The verb decir usually means "to say" or "to tell". In some cases, like the common expression ¿quién lo hubiera dicho? (who would've thought?), it can also mean "to think" or "to believe."
In its reflexive form, it can mean "to call," as in to call something or someone by a certain name: Me llamo Catalina, pero mis amigos me dicen Cata (My name is Catalina, but my friends call me Cata).
You might also hear this verb when making phone calls since ¿diga? is a common way to answer the phone in some places.
Conjugations
Just like many irregular verbs in Spanish, most conjugations of decir are irregular and they can take on some strange looking forms. With that in mind, pay close attention to the tables and examples below.
Present
|
Yo |
digo |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
decimos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
dices (decís) |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
decís |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
dice |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
dicen |
Examples:
- En Argentina le dicen colectivo al autobús - In Argentina, they call buses colectivos.
- Mi madre siempre me dice que me cuide. - My mother always tells me to take care.
Imperfect
|
Yo |
decía |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
decíamos |
|
Tú/Vos |
decías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
decíais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
decía |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
decían |
Examples:
- De niño decía que quería ser doctor. - As a child, I used to say I wanted to be a doctor.
- Mis abuelos decían que eran de Italia. - My grandparents would tell me they were from Italy.
Preterite
|
Yo |
dije |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
dijimos |
|
Tú/Vos |
dijiste |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
dijisteis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
dijo |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
dijeron |
Examples:
- ¿Qué dijo? - What did he/she say?
- Nunca dijeron que vendrían. - They never said they would come.
Future
|
Yo |
diré |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
diremos |
|
Tú/Vos |
dirás |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
diréis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
dirá |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
dirán |
Examples:
- Jamás te lo diré. - I will never tell you.
- Dirán quién ganó mañana. - They will say who won tomorrow.
Conditional
|
Yo |
diría |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
diríamos |
|
Tú/Vos |
dirías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
diríais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
diría |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
dirían |
Examples:
- Si no fuera cierto, no lo diría. - I wouldn't say it if it weren't true.
- ¿Qué le dirías al presidente si lo conocieras? - What would you tell the President if you met him?
Decir is an extremely useful verb; you will find it anywhere from dialogue in a book to casual conversations between friends, so make sure you practice and learn how to use it!