decir Present Conjugation
decir — to say
Decir is a 'yo-go' and e-to-i stem-changing verb: digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen.
decir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for things people regularly say, general truths, or what someone is saying right now.
Notes on decir in the Present
It has a double irregularity: the 'yo' form ends in -go (digo), and all other forms except nosotros and vosotros change the 'e' to 'i'.
Example Sentences
Siempre digo lo que pienso.
I always say what I think.
yo
¿Qué dices? No te oigo bien.
What are you saying? I can't hear you well.
tú
Ellos dicen que la película es buena.
They say the movie is good.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: deces
Correct: dices
Why: Decir is an e-to-i stem changer in the present tense.
Mistake: dico
Correct: digo
Why: The first-person singular is an irregular 'yo-go' form.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: dije
The preterite of decir is highly irregular, using the 'j' stem: dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron.
Imperfect
yo: decía
Decir is regular in the imperfect: decía, decías, decía, decíamos, decíais, decían.
Future
yo: diré
Decir has an irregular stem (dir-) in the future: diré, dirás, dirá, diremos, diréis, dirán.
Conditional
yo: diría
The conditional of decir uses the irregular stem 'dir-': diría, dirías, diría, diríamos, diríais, dirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: diga
The present subjunctive of decir builds off the 'yo' form: diga, digas, diga, digamos, digáis, digan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: dijera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'dijer-' stem: dijera, dijeras, dijera, dijéramos, dijerais, dijeran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: di
The affirmative command for decir is uniquely short for 'tú': di, diga, digamos, decid, digan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no digas
Negative commands for decir use the present subjunctive: no digas, no diga, no digamos, no digáis, no digan.