Are you learning Spanish and struggling with Decir conjugation? This article will guide you on how to Conjugate Decir in Spanish.
Conjugating verbs is essential to mastering any language, and Spanish is no exception. In this article, we will explain the conjugation of one of the most frequently used verbs in Spanish: “decir” (to say, to tell).
Learning Spanish opens up countless possibilities in education, tourism, and entrepreneurship. Even if you see many ways to conjugate the same verb, don’t worry. Practice will make you become a master.
Remember that understanding the Decir conjugation correctly will enable you to express yourself accurately and confidently in different scenarios. So, let’s make it easy and, through practice, become a master of verb conjugation in Spanish.
Table of Contents
“Decir” means “to say” or “to tell.” This verb is common in Spanish and will be helpful in all your conversations.
Here are some key grammar points that you should know and remember to learn decir conjugation in Spanish:
Spanish has similar pronouns to English. Check the following chart:
Subject Pronouns Description | Subject Pronouns in English | Subject Pronouns in Spanish |
Singular first person | I | Yo |
Singular second person | You | Tu (Close-Informal) |
Usted (Formal) | ||
Singular third person | She | Ella |
He | Él | |
It | Eso, Esa | |
Plural first person | We | Nosotros |
Plural second person | You | Ustedes |
Vosotros (For speakers from Spain. Not common in Latin America) | ||
Plural third person | They | Ellos, ellas |
The ending of the verb changes endings depending on the subject. Here is an overview of the primary verb tenses for Decir conjugation. No worries, we will explain them one by one.
Subject | Present | Past | Future |
Yo | Digo | Dije | Dirás |
Tu/Usted | Dices/Dice | Dijiste/Dijo | Dirás/Dirá |
El/ Ella | Dice | Dijo | Dirá |
Nosotros | Decimos | Dijimos | Diremos |
Ustedes | Dicen | Dijeron | Dirán |
Vosotros | Decis | Dijisteis | Diréis |
Ellos/Ellas | Dicen | Dijeron | Dirán |
English | Say | Said | Will say/ going to say |
As in English, the Decir Conjugation in Spanish also changes depending on the part of speech.
Part of speech | Spanish | English |
Infinitive | Decir | To say |
Gerund | Diciendo | Saying |
Participle | Dicho | Said |
In Spanish, the verb tenses can be divided according to the mood or time:
Remember that verb tenses are those that condition the action of the verb. There are three main groups of verb tenses: the indicative mood, generally the most common; the subjunctive mood and the imperative mood.
In this chart, we explain the meaning of each mood and add an example of Decir conjugation.
Indicative mood | Subjunctive mood | Imperative mood |
The indicative mood states actual, proven, and concrete facts, not wishes or possibilities. It includes the verb tenses of the present, the past perfect, the past imperfect, the future, and the simple conditional. | On the other hand, the subjunctive mood of the verb expresses possibility and hypothesis. The verb tenses of the subjunctive mood are the present, the preterite, and the future. | It is used to give orders to be carried out immediately when spoken. The speaker can also use it to make an invitation, apologize or give permission. |
Laura dice sus oraciones todos los días (Laura says her prayers every day) | A Laura le gustaría decir sus oraciones todos los días.(Laura would like to say her prayers everyday) | ¡Laura dí tus oraciones!(Laura say your prayers) |
According to their morphological structure, they are classified into two types: simple and compound.
Simple: The simple tense is composed of a voice corresponding to the verb that is conjugated (dice – say)
Compound: On the other hand, the compound tenses are formed with the corresponding tense of the verb ‘haber’(have/has), which works as the auxiliary verb, and the participle of the verb that is conjugated (dicho, said).
Perfect tenses: The perfect tenses are made up of verb forms that express finished actions. All the compound tenses and the simple past perfect are perfect tenses.
Imperfect tenses: They consist of verbal forms that express unfinished actions. All simple tenses are imperfect tenses except the simple perfect preterite.
Preterite: It is made up of verb forms that place the action in the past.
Present: It is composed of verb forms that situate the action in the present.
Future: It is formed by verb forms that locate the action in the future.
Let’s look at the different divisions of the decir conjugation verb tenses in a single chart.
Mood | Simple tenses | Compound tenses | ||
Indicative mood | Present | Yo digo – I say | Past perfect compound | Yo he dicho – I have said |
Preterite | Yo dije – I said | Past perfect (pluscuamperfecto) | Yo había dicho – I had said | |
Past imperfect | Yo decía – I said | Preterite anterior | Yo hube dicho – I have said | |
Future simple | Yo diré – I will say | Future perfect | Yo habré dicho – I would have said | |
Periphrastic Future (going to + Indicative verb) | Yo voy a ir – I am going to | |||
Conditional | Yo diría – I would say | Conditional perfect | Yo habría dicho – I would have said | |
Subjunctive mood | Present | Yo dije – I say | Past perfect | Yo haya dicho – I have said |
Past imperfect | Yo dijera / Yo dijese – I would say | Past perfect (pluscuamperfecto) | Yo hubiese/hubiera dicho – I would have said | |
Future | Yo dijere/ Si yo dijere – If I should said. | Future perfect | Yo hubiere dicho – I would have said | |
Imperative mood | Present | Dí – SayNo digas – Don’t say |
After understanding the importance of pronouns, part of the speech, and verbal tenses to Decir conjugation in Spanish, let us explain the simple verb tenses of the indicative mood.
