# decir conjugation

[Kin](https://learnwithkin.com/) › [Spanish](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish) › [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations)
Updated 2026-11-01 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/decir

> *Decir* means "to say" or "to tell". It's irregular almost everywhere: the present (*digo, dices, dice*), the preterite (*dije, dijiste, dijo*), the future and conditional (*diré, diría*), the tú command (*di*) and the past participle (*dicho*). Only the imperfect (*decía*) is regular.

**Diagram.** In the present, the four forms stressed on the stem turn the e into i, and yo gets a g on top: digo, dices, dice, dicen. Decimos and decís sit outside the boot. The past gets its own stem, dij-, and the ellos form is dijeron, with no i.
> The conjugation of decir as two grids, singular on the left and plural on the right. Present: yo digo, tú dices, él dice, nosotros decimos, vosotros decís, ellos dicen; a boot is drawn round digo, dices, dice and dicen, where the e becomes i, and digo also gets a g. Preterite: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron, with the stem dij- marked.
- decir, present: d**ig**o, d**i**ces, d**i**ce, decimos, decís, d**i**cen.
- decir, preterite: d**ij**e, d**ij**iste, d**ij**o, d**ij**imos, d**ij**isteis, d**ij**eron.
- Bold marks the letters that break the pattern.
- **Red pencil** is what breaks the pattern. The outline is the boot. Textbooks call these *boot verbs* because the forms that change make that shape.
- The *g* in *digo* is the same one as in *tengo* and *hago*.

**decir** — to say, to tell. *Digo*.

## Present indicative

*The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.*


| Pronoun | decir | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | digo | DEE-goh |
| tú | dices | DEE-sehs |
| él / ella / usted | dice | DEE-seh |
| nosotros | decimos | deh-SEE-mohs |
| vosotros | decís | deh-SEES |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | dicen | DEE-sehn |

Two things at once. When the stress lands on the stem, the *e* turns into *i*: *dices, dice, dicen*. And *yo* gets a *g* too, *digo*, like *tengo* and *hago*. *Nosotros* and *vosotros* keep *dec-*. With *vos* it's *vos decís*.

## Preterite

*The past for things that happened and finished: "I went", "she said".*


| Pronoun | decir | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | dije | DEE-heh |
| tú | dijiste | dee-HEES-teh |
| él / ella / usted | dijo | DEE-hoh |
| nosotros | dijimos | dee-HEE-mohs |
| vosotros | dijisteis | dee-hees-TAY-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | dijeron | dee-HEH-rohn |

New stem, *dij-*, and no accents. Watch the last one: it's *dijeron*, not *dijieron*. After a *j*, the *i* drops out. Same with *trajeron* (traer) and *condujeron* (conducir).

## Imperfect

*The past for how things were or used to be: "I was going", "we used to live".*


| Pronoun | decir | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | decía | deh-SEE-ah |
| tú | decías | deh-SEE-ahs |
| él / ella / usted | decía | deh-SEE-ah |
| nosotros | decíamos | deh-SEE-ah-mohs |
| vosotros | decíais | deh-SEE-ah-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | decían | deh-SEE-ahn |

The one regular tense. *Mi abuela siempre decía…* (my grandma always used to say…).

## Future, conditional and subjunctive

*"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form Spanish uses after wishes, doubts and "if" (espero que…, si fuera…).*


| Pronoun | Future | Conditional | Pres. subj. | Imp. subj. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| yo | diré | diría | diga | dijera |
| tú | dirás | dirías | digas | dijeras |
| él / ella / usted | dirá | diría | diga | dijera |
| nosotros | diremos | diríamos | digamos | dijéramos |
| vosotros | diréis | diríais | digáis | dijerais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | dirán | dirían | digan | dijeran |

The future and conditional shrink to *dir-*: *te lo diré* (I'll tell you). The present subjunctive comes from *digo*, so it's *diga*. That's why people answer the phone in Spain with *¿diga?*

## Gerund and past participle

*The "-ing" form (estoy hablando, I'm talking) and the one that goes with haber (he hablado, I've talked).*


| Form | decir | In a sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gerund (-ing) | diciendo | *¿Qué estás diciendo?* (what are you saying?) |
| past participle | dicho | *Ya te lo he dicho* (I've already told you) |

*Dicho* is also a noun, a saying: *como dice el dicho* (as the saying goes). And *dicho y hecho* is "no sooner said than done".

## Imperative

*Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.*


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tú | di | no digas |
| usted | diga | no diga |
| nosotros | digamos | no digamos |
| vosotros | decid | no digáis |
| ustedes | digan | no digan |

*Di* is tiny, so you'll mostly see it with a pronoun stuck on: *dime* (tell me), *dile* (tell him), *dilo* (say it). *¡No me digas!* is "no way!", literally "don't tell me". With *vos* it's *decime*.

## What decir does

*Four ways you'll see it*

| Spanish | Means |
| --- | --- |
| dice que sí | he says yes: *decir que* + what was said |
| dime la verdad | tell me the truth: *decir* + a person, for "tell" |
| dile que venga | tell him to come: *decir que* + subjunctive is an order |
| ¿cómo se dice…? | how do you say…? |

**Querer decir** means "to mean": *¿qué quiere decir esto?* (what does this mean?). And **es decir** is "that is", "in other words".

- **Looking a word up once doesn't mean you'll remember it.** The verb you look up today is gone by tomorrow. The one that keeps showing up in stuff you'd read anyway, right when you're about to forget it, is the one that sticks.
- **No streaks, no guilt.** Kin tracks one number: how many words you've got in reach today. It drops when you take a break and comes back when you do.

## Questions

### What is the preterite of decir?

*Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron*. The stem is *dij-*, with no accents, and the ellos form is *dijeron*, never *dijieron*.

### What is the tú command of decir?

*Di*. It's usually joined to a pronoun: *dime* (tell me), *dilo* (say it). The negative is *no digas*, and with *vos* it's *decí*, or *decime*.

### What is the yo form of decir?

*Digo*, with a *g*. In the past it's *dije*, and in the future *diré*.

### What is the subjunctive of decir?

Present: *diga, digas, diga, digamos, digáis, digan*. Imperfect: *dijera, dijeras, dijera, dijéramos, dijerais, dijeran*. You'll hear it in *dile que venga* (tell him to come) and *¿diga?* on the phone in Spain.

### What is the past participle of decir?

*Dicho*: *he dicho* (I've said), *lo dicho* (what was said). It's also a noun, a saying.

## Related

- [hacer conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/hacer.md)
- [querer conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/querer.md)
- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)

---

Want this remembered rather than looked up? That's what Kin does: short stories about what you're into, written for your level. Tap any word you don't know, and Kin brings it back right before you'd forget it. Find your level, free: https://learnwithkin.com/start