Decir Conjugation: Present, Preterite, Imperfect
decir — to say, to tell
Decir is 'to say' or 'to tell' — one of the first verbs every Spanish conversation needs. It's irregular in all three conversational tenses: boot-changing in the present (digo), j-stem in the preterite (dije), and a smooth imperfect (decía). Learn the forms below and say them out loud.
Quick answer
Yo digo.
I say / I tell.
Present "yo" form (note the g!). Full present: digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen. Preterite: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron.
decir — Present
Saying and telling now: '¿Qué dices?' — what are you saying?
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | digo |
| tú | dices |
| él / ella / usted | dice |
| nosotros | decimos |
| vosotros | decís |
| ellos / ustedes | dicen |
decir — Preterite (past, completed)
A completed saying: 'Dijo la verdad' — he/she told the truth.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | dije |
| tú | dijiste |
| él / ella / usted | dijo |
| nosotros | dijimos |
| vosotros | dijisteis |
| ellos / ustedes | dijeron |
decir — Imperfect (past, ongoing)
Ongoing or habitual saying: 'Decía que tenía hambre' — he/she was saying he/she was hungry.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | decía |
| tú | decías |
| él / ella / usted | decía |
| nosotros | decíamos |
| vosotros | decíais |
| ellos / ustedes | decían |
Example sentences
¿Qué dices?
What are you saying?
keh DEE-sehs
Me dijo que era tarde.
He/she told me it was late.
meh DEE-hoh keh EH-rah TAHR-deh
Siempre decías la verdad.
You always told the truth.
SYEHM-preh deh-SEE-ahs lah vehr-DAHD
Don't just read it — say it
Conjugation tables are reference material. Fluency comes from producing the forms out loud, in sentences, before the moment passes — and getting corrected mid-sentence when you get them wrong. That's exactly what the AI coach does.
Free 14-day trial · 30 min/mo included
More Spanish verb conjugations
ser — to be (identity, essence, permanent traits)
Yo soy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
estar — to be (state, location, feelings)
Yo estoy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
tener — to have
Yo tengo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
ir — to go
Yo voy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
hacer — to do, to make
Yo hago. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
poder — to be able to, can
Yo puedo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
querer — to want; to love (people)
Yo quiero. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
haber — to have (auxiliary); there is/are
Hay. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect