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 a high-frequency 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. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: digo, tú: dices, él: dice, nosotros: decimos, vosotros: decís, ellos: dicen
Decir is irregular.
Use decir in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Decir is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.