿Qué quiere decir esta palabra? - What does this word mean?)
• El qué dirán - what people might say, fear of public opinion