Decir is one of the most important irregular verbs in Spanish — it appears in virtually every GCSE and A-Level task.
Practice decir free →Decir means 'to say' or 'to tell', and it is essential for reporting what people say — a skill tested across speaking, writing and reading. It is heavily irregular: the yo form is digo, the stem changes to dic-, and the preterite is irregular too (dije, dijo). Its past participle dicho ('said') is also irregular and appears in the perfect tenses (he dicho, I have said). Because so much of communication involves relaying information — dice que… (he says that…) — decir unlocks reported speech, which is a reliable way to add complexity. Examiners look for accurate use of decir in the preterite, so dije and dijo are forms to lock in.
Quick facts
Decir (to say / tell) is an irregular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Digo la verdad (I tell the truth).
Le dije que sí (I told him yes).
Dice que… (he says that…) — unlocks reporting what people say.
Irregular participle: he dicho (I have said).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
The yo present is digo (not *decgo). Preterite: dije, dijiste, dijo — note dije not *decí. The past participle is dicho: he dicho = I have said. Commands: di (tú), decid (vosotros).
The yo form is completely irregular. The other forms stem-change (e→i) in tú, él, and ellos.
Completely irregular stem: dij-. Note: the ellos ending loses its i (dijeron, not dijieron).
Irregular future stem: dir- (heavily contracted). Apply regular future endings to dir-.
Uses the same contracted stem as the future: dir-.
Irregular past participle — it does not end in -ido.
Irregular past participle — same as in the present perfect.
Irregular tú imperative: di (not dice). All other forms use the subjunctive: diga, digamos, decid, digan.
The gerund of decir is irregular: diciendo (e→i stem change).
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice decir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: digo, tú: dices, él: dice, nosotros: decimos, vosotros: decís, ellos: dicen
Decir is irregular. The tenses with irregular forms are: Presente, Pretérito Indefinido, Futuro, Condicional, Pretérito Perfecto, Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto, Imperativo, Presente Progresivo.
The past participle is dicho (he dicho) and the gerund is diciendo (estoy diciendo).
Decir is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.