The present tense is the starting point for conjugating “Decir” in Spanish.
Here is the conjugation of “decir” in the present tense:
Subject | Present Conjugation | English |
Yo | Digo | I say/tell |
Tu/Usted | Dices/Dice | You say/tell |
El/ Ella | Dice | He/She say/tell |
Nosotros | Decimos | We say/ tell |
Ustedes | Dicen | You all say/tell |
Vosotros | Decis | |
Ellos/Ellas | Dicen | They say/tell |
The better you practice the more you learn. So we invite you to follow the next examples and try to make these exercises for decir conjugation.
Exercise: Fill up the gaps with the correct present way of Decir conjugation
The preterite tense is used to describe past actions that are completed. Here is the decir conjugation in preterite tenses:
Subject | Preterite indicative Conjugation | English |
Yo | Dije | I said/told |
Tu/Usted | Dijiste/Dijo | You said/ told |
El/ Ella | Dijo | He/She said/told |
Nosotros | Dijimos | We said/ told |
Ustedes | Dijeron | You all said/told |
Vosotros | Dijisteis | |
Ellos/Ellas | Dijeron | They said/told |
Examples:
Exercise: Complete the gaps with the correct preterite way of Decir conjugation.
The imperfect tense describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Let’s explore the conjugation of “decir” in the imperfect tense:
Subject | Imperfect indicative Conjugation | English |
Yo | Decía | I used to say/tell |
Tu/Usted | Decías/Decía | You used to say/tell |
El/ Ella | Decía | He/She used to say/tell |
Nosotros | Decíamos | We used to say/tell |
Ustedes | Decían | You used to say/ tell |
Vosotros | Decíais | |
Ellos/Ellas | Decían | They used to say/tell |
Examples:
Exercises: Fill up the gaps with the correct imperfect way of Decir conjugation.
The future tense allows us to express actions that will happen in the future. Let’s conjugate “decir” in the future tense:
Subject | Future indicative Conjugation | English |
Yo | Diré | I will say/tell |
Tu/Usted | Dirás/Dirás | You will say/ tell |
El/ Ella | Dirá | He/She will say/ tell |
Nosotros | Diremos | We will say/ tell |
Ustedes | Dirán | You all will say/ tell |
Vosotros | Diréis | |
Ellos/Ellas | Dirán | They will say/tell |
Examples:
Exercises: Fill up the gaps with the right future way of Decir conjugation.
The periphrastic future is a linguistic construction formed with the auxiliary verb ‘Ir’ (going to) plus the preposition and the infinitive of the verb in use.
Subject | Periphrastic future Conjugation | English |
Yo | Voy a decir | I am going to say/tell |
Tu/Usted | Vas a decir / Va a decir | You are going to say/tell |
El/ Ella | Va a decir | He/She is going to say/tell |
Nosotros | Vamos a decir | We are going to say/tell |
Ustedes | Van a decir | You are going to say/tell |
Vosotros | Vais a decir | |
Ellos/Ellas | Van a decir | They are going to say/tell |
Examples:
Exercise: Fill out the gaps with the correct periphrastic future tense of Decir conjugation.
The simple conditional in the indicative mood is used to express hypothetical actions or situations and polite questions or wishes.
Subject | Conditional Conjugation | English |
Yo | Diría | I would say/tell |
Tu/Usted | Dirías/Diría | You would say/tell |
El/ Ella | Diría | He/She would say/tell |
Nosotros | Diríamos | We would say/tell |
Ustedes | Dirían | You would say/tell |
Vosotros | Diríais | |
Ellos/Ellas | Dirían | They would say/tell |
Examples:
Exercise: Complete gaps with the conditional indicative tense of Decir conjugation.
Mastering verb conjugation is crucial for learning any language. This article focuses on how to conjugate the ‘Decir’ in Spanish. Using the decir conjugation correctly will allow you to express yourself accurately and confidently in various situations.
To understand how to conjugate ‘Decir’ in Spanish, knowing the use of pronouns, the different parts of speech (infinitive, gerund, participle), and the division of verb tenses is vital.
That is why in this article, you found all these explanations with which you can understand the structure of decir conjugation and any other verb.
Also, if you want to practice your Spanish, check out our Spanish tutoring services. You can get a 30-minute lesson for free here.
We wish you a great learning experience in Spanish and encourage you to use day by day everything you have learned.